We allowed ourselves to splurge on one meal this trip to Tokyo and following my boss’s recommendation, we chose Sushi Sho. A relative unknown in the foreign guidebooks, it is well known among the locals. We were lucky to be able to get a dinner reservation despite a booking only a week in advance.
The small restaurant seats only 12, with 3 chefs behind the counter. 2 chefs prepare the sushi on each end and the middle chef assists both. Fish for the night are displayed in front on the counter so you have an idea of what’s coming despite it being an omakase dinner. I would have preferred the counter seating to be higher or the display boxes lower so I could have a better look at the chefs at work, but that is just a very minor detail.
The dinner started with some sashimi and then progressively moved to sushi. From the first dish, I knew we were in for a treat. The clams were extremely fresh and sweet. What followed was a succession of 24 different courses that kept our taste buds intrigued with different tastes, texture and temperatures. Each fish was paired with a different rice, some with brown rice, some with warmer rice. It was also the first time trying some of the fish we were served, which deviated from the usual otoro and uni served at most high end Japanese restaurants.
One of my favourite of the night was the last dish, an odd combination of uni-ika maki that brought 2 very different tastes and textures together that worked perfectly. I laughed out loud when he said “uni and ika… best friends”. So Jamie Olivier!
The chefs were very friendly and engaging despite only speaking a little English. The experience felt very comfortable, and we felt genuinely taken care of without the stuffiness.
Thanks to head chef Keiji Nakazawa for the best sushi meal of our life.
Dinner was ¥20,000/pax paired with 3 different types of sake.
1-11 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
