When I asked the concierge of our hotel to book the three times starred sushi place called Sukiyabashi Jiri for our first night in Tokyo, he immediately answered that foreigners can’t book in Sukiyabashi Jiro. For sure, I didn’t feel discriminated- I am prepared for the fact that the Japanese society is “reserved”, but still don’t understand why Michelin guide has written about this restaurant if no foreigners can get there? My trip in Japan has just started and I am still optimistic about Sukiyabashi Jiro-will try to ask my Japenese friends to call there…
To make the long story short, I asked the concierge what he thought about the one-star Kyubei (8-7-6, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; tel. 81 3 3571 6523) if the sushi quality was comparable to the one in Sukiyabashi Jiri.
He seemed very sincere ( and even sceptical about the Michelin stars system) and said that if you take a piece of toro from Sukiyabashi Jiro and Kyubei in Ginza (or even from other area-there are a few Kyubei, but the location in Ginza is the original), the quality of the fish will be exactly the same. And when you eat raw fish in Tokyo, it does translate to “superb”.Of course, one needs know good and trustable places and Michelin stars is a reasonable indicator, but ultimately the quality of sushi in 3 Michelin stars restaurant (Sukiyabashi Jiro) and one (Kyubei) can’t differ as to the sushi I ate in Kyubei was already more than excellent… As far the fish is fresh and the sushi master is experienced, the sushi in Japan will be always good …
What happened in Kyubei was not only that I had the best otoro and chutoro of my life (well, maybe the toro in Sushi Yasuda in NY can slightly compare), but also was entertained like in no other Japanese restaurant since many years. When we came to this tiny, minimalistic place, in the beginning, I thought that it would be very a traditional and “official” Japanese dinner(there were only Japanese around the sushi bar), but then the main sushi chef (pictured above) started making jokes and took all the attention in the room. Then Yosuke Imada, the “chef-owner”, came to say “hi” and when I showed the red guide ( saying that they were listed there), he laughed but was also somehow ironical. I didn’t feel that he was very happy about the idea that he got only one star. Somehow I understand him – his restaurant was founded in 1935 and is the inventor of the fish roe or sea urchin wrapped in seaweed. And then some foreigners come who have not even one excellent sushi place in their country and decide to categorize all the restaurants in Tokyo…
Well, anyway, the dinner was excellent and extremely entertaining. We ordered omakase and it was the main sushi chef who prepared it for us…
The first piece of sushi was otoro … divine, what I can say… Then came the sushi of sole in the picture below.
Next- squid, very good… And the famous role of sea urchin and seaweed. The sea urchin roll was excellent. Nothing surprising – they have invented it…
Then came the turn of live (!!!) sweet shrimps. Minutes before their tragic execution in hot water, they were lying on the counter and moving their little legs… I don’t like to see animals suffer, but just in a matter of minutes, they were returned on the table cooked and red… How “fresher” can that be…
