The Best Sushi Restaurant in Tokyo

I came to Tokyo for the first time in 2005. If at that time you had told me that I would develop a taste for raw fish, large slabs of wet, cold, raw fish, then I would have patted you on the head and told you to keep taking the medication. Being English, there is something which goes against our soul in the act of eating raw meat. this act is far too close to the living beast and the kill for our gentle sensibilities. And here we have a contradiction, for as I have expressed earlier, some of our life style could be interpreted as barbarism by some Japanese but we tend to associate the eating of raw fish with barbaric practice.

Cross cultural experience, the dragons lair of the true traveller's explorations. This is a mythic image and without going all Comparative Mythologist on you (see: http://creativemythology.blogspot.com/ for my site in this connection!) a small explanation of the metaphor is probably useful.

The dragon hoards treasure in the lair and spends most of his life sleeping on the coin, precious metals and jewels so that the thief cannot rob him of his prize. But the treasure should be shared with the community so the hero confronts the dragon, fights the battle to release the treasure to the world at great personal risk and once triumphant, the community benefits.

Hmmm, so eating raw fish is a treasure? Well actually yes, and in that admission you can see how far I have come in four years of journeying to Japan. What truly examples my conversion is that I now actually have developed not just a taste but a discernment for this Japanese cuisine. So much so that when back in London my heart yearns to be able to come back and go to my favourite Sushi restaurant and one I would claim transcends the mere dietary requirements and is elevated to an exposition of the art of this cuisine.

Our local hero displays his raw materials.

Once you actually move on past your own internal revolt against chewing on raw fish and ally that with the realisation that you do not actually have to like everything then things start to become delightful. This point about not having to like everything is actually really important. There is a tendency to try and eat everything because as you approach a different cuisine you have no established experience or mechanism for discernment. In every cultural cuisine there is room for likes and dislikes, that is quite normal so once you find your own normality then any pressure to eat is replaced with a desire to eat. In my case there are two fish that led me to the promised land, tuna and bullie.

Nirvarna

The above picture is what is called au toro (spelling inaccurate but you get the sound I am sure). This is the most expensive cut of the tuna fish rich in white fat. The delicate shade of pink set against the green leaf with a flourish of pickled ginger and a squidge of green wasabi presents as a minimalist design. The fish rests on a pug of rice which has been hand moulded, flavoured and the married to the slice of fish right before your very eyes. A swift but perfectly balanced lift over the counter and an impactless placement on the leaf and you are not so much served as graced with the art of sushi.


Using your hashi, chopsticks, you slip it into your mouth and your seduction is almost complete. As the flavour, taste and texture relieve your senses of all stress and your taste buds convey undiluted sensations of pleasure into your brain it seems as though you have touched a small eternity. This experience is not about any one element, it is about the whole process, the performance of the production, the attention to detail without over elaboration and the sheer quality of the fish, this is the place to learn to know about sushi.

Back in London people tell me that they do or don't like sushi. I ask them if they have been to Japan. I don't know why I ask because if they are talking about sushi in London, like or dislike, then they haven't been to Japan normally. You simply cannot get the quality and cuts of fish for sushi in London. You certainly cannot achieve the ambiance of a place like Kai, the best place for sushi in Tokyo in my own opinion.

All is washed down with some sake. As you can see there is a wonderful custom with sake which is a definition of hospitality. In anywhere that possesses dignity and grace your sake will be served in a glass which stands in a small bowl or lacquered box. This is because sake is the life blood of hospitality and good manners so who would dare risk not filling their guest's glass right to the rim.

Rather than risk any unintended slight, accidental spillage, inadequate measure and in order to prevent any uncertainty whatsoever the bowl allows you to pour a proper generous measure into the glass. Indeed you can completely and enthusiastically overfill the glass and allow the surplus to collect in the bowl or box. This can then be utilised by your guest at leisure.

Dare I say a pragmatic solution to ensure against uncertainty or error with an attention to fine detail. I can already see the approving smiles on three certain faces in Brisbane, Worcestershire and Cambridge at this news.

You will all note that on the right hand side of this blog I have now added the links to other work in progress. Top of the list is the web site I knocked up for the Kai Sushi Restaurant on Christmas night just as a thanks to them for all their efforts. More detail is to be found there.


As you can see we were the last to leave this particular lunchtime. The Redoubtable Takayama is seen questioning your unwarranted intrusion into her pleasures as she cherishes her glass of sake. For the more observant amongst you there is a fragmentary glimpse of HMiL who is very busy attending to a substantial portion of red mullet.