u/anonymous93753828

Came back for another meal at Sazenka - would say we enjoyed it just as much as the last time. There seemed to be a bit more fish throughout the course compared to the first time, and there was also matsutake mushroom in some of the dishes.

The Matsutake fragrance was really strong in the rice they made. It arguably smelt better than it tasted (and it tasted very good). Their signature dish of the pork belly with eggplant was replaced with pork belly with Matsutake mushroom as well during this season.

Some of their signature dishes they kept in from last time, like the char siu and sweet sour pork (although they did vary it from last time in preparation). And always love the mapo tofu at the end of the meal.

The service here is quite good, it’s formal but not overly stiff, and they do chat with you a bit.

Overall really like Sazenka as a restaurant and love that they will personalise the menu for repeat customers (even if you go more than once per season).

Full course:

Green Tea Somen
Abalone and Botan Ebi with Shaoxing Wine
Pacific Saury Spring Roll with Radish
Char Siu
Sweet and Sour Pork with Grape
Kabosu Citrus with Jellyfish and Chicken
Braised Abalone
Buddha Jump Soup
Longtooth Grouper with soy sauce (light grill and steam)
Matsutake Mushroom Pork Belly
Chicken Wing
Pan Fried Shark Fin with Matsutake Sauce
Matsutake Mushroom rice
Turnip
Lobster with Chilli Sauce
Sesame ice cream with fig and fig sauce
Almond Tofu (hot and cold)
Pumpkin dumpling

Decided to return to Yukimoto (Tabelog Gold, 4.59) for the start of matsutake mushroom season and this was just as good if not better than my last meal here in summer.

There were different types of matsutake mushroom served, along with other types of mushroom like maitake, kurokawa, etc. There were heaps of different preparations, and all of them hit the spot in different ways.

Also got the bear and matsutake sukiyaki which was really amazing despite it not being prime season for game meat (typically in winter). I think you have to ask to get this additional dish which is what we did.

Service from the okami and head chef were great, not stiff at all and they tried to chat with us using translation apps. They were very friendly and warm, which made our experience all the more better.

It’s quite hard to pick the standout dishes when everything was so good but I would have to say the
sukiyaki, grilled mushroom and oyaki were my favourites.

Full course was:
Shungiku (tong ho) vegetable with rice

Hassun
Iguchi mushroom
Maitake mushroom with sweet vinegar
Kurokawa mushroom with soy sauce and radish
Chestnut
Ayu
Tofu Matsutake salad
Baby matsutake mushroom
Akebi (chocolate vine) fried skin and jus

1-year dry aged matsutake mushroom Soup with fresh matsutake

Catfish sashimi with sake jelly, shiso, pickled mushrooms

Grilled matsutake mushrooms (each had a different nuance in taste)

Oyaki with matsutake and bechamel sauce

Walnut tofu

Gitaro chicken with yamadoritake mushroom and date

Suppon (turtle) with mountain mushrooms (tamagodake, sukita and more)

Koutake mushroom with Japanese mustard dashi

Fried matsutake

Matsutake mushroom rice with fresh gingko

Bear meat and matsutake mushroom sukiyaki

Koutake mushroom ramen with koutake oil and soft boiled quail egg

Chestnut mont blanc with milk ice cream, hazelnuts local, hojicha jelly

This place is one of my favourite places to eat at in all of Japan and would highly recommend people to try if they make the trek down towards the general area (or even to make the trip specially for this). It’s my second time dining here and they continue to amaze me…

Recently also had a matsutake course at Suetomi which was also very good (one of the best in Tokyo) but I think Yukimoto takes another step up and I would come here every time if it wasn’t so far.

SingleThread (Michelin ***) decided to come to Sydney for a month (28 July - 23 August), with the owner chef Kyle Connaughton and a portion of their kitchen, FOH teams coming as well (some of them stayed in the US as they are still operating there too).

Their course is quite Japanese-influenced but not a kaiseki either. They still focus heavily on the heavier/bolder flavours of Western fine dining. I thought they included a good level of creativity in their dishes although I do think the ingredient quality at top Japanese kaiseki restaurants are way better and prefer them)

Overall though, I thought SingleThread produced pretty good food (aside from their appetisers which I thought were very mediocre).

Their duck farfait really stood out to me as a standout, with the flavours having a deep umami. The outside layer was slightly crispy with the inside soft and buttery, paired with vinegared vegetables to cut through the saltiness.

The marron (shellfish) was also good, being lighter in flavour a bit more similar to a traditional Japanese style dish (probably the closest dish to what you would get at a kaiseki meal).

They had a Murray cod grilled over a traditional Japanese grill (with cherry blossom bark), then wrapped in a barley crepe with a tare (sauce) of fish bones, black vinaigrette. The aroma was really good for this one, giving it a nice smoky smell and subtle smoked taste.

The dry aged duck had a beautiful crispy skin, with an intense flavour, paired with a nice fresh cabbage.

The final savoury dish was a Wagyu mb9+ dish with rice cooked in beef stock, producing a strong buttery flavour almost like risotto. This was also paired with mushrooms and slow cooked (48 hour) braised short rib.

Most of the courses after the initial set of appetisers were generally good (at least based on my relative experiences of other Western fine dining restaurants).

To try and replicate their farm to table approach, they actually got the Bathers Pavillion restaurant (where they are operating out of) to grow produce which would be used during their stay in Australia. Full course was:

Hassun (Appetisers)

1. Oyster from Douglas Bay
2. Mackerel with Carrot Sauce and Pepper Reduction
3. Silver Trevally Sushi with Red Shiso
4. Scallop Tamago with Crab Paste
5. Bluefin Tuna (Akami and Chutoro)
6. Turnip panna cotta & Sturgeon Caviar
7. Fried Turnips with Pumpkin Seed Sauce

Mains

1. King George Whiting Tempura & Pumpkin Tempura with Umeboshi Sauce (top Japanese restaurants do tempura way better, from quality of ingredients to overall execution)
2. Molten Potato with Sea Urchin (Port Phillip) and Yarra Valley Trout Roe
3. Prawn Mousse, Chawanmushi, with Poached Marron & Prawn

Consommé

1. Duck Parfait with Winter Greens, Fingerlime Seeds, Pink Lady Apples
2. Smoked Murray Cod Wrap (Over Cherry Blossom Bark on an Ibashi Gin grill), with Miso of Nettle & Shio Koji Fish Bone Tare, Black Vinegarette, Radish Salad
3. Olive Tapenade, sliced mandarin, toasted soybean, mandarin sorbet with lemon myrtle
4. Dry Aged Wollemite Duck, Grilled, garlic Sabayon, Cabbage
5. Wagyu (MB9+) with Rice cooked with beef broth, braised short rib (48 hours) and mushroom

Dessert

1. Barley cake with cream and honey, beeswax ice cream, homemade Madeline with bees pollen dusted on top and caramel inside
2. Mint and marigold tea with Japanese snacks (cheesecake with blackberry, kanten jelly, dango with toffee glaze)

While the meal overall was quite good, I think I generally still prefer traditional Japanese kaiseki that really lets the ingredients shine. The meal was approx $750 AUD before drinks and $850 AUD after drinks per person.

SingleThread (Michelin ***) decided to come to Sydney for a month (28 July - 23 August), with the owner chef Kyle Connaughton and a portion of their kitchen, FOH teams coming as well (some of them stayed in the US as they are still operating there too).

Their course is quite Japanese-influenced but not a kaiseki either. They still focus heavily on the heavier/bolder flavours of Western fine dining. I thought they included a good level of creativity in their dishes although I do think the ingredient quality at top Japanese kaiseki restaurants are way better and prefer them)

Overall though, I thought SingleThread produced pretty good food (aside from their appetisers which I thought were very mediocre).

Their duck farfait really stood out to me as a standout, with the flavours having a deep umami. The outside layer was slightly crispy with the inside soft and buttery, paired with vinegared vegetables to cut through the saltiness.

The marron (shellfish) was also good, being lighter in flavour a bit more similar to a traditional Japanese style dish (probably the closest dish to what you would get at a kaiseki meal).

They had a Murray cod grilled over a traditional Japanese grill (with cherry blossom bark), then wrapped in a barley crepe with a tare (sauce) of fish bones, black vinaigrette. The aroma was really good for this one, giving it a nice smoky smell and subtle smoked taste.

The dry aged duck had a beautiful crispy skin, with an intense flavour, paired with a nice fresh cabbage.

The final savoury dish was a Wagyu mb9+ dish with rice cooked in beef stock, producing a strong buttery flavour almost like risotto. This was also paired with mushrooms and slow cooked (48 hour) braised short rib.

Most of the courses after the initial set of appetisers were generally good (at least based on my relative experiences of other Western fine dining restaurants).

To try and replicate their farm to table approach, they actually got the Bathers Pavillion restaurant (where they are operating out of) to grow produce which would be used during their stay in Australia. Full course was:

Hassun (Appetisers)

1. ⁠Oyster from Douglas Bay
2. ⁠Mackerel with Carrot Sauce and Pepper Reduction
3. ⁠Silver Trevally Sushi with Red Shiso
4. ⁠Scallop Tamago with Crab Paste
5. ⁠Bluefin Tuna (Akami and Chutoro)
6. ⁠Turnip panna cotta & Sturgeon Caviar
7. ⁠Fried Turnips with Pumpkin Seed Sauce

Mains

1. ⁠King George Whiting Tempura & Pumpkin Tempura with Umeboshi Sauce (top Japanese restaurants do tempura way better, from quality of ingredients to overall execution)
2. ⁠Molten Potato with Sea Urchin (Port Phillip) and Yarra Valley Trout Roe
3. ⁠Prawn Mousse, Chawanmushi, with Poached Marron & Prawn Consume
4. ⁠Duck Parfait with Winter Greens, Fingerlime Seeds, Pink Lady Apples
5. ⁠Smoked Murray Cod Wrap (Over Cherry Blossom Bark on an Ibashi Gin grill), with Miso of Nettle & Shio Koji Fish Bone Tare, Black Vinegarette, Radish Salad
6. ⁠Olive Tapenade, sliced mandarin, toasted soybean, mandarin sorbet with lemon myrtle
7. ⁠Dry Aged Wollemite Duck, Grilled, garlic Sabayon, Cabbage
8. ⁠Wagyu (MB9+) with Rice cooked with beef broth, braised short rib (48 hours) and mushroom

Dessert

1. ⁠Barley cake with cream and honey, beeswax ice cream, homemade Madeline with bees pollen dusted on top and caramel inside
2. ⁠Mint and marigold tea with Japanese snacks (cheesecake with blackberry, kanten jelly, dango with toffee glaze)

While the meal overall was quite good, I think I generally still prefer traditional Japanese kaiseki that really lets the ingredients shine. The meal was approx $750 AUD before drinks and $850 AUD after drinks per person.

SingleThread (Michelin ***) decided to come to Sydney for a month (28 July - 23 August), with the owner chef Kyle Connaughton and a portion of their kitchen, FOH teams coming as well (some of them stayed in the US as they are still operating there too).

Their course is quite Japanese-influenced but not a kaiseki either. They still focus heavily on the heavier/bolder flavours of Western fine dining. I thought they included a good level of creativity in their dishes although I do think the ingredient quality at top Japanese kaiseki restaurants are way better and prefer them)

Overall though, I thought SingleThread produced pretty good food (aside from their appetisers which I thought were very mediocre).

Their duck farfait really stood out to me as a standout, with the flavours having a deep umami. The outside layer was slightly crispy with the inside soft and buttery, paired with vinegared vegetables to cut through the saltiness.

The marron (shellfish) was also good, being lighter in flavour a bit more similar to a traditional Japanese style dish (probably the closest dish to what you would get at a kaiseki meal).

They had a Murray cod grilled over a traditional Japanese grill (with cherry blossom bark), then wrapped in a barley crepe with a tare (sauce) of fish bones, black vinaigrette. The aroma was really good for this one, giving it a nice smoky smell and subtle smoked taste.

The dry aged duck had a beautiful crispy skin, with an intense flavour, paired with a nice fresh cabbage.

The final savoury dish was a Wagyu mb9+ dish with rice cooked in beef stock, producing a strong buttery flavour almost like risotto. This was also paired with mushrooms and slow cooked (48 hour) braised short rib.

Most of the courses after the initial set of appetisers were generally good (at least based on my relative experiences of other Western fine dining restaurants).

To try and replicate their farm to table approach, they actually got the Bathers Pavillion restaurant (where they are operating out of) to grow produce which would be used during their stay in Australia. Full course was:

Hassun (Appetisers)

1. Oyster from Douglas Bay
2. Mackerel with Carrot Sauce and Pepper Reduction
3. Silver Trevally Sushi with Red Shiso
4. Scallop Tamago with Crab Paste
5. Bluefin Tuna (Akami and Chutoro)
6. Turnip panna cotta & Sturgeon Caviar
7. Fried Turnips with Pumpkin Seed Sauce

Mains

1. King George Whiting Tempura & Pumpkin Tempura with Umeboshi Sauce (top Japanese restaurants do tempura way better, from quality of ingredients to overall execution)
2. Molten Potato with Sea Urchin (Port Phillip) and Yarra Valley Trout Roe
3. Prawn Mousse, Chawanmushi, with Poached Marron &

Prawn Consommé
4. Duck Parfait with Winter Greens, Fingerlime Seeds, Pink Lady Apples
5. Smoked Murray Cod Wrap (Over Cherry Blossom Bark on an Ibashi Gin grill), with Miso of Nettle & Shio Koji Fish Bone Tare, Black Vinegarette, Radish Salad
6. Olive Tapenade, sliced mandarin, toasted soybean, mandarin sorbet with lemon myrtle
7. Dry Aged Wollemite Duck, Grilled, garlic Sabayon, Cabbage
8. Wagyu (MB9+) with Rice cooked with beef broth, braised short rib (48 hours) and mushroom

Dessert

1. Barley cake with cream and honey, beeswax ice cream, homemade Madeline with bees pollen dusted on top and caramel inside
2. Mint and marigold tea with Japanese snacks (cheesecake with blackberry, kanten jelly, dango with toffee glaze)

While the meal overall was quite good, I think I generally still prefer traditional Japanese kaiseki that really lets the ingredients shine. The meal was approx $750 AUD before drinks and $850 AUD after drinks per person.

Located about two hours away from Fukuoka, Kate cuore is an Italian counter style dining experience. The chef worked in Italy for four years before returning to Japan and speaks pretty good English.

The food was very solid although I do note that it is one of those places that has adapted western cuisine for the Eastern palate. The flavours were very light for Italian food - I do like lighter flavours usually but there were a few courses here that even I found pushed the boundaries a little. Just something to be aware of for anyone wanting to go. Standouts were the steak and the beef stomach linguine.

Service was very nice as well, nothing to really say or criticise, was a nice homely vibe. Full course was:

Cheese with olive oil and fresh bread

Beef carpaccio (from his own farm in imari- 15 year old black Wagyu). This was very light and effectively not seasoned to highlight the beef flavour

Wagyu tartare from same cow and bone broth

Panzerotti with ham, cheese, blueberry from imari and dough made from. This was really great! The dough texture was perfectly chewy

Pumpkin soup with beef fat, water, salt

Risotto with beef bacon (cooked only in water rather than stock to highlight aroma of the rice)

Angel hair pasta with beef stock, lime and ginger from karasuma

Striploin - perfect level of fattiness for what I like

Ribeye

Beef stomach linguine, mushroom soup and olive oil - stomach was so soft and the delicate flavours here worked well

Panna cotta

Solid value but expected given how far it is from major cities. The chef owns the farm from where the beef comes from on his menu so a lot of the ingredients are as local as it gets.

Kotan is located in a more residential area of Fukuoka and walking in, the first thing I noticed was the dimmer ambient lighting that gave a very intimate vibe.

He spoke quite good English and was able to explain everything well. Service was good and didn’t feel stiff or anything. The nigiris were definitely quite big (in terms of both the neta and shari). I actually really liked the nigiri here and thought that the rice was seasoned perfectly for most of the fish that was used (although that meant it was a bit gently for the tuna imo). Otsumami was also very solid.

Standouts for me were the Aori ika, bonito, anago. Full course was:

Otsumami
Nagasaki octopus with seasoning made from various herbs and vegetables

Sea bass with eggplant and tomato (carpaccio style sauce)

Green bean chawanmushi

Abalone tempura

Fresh shari with awabi liver sauce

Seaweed and pumpkin made somen style

Ankimo (monkfish liver)

Managatsuo from Oita (butterfish)

Nigiri
Shiro amadai - nice chewy texture but maybe a bit more than what I would consider ideal

Aori ika - butteriness amongst best I have had

Shima aji

Chutoro from nagasaki

Otoro from nagasaki

Katsuo (bonito) - slightly smoky flavour and this was my fave. Amazing flavour and softness

Kasugo (baby sea bream) - very umami

Saba (mackerel) from nagasaki

Aji (horse mackerel)

Kuruma ebi

Aka uni from kumamoto

Anago - amazingly soft and sauce was well balanced (not too heavy)

Addons
Flounder
Mantis shrimp

They also had tuna and sea bream but didn’t try this. With addon, a sake and green tea, it came out to 33k yen which I thought was really good value especially considering the size of the nigiri. This is not too difficult to book if you look at the time they release their monthly seats on omakase.

Enjoyed a late dinner at Takamitsu, with the seating starting at 9pm. One of the later starts and we ended up leaving past midnight at around 12:30am.

The vibe of this place is quite lively and rowdy, and there was a lot of drinking happening. Many of the customers were buying drinks for the chef and his team. At the end the chef shouted the whole seating shots of 30 year old kweichou Moutai as well which goes for a few thousand AUD per bottle. He also shouted a few other shots. The chef is not only generous with drinks but also didn’t charge me for the addon aji nigiri. I can see why this place attracts a specific crowd and it can be a really fun place if you want to drink and have a bit of a lively atmosphere (but might be less suited for people who want to have a chiller or quieter experience). That being said though, if anyone is planning to go, I wouldn’t go in with an expectation of free drinks or anything. It just so happened some customers popped a bottle of decently expensive champagne so everyone got into a bit of a drinking mood during our seating.

The sous chef speaks both Chinese and English and told me that roughly half their guests are foreigners (apparently Martin Garrix makes a stop here every time he’s in Tokyo).

Food was decent with a strong focus on Uni which they are known for. The Uni and Tuna were very good but the other courses didn’t stand out as much for me. Foodwise, I generally prefer a bit more variety of fish but other than that, I would say it’s pretty solid.

Otsumami
Flounder sashimi
Oyster
Shima-aji
Abalone
Sushi rice with kimo
Eggplant with olive oil
Nodoguro grilled with horseradish (sea bass)

Nigiris
Sea urchin from Kyushu (aka uni)
Bonito
Edamame
Fish roe puff
Akami
Chutoro
Kinki rockfish
Maguro with caviar gunkan
Sardines with radish
Awajishima uni
Botan ebi
Junsai and hokkaido uni
Aori ika
Hokkaido uni v2
Kisu
Ankimo
Aomori uni (apparently the best brand and they bought it out that day)
Shinko (baby kohada/gizzard shad)

Aji addon

To me the overall food quality was very solid and the vibe was great. Both the chef and his team are fun people - they are moving to Tsukiji soon with the sous chef getting his own counter so not sure how the dynamic will change with this.

Another side story was that their payment service provider went bankrupt so they couldn’t take card payment - heard they lost a lot of money over the last few days given some guests didn’t know and didn’t bring cash or something.

Travelled to Shizuoka for a dinner at Tempura Naruse in Shizuoka. When walking in, the first thing that stood out was the amazingly beautiful garden which formed the backdrop of the meal.

After having this and Niitome, I would say I enjoyed this meal overall more (I make this comparison as many people consider these two the best tempura in Japan). At Niitome, I would say the frying of the tempura was more technical in that he would actually fry one or two pieces at a time for the guests to ensure the timing was closer to optimal and this resulted in a super light and thinner batter. At Naruse, all the guests’ tempura were fried together but not always taken out together, meaning that the first guests tempura would be fried for a slightly shorter time than the last guests (for some courses). The batter thickness was controlled well, each slightly different to suit the vegetable or fish.

But with that being said, I absolutely loved the food at Naruse. It was slightly heavier than Niitome (the batter wasn’t thick or anything but just more so than Niitome). However, I was highly impressed by the quality of the fish and vegetables (eggplant and corn). Naruse has a strong focus on local ingredients from Shizuoka and seafood in particular, which worked very well with the tempura.

They are quite accommodating of English speaking guests and have waitstaff that can speak relatively well in English. The chef himself can speak a bit of English given he worked in Sydney for a little bit ages ago (although he said he did it just because he loved surfing).

Full course was:
Shizuoka peach drink

Abalone from Shizuoka with mirin, soy sauce and wasabi

Fugu steeped in oil and then grilled + squid body grilled + squid legs smoked and grilled - this was insanely good (especially the texture of the fugu being firm and chewy was so good and the freshness was highlighted)

Swordfish

Okra

Aori ika

Eggplant

Himekodai (princess snapper)

Corn on fried corn - amazingly sweet, best I have had

Aji - not fully cooked through which gave it a bit more of a chew. This was really good

Amadai

Fish soup jelly with vegetables and smoked bonito

Ayu

Nodoguro with tomato soup

Potato

Baby aji and baby sardine in cold tempura sauce

Wild unagi with rice

Blueberry ice cream and green tea

After the meal, all the guests were moved to a separate tea room where the chef prepared two teas (a cold brew green tea and a second brew of a hot green tea). Here he served the dessert of a blueberry icecream as well.

We then got to go to the garden which was really nice as well. I believe he mentioned it either existed from 530 years ago or it was a replica of a garden from a famous person 530 years ago (not sure which one but either way it was a beautiful garden).

Overall cost performance was stronger than Niitome and I personally enjoyed the food here more (clarifying Niitome was still also good). It was a bit oilier than Niitome though and the heaviness of the fried food did linger for a bit after the meal though (whereas I didn’t feel it as much for Niitome).

Had dinner at Yukimoto and despite the trek it is to get here, I really enjoyed it. The course featured quite a lot of ayu and unagi given the season, all done very well. There was also a bit of game meat but not a lot (winter would feature more). They are particularly acclaimed for their matsutake mushroom season around mid September to mid October and their game meats.

I stayed the night at Iida, Nagano after the dinner but I have heard it is possible to do a day trip from Nagoya or Kyoto if you have lunch.

Service was good, not overly stiff - we were seated in private rooms and got to see some of the grilling process too. Particularly enjoyed the bear meat oyaki and the deer tongue. Would really love to try more game meat from them.

Full course was:

Hassun (peach, crayfish, Ayu sushi, plum)

Amago (biwa trout) meat with kelp soup and mountain mushroom

Ayu sashimi with soft bone and lime and vinegar

Oyaki dumpling with bear meat and tomato sauce

Deer tongue and Japanese mountain mushroom (yamadoridake)

Grilled ayu

Watermelon with Japanese mint

Koya tofu with celery sauce

Fried unagi with sweet vinegar and junsai and passion fruit

Ayu harumaki spring roll

Corn juice

Kabayaki wild unagi rice and liver

Ayu sauce somen with tade (water pepper)

Red bean paste with agar and water

Plum and yoghurt ice cream monaka

Course was 58k yen with a drink. Think this was the best kaiseki I had in Japan and is relatively easy to make a reservation (given the distance to bigger cities). Would definitely recommend trying this at least once.

Had a recent lunch at sushi namba (hibiya), located inside a shopping complex with a low key entrance. I came away with mixed feelings here - while some of the courses were genuinely top tier and amongst the best i have ever had, there were also some that were overly salty in my opinion.

While I still thought the quality was good, I was a bit surprised by this given their pedigree. There were some nigiris that I felt like had a bit of issue with texture (ie. the squid was super soft, not really any chew compared to the ones I have had at all the other spots). However this was offset by some of the best whale I have had, along with amazing amberjack and botan ebi.

Full course was:

Otsumami
Abalone with seaweed noodles in soup - gingery and quite liked the flavour

Octopus

Whale sashimi - been a long time since I’ve last had this. Love the texture and flavour of whale every time.

Kinki fish steamed in soup (rockfish) - fish was good but soup was a bit salty

Some sort of hand roll of a white fish (not sure which one - kind of looks like a mackerel)

Ankimo - the liver was good but seasoning a bit on the saltier side.

Managatsuo

Maguro kaki fried (tuna cheek) in a hand roll

Unagi very lightly fried to make it a bit crispy

Nigiri
Ika - melt in mouth soft. Interesting as all other ika I have had was chewy and had more texture but this one straight up melted. Think I prefer the ones with a bit more chew.

Flounder- nice and chewy

Tairigai (pen shell) - less of a texture compared to a lot of the other shell type nigiri I have had before.

Crimson sea bream - also very soft

Aji - also on the softer side

Bonito - I could tell the fish was very fresh but it was also quite salty

Amberjack - this was very good and amongst the best I’ve had.

Salmon - good but also on the saltier side

Abalone

Uni

Botan ebi - fave nigiri - so fresh and sweet

Akami

Otoro - also amazing

Kohada

Ribbonfish steamed

Egg omelet

Addons
Sardine
Hard clam (hamaguri)

He seems to use gentler rice for certain fish and sharper rice for tunas. However, given the inconsistency of my experience as noted above, I am not entirely sure how to rate this one. Perhaps worth a try if you manage to see an open availability but not necessarily one worth chasing in my opinion.

Had an early dinner at Ogata and thought I’d share some thoughts. I generally have a light palate so this was a great meal for me. Can definitely see the idea of highlighting the ingredients at this kaiseki spot. Ogata was welcoming and managed to explain the ingredients in English which was helpful.

I personally enjoyed the earlier courses in the meal more but can still appreciate the quality of cooking and ingredients for the whole service. Standouts for me were the torigai, ayu, hamo and abalone. Full course was:

Ayu with rice

Hamo with shiro miso (white miso) - looks like they peppered the soup a bit

Sea bass sashimi - very nice chewy textures

Hamo (lightly grilled) with yuzu kosho (slightly spicy and orange in colour)

Torigai (Japanese cockle shell) with kimo and soy sauce

Torigai lightly grilled with lemon and salt - this was very good. One of the my favourites of the meal. Chewy nice texture making it one of the best I’ve had

Abalone tempura - loved this too. Light batter, chewy, fresh.

Togarashi tempura (capsicum peppers)

Kamo eggplant

Yuba (tofu skin) in dashi

Nodoguro gohan (rice) - rosy sea bass

Rice with shiso leaf and aji

Curry udon

Mochi-like dessert (didn’t quite catch what this was)

This wasn’t a cheap meal (around 60k yen before drinks) and can understand why people with generally heavier palates might not enjoy this but I thought it was just right for me. Overall it was great but I think I still enjoyed my meal at Yukimoto more (they had more creative courses and more variety of proteins which I enjoyed) and that would be my pick for a return meal.

Sushi Shunji is located in a quiet neighbourhood near Roppongi and my understanding is that this was already quite a hard reservation. I found out during my meal that they have been splitting their time here and in Toyama where they have another shop (and a farm apparently) which would make it even harder to reserve now for their Tokyo spot.

The head chef was quietly working to prepare the food while his wife made sure the service ran warmly. Was mostly locals (6 locals and 2 foreigners including myself). Interesting thing is that they sat 8 people but the counter looked like it could probably fit one (maybe two) more so perhaps a choice to limit seatings to 8.

It started off a quiet service but became a bit more lively throughout. The vibe was nice and was lively without being overly rowdy.

I thought the otsumami were very creative, and some of the ingredients were things I haven’t tried before (although I’m by no means an expert or super experienced). Standouts were the oyster and fried hon ara, then the tuna,Amadai and kohada were particularly excellent for me.

Full course was:

Otsumami

Oyster from Toyama

Fresh sushi rice (he flavoured the rice in front of us which was cool to see)

Fried hon ara fish with spice of sansho peppers and seaweed

Morning glory brewed in kelp soup and topped with seaweed (from their Toyama farm). Very fresh earthy flavours

Turban shell (sazae) and kimo with rice. Also very earthy. Sazae texture was chewy but not quite crunchy.

Fig marinaded in whisky. Topped with white sesame sauce

Tuna cheek with wasabi

Nigiri
Aori ika
Aji
Flounder - very nicely chewy
Purple sea urchin with rice
Chutoro was beautiful
Shinko (baby kohada)- Softer smoother version of normal kohada
Amadai with rice
Kuruma ebi
Otoro
Shrimp head
Akagai - chewy and slightly crunchy (tasted very fresh)
Crab
Akami zuke
Anago hand roll

Overall thought it was pretty creative and had a very pleasant experience with both the food and the service! His wife could speak pretty good English so is able to communicate well with foreigners.

Funnily enough, at most of my recent places, I’ve enjoyed the otsumami more than the nigiri but it was the other way around at Shunji

Would definitely recommend!

Initially read some mixed reviews on Sazenka so wasn’t as confident going into this meal as I grew up eating Chinese food. Much of the criticism I have read was related to the restraint of flavours and how it melded with Chinese cuisine.

But I am so glad I bit the bullet and went anyway. It was the best meal of my trip imo - I didn’t really feel like the lighter flavour dishes took away from the meals but instead showed the versatility of Chinese cuisine.

I have eaten heaps of your typical intense flavour Chinese restaurants but also lighter home style cooking and can say I thoroughly enjoy both. The meal got stronger and stronger as it progressed for me until the 白云肉 （eggplant with pork belly). The addons after were not as good as the main course but I thought the Buddha jump soup and eggplant pork were insane.

Full course included:

Main Course

1. Zucchini flower soup dumpling
2. Botan ebi from Aomori (raw) with Shaoxing wine
3. Corn spring roll
4. Char siu
5. Sweet and sour pork
6. Sudachi citrus with jellyfish
7. Dried simmered abalone
8. Buddha jump soup (this was amazing and had heaps of exotic ingredients which combined well - deer tendon, bear meat, soft shell turtle, crocodile meat, sea cucumber, cordyceps etc - 25 ingredients)
9. XO sauce steamed surf clam with vermicelli
10. Sichuan style chicken wing (the fragrance of this was amazing when it came out - we tried the greens that were with the chillies and the peppercorns which had a really strong numbing effect which I enjoyed heaps)
11. Shark fin soup (nice but got a bit rich at the end$
12. Okra with shaved Chinese ham
13. Eggplant with pork belly
14. Shark fin noodles - addon (at this point felt like it was a little too much shark fin)
15. Cold Dan Dan noodles - addon (this was probably the weakest dish of the course for me - I tried some as my partner ordered this add-on but I could just taste sesame and not much else)
16. Mapo tofu with rice - the rice was very good - I generally like harder rice which was what we got on the day. The rice was also glistening which was beautiful to see
17. Clear chicken soup noodles (qing tang) - liked the texture of the egg noodles and thought it was a nice dish to end on before desserts

Desserts

1. Coconut ice cream with mango (this felt almost a bit more south East Asian influenced rather than Chinese but I’m not complaining as I love mango)
2. Almond tofu (cold and hot) - anyone who ate tofu pudding (douhua) growing up will know the delicate texture and light flavours of this dish - it was almost nostalgic of my childhood and the almond was a nice flavour.
3. Karaki tea and dumpling - nice cinnamony notes

The server was very attentive and the food was all served quite hot (which I think is necessary for a lot of these dishes). Another interesting thing to note is that the 52.8k menu excludes the abalone, Buddha soup and addons. The 88k is the same as the 52.8k yen course but has the abalone. While I did enjoy the abalone, I’m not sure a 35k yen price tag fully justifies the price jump. However the buddha soup in the 110k price was just too good for me.

The server told me that they change the menu approx every two months and that even if a customer has a repeat visit within the same menu season, they will change it up for them (although the staples like the charsiu, buddha soup, eggplant pork will remain).

I absolutely loved this meal and despite the high price of 110k yen for food (125k yen pp including drinks), I would love to come back. Would definitely recommend people interested in fine dining to try this at least once if in Tokyo.

Decided to try one of the up and coming spots in the Fukuoka region, Sushi Kougetsu. It is located in Kokura, Kitakyushu which is about 15 mins by Shinkansen from Fukuoka.

Food was overall very good, with some courses being at similar levels if not better than the other top level spots I have been. The raw oyster was some of the best I have ever had. The shiro Amadai,uni and squid were also absolutely amazing. The rest of the courses were still good, but not as special from my memory. However, there were a few things that happened throughout the lunch that did show the chef is still new to running his own omakase experience. There was an instance where he forgot to put the dressing on top of the sushi (although he immediately remembered and added it). The Anago on the nigiri, while soft, also basically split into two when I was grabbing it. I personally didn’t mind much but can understand if some people might.

Plating seemed very intentional and thought through which was a nice touch (ie. oyster was plated in a clam shaped plate with a rough texture resembling an actual shell)

Rice was slightly on the harder side, and I noticed he used two different types of rice (unsure if this is common or if he is experimenting a bit). However, at the cost of approx 25k yen, I thought it was a very strong meal when considering cost performance (although the Shinkansen cost about 3k each way which may also need to be factored into cost). Full course was:

**Tsumami**

1. Burdock root (obo) with soy milk soup
2. Grilled mekihari (green eye fish)
3. Hamo (pike conger) Chawanmushi
4. Shima-aji with onion dressing, vinegar, soy sauce (striped jack)
5. Kaki (oyster) with mustard and vinegar sauce
6. Ankimo (monkfish liver) with ponzu

**Nigiri**

1. Aori squid
2. Shiro Amadai (sourced from fishmonger Fujimoto)
3. Aji (horse mackerel) with green onion, ginger dressing and shiso leaf
4. Akou fish with akou liver sauce and shiso leaf
5. Akami
6. Aka Uni from Hokkaido and Bafun Uni from Kyushu
7. Chutoro zuke (marinaded) in sake, dried Maguro soup, soy sauce
8. Miso soup from Oita, Nagano, Kyoto
9. Aged kisu (whiting) - kombujime
10. Anago
11. Maguro hand roll with radish

**Dessert**

1. Vanilla ice cream with donpapa rum, salt, soy sauce

The courses I liked are enough to warrant me coming back again if I am in the area. For me, the atmosphere felt a bit different when walking into a sushiya run by a young chef as it felt quite lively and you can feel his very positive attitude, and thankfulness when mentioning the positive aspects of the food and the possibility of returning. The service was noticeably more relaxed than at Sakai and Hashimoto as well, which was something I personally liked. I think the current tabelog rating of 3.8 is underrating them given the place is newly opened (around 6 months ago) and expect it to be in the 4’s over time.

Recently had lunch at Sushi Sakai at Fukuoka and just thought I’d write a few notes and thoughts.

Walking in, the service was something I noticed right away and they have a lot of service staff at the place. They also have people who speak English and Chinese as well to accommodate foreign guests. The staff were very friendly and it was a fairly lively atmosphere. (4 foreigners including us and 7 locals). The staff made us feel very welcome and I managed to have a chat with one of the sous chefs (which was nice as I barely speak any Japanese and haven’t been able to converse much at other places).

The rice was noticeably on the vinegary side. I found the nigiri utilised very conventional cuts of fish but were done very well. In particular, the salmon and horse mackerel were the standouts for me. I found myself enjoying the nigiri here more than Hashimoto but thought the tsumami was better at Hashimoto.

The meal at Sakai was very safe in that I didn’t feel like they push very hard on the creativity or innovation but if you’re looking very good, safe sushi, then this is a great place to eat. The course was:

Tsumami

1. Hokkaido uni with crab
2. Nagasaki octopus with Fukuoka abalone
3. Sea bream with sesame and soy sauce
4. Cutlass fish with sweet vinegar sauce and seaweed
5. Maguro gunkan
6. Amadai from yamaguchi. Steamed in Japanese sake and crab soup - my fave tsumami with how clean it tasted
7. Shirayaki anago (natural from Nagasaki)
8. Monkfish liver (ankimo)

Nigiri

1. Squid
2. Hirame (olive flounder)
3. Gizzard shad
4. Salmon (3 yo - usually it’s 4yo but Sakai uses younger fish which gives a softer and smoother texture). Another standout
5. Akami from Yamaguchi
6. Chutoro
7. Otoro
8. Kuruma ebi
9. Horse mackarel (onion and ginger) - in season March to August prime in May and June. This was my favourite and was super soft.
10. Hokkaido sea urchin
11. Anago
12. Tamagoyaki

I have read online here that dinner offers better cuts of fish to regulars but I had a chat with the sous chef who said that lunch and dinner received the exact same stuff (and quality). He told me dinner is typically booked out for a year but there are occasional cancellations and that the reason dinner is harder to book is due to people liking to drink more at dinner.

Happy to get other people’s thoughts on this as I have read here that dinner seatings usually have better cuts (and that dinner can only be booked after a few visits, although I have seen cancellations on occasion).

Overall did enjoy this a lot as well and would recommend for people around the Fukuoka area if you are looking for conventional sushi done really well. Meal was 44k yen base price before drinks.

Managed to grab a last minute lunch cancellation at sushi hashimoto on my recent trip to Japan. Mix of locals and foreigners. A bit more of a quieter sitting.

Enjoyed the tsumami a lot, the nigiri was good too (they were definitely on the larger side). Rice was less vinegary than what I noticed at another recent meal I had at Sushi Sakai in Fukuoka on the same trip (I found I enjoyed the tsumami more here but the nigiri more at Sakai).

The course had:

Tsumami
Some kind of jelly drink (might have been dashi jelly with some veggies but wasn’t too sure what this was as I missed it when they explained in English)

Uni, torigai (Japanese cockle shell)

Chawanmushi w asparagus and crab

Bonito sashimi - loved the lightly smoked flavour

Kabayaki unagi with rice and celery

Sardine hand roll with sesame, ginger, perilla leaf, radish - amazing combination

Ayu, Ankimo (monkfish liver) - actually enjoyed this a lot

Grilled mehikari (green eye fish) - great texture and flavour

Nigiri
Gizzard shad

Snapper

Chutoro

Geoduck (Mirugai) - lovely crunch

Aburi Kinmedai (golden eye snapper) - very good grill with soft texture

Akami (lean tuna)

Otoro

Aji fish

Kuruma shrimp

Salmon

Hokkaido Uni

Anago (melt in mouth soft)

Tamagoyaki

Overall, the tsumami was very strong imo, and although the nigiri was quite good as well, I did find myself enjoying the appetisers more. Considering the price of approx 36k yen pp as well for base course, I think the value is there and would recommend (cheaper than some Sydney omakases 😂).

I can now see a lot more availability on my omakase account now - looks like they updated my account without me having to ask.

Tucked away in a quiet corner of a busy street in Azabudai Hills, managed to book dinner at Tempura Niitome(tabelog gold until he opted to step away from all review platforms)

Even though I don’t speak Japanese, the head chef made an effort to explain what the dishes were and where the ingredients were sourced. My partner and I were the only foreigners that night, with the rest being locals (3 of them seemed like regulars as they brought gifts).

No photos are allowed so I’ll just post based off memory. Standouts were the yuzu octopus and uni soba in the tsumami and the aori squid, corn, Japanese plum, swordfish from the tempura. The batter on all of the tempura felt extremely light and was able to draw out the high quality ingredients well.

However, there were a few misses for me personally including the ayu (sweet fish) tempura which was a bit bitter. While I understand frying the whole fish including organs will have some bitter notes, it felt quite strong compared to the other flavours I could taste. The fig and sesame tsumami was also not a fave of mine - while the figs were very fresh and the sesame sauce tastes good in isolation, I wasn’t entirely convinced by the combination of the two (might be a personal preference). The rest of the courses were exceptional for me.

Full menu was:

Tsumami

1. Hamo (pike conger) soup with onion
2. Mackerel, aji sashimi
3. Octopus with yuzu sauce
4. Fig with sesame sauce
5. Uni soba

Tempura

1. Ebi head
2. Ebi x2
3. Aori squid
4. Snap bean
5. Japanese whiting
6. Zucchini
7. Scampi? (Wasn’t fully sure whether this was scampi or another similar shellfish with roe - yabby/mantis shrimp etc)
8. Corn
9. Japanese plum
10. Hamo (pike conger)
11. Burdock root
12. Ayu (sweetfish)
13. Eggplant from Kyoto
14. Abalone from Aomori
15. Swordfish from Tokyo bay
16. Green pepper
17. Prawn and scallop batter on rice
18. Sweet potato and sweet potato gelato

The fee was quite steep at 122k yen - so while I did enjoy the meal a lot, it definitely is not a price I would regularly be willing to pay. The entire course took close to 4 hours and due to the length, it seems only one sitting can be run per night which may contribute to the high price. I enjoyed most of the courses except two. Overall, I think the tempura and the tsumami were both amazing.