After much anticipation and much restraint in not eating sushi my first 2 nights in Tokyo, the day finally arrived. Today would be the day that changed my perception of sushi forever! Numerous have raved about this tiny little sushi bar in Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, so I had to see for myself. I must warn you, this meal does not come with a price. The requirement was that I had to get up before the crack of dawn and drag myself through the Tokyo train stations, find this place, and hope that there would be no line up that morning. I gave myself false hope thinking that it was a week day and there would be less of a line, wishful thinking is all I can say. So, here is how my adventure started.
Catching an early morning train. While everyone sleeps, I armed myself with my Kindle to ensure that I didn't miss my stop.
6AM on the dot, and not a minute later, I arrive at Tsukijishiko Station, located just outside the fish market.
After a quick stroll through the fish market at a quickened pace, I finally arrived at the coveted Sushi Da.
To my dismay, I was greeted by a mob of people who were even more determined then I to beat the line, and was quickly told that the end of the line was around the corner and NOT in front of the restaurant. This would be what I had to stare at for the next hour or more.
An hour later, I rounded the corner, and still I was so close yet so far! As you gain sight of the door, an old lady then comes to you asking which combination you want to order. There are 2 options, I went for the Omasake (chef's choice) menu, which I'd have to wait for another hour to actually enjoy.
And as I waited, temptation passed me by as I saw giant tunas being hauled through the streets.
At this point, I was starting to itch with excitement and anticipation. I was also at the same time starting to loose my patience along with the feeling in my toes from the long standing period and the cold. Just as I though I couldn't wait any longer, the doors were opened, people flowed out, and I was finally invited in! As I sat down, I looked at my iPod, it was 7:22AM, I had been waiting for nearly an hour and a 1/2, and the song title of the song playing could have potentially summed up what I felt as I was sitting down in 1 word.
As I sat down, the sushi chef cleaned the bar top to ensure as he said it himself "sanitation".
As he started to prepare the meal, I was told that this sushi shop is now 80 years old, and the young looking chef himself had worked there for 20. I guess my meal was in good hands then. So here it goes.
First, a small mound of ginger is placed in front of you, this you are able to ask for more of as soon as you run out. It had a light, sweet, slightly warm taste that was un-intrusive to the food to come after.
Well, usually you would think to save the best for last, but this places really knows how to start things off with a bang! First up, O-toro. Absolutely the most deliciously tender, melt in your mouth, buttery texture of tuna that you will get your hands on. I was in love. Normally speaking, I love my sushi with quite a decent amount of wasabi in partnership with soy sauce. I will admit, this piece of fish needed no help, and not to mention the shine and marbling on the meat. Mesmerizing and indescribable, party in my mouth!
Miso soup. Rich in flavour, portions of fish and bone still in the soup. The dark miso had a slight saltiness which was balanced out with the light sweet flavour of miso. Great to warm up with after standing out in the fridged cold for 1 1/2 hrs.
Next on the list was flat fish. I was instructed to take this fish in 1 bite as it had sinus in it and would be hard to bite through in smaller bites. Would not have been my first pick of fishes to eat, but not bad considering.
And along came the red snapper. Another absolutely beautiful and eye catching piece of fish. The firm flesh of the meat was absolutely delicious with it's slight sweet and salty hints. As it was already brushed with a thin layer of sauce, it needed no help from the wasabi and soy duo.
For those of you who think that uni is a gooey, fishy tasting thing, you have not had real uni. This was a moment of bliss. The tender melt in the mouth texture of this uni, paired with is mild sweet, slight saltiness was to die for. There are no words to describe the perfection of this uni in one bite.
According to the Japanese, you can tell a sushi chef's skill by the tomagoyaki he makes. And this, was a perfect blend of saltiness to mild sweetness. Tender, fluffy, hot off the stove, perfection.
The Japanese do love their tuna. Tuna to them, is like salmon sashimi to the average American, a must have. But this tuna was not the typical tuna that you get at a North American Japanese restaurant. It was vibrantly red, absolutely tender meat, with no sinus at all. Paired with a hint of freshly grated wasabi and glazed with light soy, even for me (tuna is not my first choice of fish), I had no complaints. It was absolutely delicious.
Now, surf clams usually generate the image of a piece of sashimi that is red in colour, rubbery in texture, and relatively tasteless in flavour. But this, this definitely changed the idea of surf clams in my mind. First of all, it was still moving as it arrived on the sushi bar in front of me! There was absolutely no redness in colour, and no rubbery texture. It was a natural looking cream colour, delivered a crunchy texture, and tasted sweet and mildly salty like the ocean. Delicious once you get over the fact that it's still moving.
Now horse mackerel is something that I've never tried. Stunning colour and presentation, firm in texture. The texture was more similar to that of salmon than tuna I would say. Definitely the fishiest tasting of the fish served so far. Yet it still had a clean, oceany taste. The hint of marinated green onions on top balanced out the flavours perfectly. I have to say, I quite liked it, but have not seen anything quite like it before at Japanese restaurants.
When it comes to sweet shrimp, they are one of my favourites as sashimi. These baby shrimps on maki were not quite the same though, a much softer texture, and a much milder flavour. There was at least a dozen shrimp on this one piece of sushi. Although not particularly memorable for me.
Spanish mackerel delivered a more tender and lean texture than the horse mackerel. Though it still contained a slight amount of fattiness that allow a balance in texture.
After all the maki, if you aren't already as stuffed as you can be at 7 in the morning, there are tuna and cod rolls to assist with that.
Lastly, steamed eel with sweet soy was presented. Generally, I'm not a fan of eel, but this was not your typical eel. It was tender, flavourful, not too salty, a mild sweetness. Absolutely delicious. Perfect way to end the meal.
And when you think you couldn't get any fuller, the chef hands you a menu to choose a piece of sushi of your choice. You can either go back and have something that you've already had, or try something new.
At the recommendation of the chef, I decided to try the yellowtail. This was the biggest piece of yellowtail I'd ever seen. It was the size of 1/2 my palm. So big that the ball of rice was lost beneath it. Topped with wasabi, sweet soy, and julienned green onion. The texture was firm, tender, deliciously balanced in flavour. Perfect way to end the meal.
By the time I was finished, I could barely move. Never have I imagined I could be so full at 7:30AM. Time to walk it off in the fish market and go on a hunt for goodies.
