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Visiting Tsukiji fish market has more or less become a ritual of mine. Whenever friends/my gf visit me, we'd almost always go. The sushi is good, but probably far from the best, but it's the whole experience that keeps on drawing me back.
In fact, two weeks prior to visiting Sushi Dai, I had breakfast at Sushi Bun, just a couple of stalls down. Sushi Bun forbids photo-taking, so there will be no blog entries on Bun.
My previous blog on this very same restaurant can be found here:
http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?id=132856
Aside from the minor differences in the fish served (they are all seasonal, last time I went around summer), I feel that this blog is slightly more comprehensive overall.
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Waking up before sunrise to catch the very first train for Tsukiji sushi is both a painful and exciting feeling, and this is the fifth time I’ve been to Tsukiji for sushi ‘breakfast’.
There are three popular sushi shops in the inner market of Tsukiji: Sushi Dai, Daiwa Sushi and Sushi Bun. Sushi Dai typically has the longest lines, and that’s where we were headed.
My previous experience made me semi well-prepared, as I knew exactly what I was signing up for, so I drank my flagon of fresh coffee and wrapped myself in layers as we got ready for departure. Everything went according to plans: got onto the first train at 5:02 (albeit very close), arrived punctually at Tsukiji-shijou station at 5:22, and began queueing up at 5:30. The shop opens its doors at 5:00 in the morning and seats twelve. At 5:30, the tiny restaurant was already packed, and there were seventeen people eagerly waiting at its doors. The wait was long and dull, and it was made particularly arduous due to the cold weather, lack of sleep, and anticipation for tasty sushi.
The sun gradually began to rise as people were slowly ushered into the shop, by the time it was our turn, the day was bright as… day and my iPhone read 7:10.
We both ordered the Omakase (お任せ) set at 3950, which includes tea, miso soup, nine pieces of nigiri-sushi and four pieces of maki-sushi [omakase means ‘up to the restaurant/chef’ deriving from the word 任すmeaning ‘entrust’].
We were greeted warmly and enthusiastically by our sushi chef, who profusely apologized for the agonizing wait in the cold weather and made various small talk to make us more comfortable. As I sat down in front of the counter, I ceremoniously decided that I would use my fingers to eat the nigiris instead of chopsticks.
The first nigiri served was oo-toro, which is the fattiest piece of tuna belly. This is typically the best and most expensive piece: a great way to begin a meal. I grabbed the sushi with my three fingers, and expertly dipped it lightly in the soy sauce then moved it swiftly into my mouth. The rice was of a very nice temperature and texture. The fish required very little chewing, and almost melted in my mouth by itself.
The second piece served was suzuki (sea bass) すずき. This fish was slightly chewy, but very light and refreshing: a very nice choice after the heavy oo-toro. A random aside: at this point, a Japanese girl sitting beside me ditched her chopsticks and began eating her nigiris with her hands too.
The third piece was the tamago-yaki (玉子焼), the omelet. The omelet was warm, sweet and fluffy.
The fourth piece was kimmedai (金目鯛), or snapper.
The fifth was uni (海胆), or sea urchin. Unlike regular supermarket or even department store sushi, this uni was particularly fresh with almost no fishy smell or taste. It was simply a bite of unctuousness with a subtle hint of the ocean.
The sixth piece was aji (鯵), or horse-mackerel.
Then came hokki-gai (北寄貝), or Sakhalin surf clam. This clam was the acme in terms of entertainment, as the clam was served while still moving. I grab the nigiri as the clam moved, and ushered it into my mouth. The clam was crunchy and slightly fishy, honestly nothing too special other than the fact that it was moving.
Ikura (イクラ), or salmon roe. Much like the uni, the ikura was superbly fresh.
Shiro-ebi (白海老), or small shrimps.
Sawara (鰆), or Spanish-mackerel.
Then came the four pieces of maki-sushi.
Followed, finally, by anago (穴子), or conger eel. This anago was very warm, sweet and soft, and the sauce added a very nice touch. However, I still feel that the anago served at Sushi Bun was much better.
We then moved on to order some pieces of the a-la-carte menu. First was a different piece of oo-toro. This piece was noticeably more chewy and slightly more fatty as well. I preferred the first piece much more, and ordered that one again.
As we continued to browse the a-la-carte menu and showed no desires to leave, the chef either began to like us or wanted us out ASAP, he suggested his favourite nigiri to us: kawahagi (皮剥) filefish. This nigiri by far had the most complexity as it came with both the fillet and the liver on top. This fish was extremely chewy, and took me a good minute to swallow it.
We then ordered a few more pieces before heading out:
Ikura and shiro-ebi again, followed by aka-gai (赤貝), red clam
...and, Tako (蛸), octopus
In the end, the meal ran about 13,000 JPY for both of us, and we left somewhat full. I do feel that the overall experience was better than that of Sushi Bun, but given its wait time and the minute superiority in terms of quality, I would probably opt for Sushi Bun in the future.
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I still remember Haji's suggestion of trying a few 'real' sushi restaurants, and that's definitely near the very top of my things to eat: Saito and Jiro in particular.
While I feel that the quality served at Tsukiji is superb, I am also beginning to sense that much more could be done with regards to presentation and theme. I often hear that a high quality sushi meal could tell a story, much like a kaiseki; and those refinements and intricacies are some elements I felt Tsukiji stalls lacked and wish to experience in the near future.
 
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O wow. I can't imagine myself spending ~65000 yen for a meal...
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Lol, I thought this was my [FOOD] Clan on Steam for a second.
Then I died seeing these @_@ Goddamn
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Canada5565 Posts
So cool~~
The details of each piece of sushi are great 
Thank you for sharing the experience. I need to get something to eat now.
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So amazing. Also so darn expensive o.o I don't think I've ever spent over 20 bucks on a meal, even with family. It might be tasty, and I'm very happy to oggle at it, but I don't think I'll ever bring myself to spend that much.
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Canada5565 Posts
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Reading through food blog at midnight was a horrible idea. I'm so going to a sushi place in little tokyo tomorrow.
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damn son, 130k yen for a meal for two! Awesome pictures though
EDIT: Seems I added an extra 0. lol
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fuk u!!! making me so hungry fuk fuk
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On January 01 2012 16:26 Cambium wrote:
In the end, the meal ran about 13,000 JPY for both of us, and we left somewhat full.
Just me or did two people add on an extra 0 lol?
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As a lifelong commercial fisherman seeing this kind of high end final product is very cool to me. Really enjoyed it.
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On January 01 2012 17:03 Xxio wrote:This blog reminded me of the upcoming movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Can't wait!
yep, definitely seeing this movie, and will try it before he retires. my gf calls this "期間限定" or "kikangentei" (a popular japanese advertisement phrase meaning limited time edition)
On January 01 2012 17:29 Ephemerality wrote:Show nested quote +On January 01 2012 16:26 Cambium wrote:
In the end, the meal ran about 13,000 JPY for both of us, and we left somewhat full.
Just me or did two people add on an extra 0 lol?
yes they did =/
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Incredible photos man, as a professional french chef, i always have a small part of me that wants to run away and learn to make sushi from some old japanese zen master. There is something completely pure and untainted by a simple presentation of really awesome nagiri. So much technique wraped in such a minamalist presentation. Also that o-toro is massive, so envious. Was the differnce in the o-toros that one was cut with the grain and the other cut aginst it (at least that's what it looks like in the photo)?
all in all excellent writeup.
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I really want to try the tuna belly; obviously it's renowned but it's quite surprising with the amount of Asian people where I live there's still no legitimate sushi place around...or legit enough to serve this. I'd have to drive to Toronto or something.
):
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On January 01 2012 17:29 Ephemerality wrote:Show nested quote +On January 01 2012 16:26 Cambium wrote:
In the end, the meal ran about 13,000 JPY for both of us, and we left somewhat full.
Just me or did two people add on an extra 0 lol?
Yeah I was wondering if I was missing out on some implied conversion...guess I am not the crazy one!
That filefish nigiri looks really interesting. Unlike the other ones, I can't begin to imagine what that one tastes like. Hmm
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WHY IS THIS THREAD SOOO GOOODDDDD please make more. and that snapper
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well.. "Looks" good, but there is no way i would ever get even close to eating that lol
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I might have missed it, but why didn't you get any tuna?
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O_o goddamn oishi-so da ne! *now wants some sushi*
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On January 01 2012 18:41 trest wrote:
I might have missed it, but why didn't you get any tuna?
Tuna was the first piece he ate -_-
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On January 01 2012 18:41 trest wrote:
I might have missed it, but why didn't you get any tuna?
He did? 3 of them are tuna.... The first one and then two of the a-la-carte ones.
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On January 01 2012 18:41 trest wrote:
I might have missed it, but why didn't you get any tuna?
He did, you missed it.
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I must have done this wrong... 130 000 Japanese Yen comes to 13000 South African Rand... Is that right?
Whats the Yen to Dollar rate?
(This isn't me being too lazy to google, its just anything to do with exchanging the yen has always confused me...
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13,000 Yen, about 168 US Dollars and 1362 South African Rand.
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On January 01 2012 20:24 TheEconomist wrote:
I must have done this wrong... 130 000 Japanese Yen comes to 13000 South African Rand... Is that right?
Whats the Yen to Dollar rate?
(This isn't me being too lazy to google, its just anything to do with exchanging the yen has always confused me...
First correct the 0 (it was 13,000, not 130,000).
Secondly, just pretend yen are pennies.... so 130.00
Except. right now, their "pennies" are worth significantly more than the US's lol, so its about ~$170 for the two of them.
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This was a wonderful treat to read in the morning! Cheers mate 8)
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fuck this shit I guess I'm eating sushi tonight.
damn youuuuuu
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Bah, I was in Japan and wanted to go there but it never happened. Mostly because I'm not really a morning person but also because my girlfriend doesn't really like fish (even though she's Japanese, lol). But it looks really nice and now I regret not going there. Thanks for sharing, I'll definitely pay it a visit next time...
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I kinda feel sad for the clam. Just think about the pain it must have been feeling, considering how it was served and prepared and such.
Animal sympathy aside, this looks delicious, despite the fact I don't touch sushi with a 10 foot pole.
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Ive been to Tsukiji before.
That place is awesome. Have you been to the area where they chop up the fish? Normally, tourists aren't allowed in there, but there's not anyone stopping you from just walking in. The coolest thing is seeing them huge mansized fish with fucking swords.
I didn't go to the place you are talking about, instead I went to the smaller places, and went to like 5 different ones and tried something different at each one.
Tsukiji is the freshest sushi ever, I don't know how anyone could see there is better sushi anywhere else. Maybe I'm wrong on that, but I've worked in a sushi restaurant and besides fancy sushi pieces, there isn't much to it as long as you know how to cut fresh fish, and most importantly, have fresh fish.
My favorite blogpost ever though! Brings back memories.
By the way, sounds kind of expensive where you were :O. I know exactly the place you were talking about, long line, but I find sushi to generally be cheap if you find the right place. I suppose the exquisite pieces you had just racked it up, I know the place you were at is also a bit more fancy. A lot of those sushi-row restaurants are the size of a bathroom, have a sushi bar, and are meant to be cheap lunch for the fishermen to get during break or coming back from the sea. But god damn the best sushi I had was there. I dont get why you said that thing about better sushi elsewhere.
I kinda feel sad for the clam. Just think about the pain it must have been feeling, considering how it was served and prepared and such.
The clam is already dead. Things still move after death, due to residual chemicals in the muscles left over. Also, certain salts can cause muscles to spaz around - I don't know if it's the case with that clam, but it's possible the chef put soy sauce on it to get it kicking. If you saw the video of the octopus that dances around 'live octopus', or the video of tasteless eating moving octopus, it was actually long dead, but the soy sauce causes it to spaz out.
And seriously. You feel sad for the clam? Really? Are you sad anytime like, fish eat clams? whatever, OT.
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Did I understand you correctly that you went there for breakfast? Is this normal in Japan? I'd imagine it to be quite a heavy breakfast.
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Fish is great breakfast food! The place he went to, it's like a row of 10 sushi restaurants, and there's maybe 5-10 rows if I recall. Each restaurant is like a room, and just a sushi bar. The one he went to I think is like, 2 restaurants/rooms put together for a bit more space and nicer of an atmosphere. But for the majority, those sushi restaurants are just cheap shacks where extremely dirty and exhausted fishermen go when it's 'late' for them, after they've been out in sea getting the catch since 3AM, to pig out on some cheap food. It's very simple sushi in that area, just a piece of nigiri or maki, nothing fancy, and besides maybe the 1 or 2 places there like the OP went to, they are pretty cheap. Everyone in them are just tourists, maybe some locals, but for the majority, dirty fishermen just back from sea.
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Very nice read!
I currently have hangovers, but this actually made me want to eat :D
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sounds like a great place to finish a club night ^^
reminds me of hamburg and their fish-market...
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I have no idea how this tastes like but i want it so bad!
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Canada1637 Posts
Looks fucking amazing. Uni is so good. Like.... so GOOD.
Omakase soooooo good.
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Oh my god.......... I NEED SUSHI RIGHT NOW.
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On January 01 2012 17:48 Shymon wrote:
Incredible photos man, as a professional french chef, i always have a small part of me that wants to run away and learn to make sushi from some old japanese zen master. There is something completely pure and untainted by a simple presentation of really awesome nagiri. So much technique wraped in such a minamalist presentation. Also that o-toro is massive, so envious. Was the differnce in the o-toros that one was cut with the grain and the other cut aginst it (at least that's what it looks like in the photo)?
all in all excellent writeup.
This could very well be it, but I am not sure. It could also be a different section of the belly, which forces it to be cut against the grain.
On January 01 2012 22:53 AnachronisticAnarchy wrote:
I kinda feel sad for the clam. Just think about the pain it must have been feeling, considering how it was served and prepared and such.
Animal sympathy aside, this looks delicious, despite the fact I don't touch sushi with a 10 foot pole.
Belial is right, they weren't alive. The sauce they put on it cause the clam to move even after it's dead.
On January 01 2012 23:17 hns wrote:
Did I understand you correctly that you went there for breakfast? Is this normal in Japan? I'd imagine it to be quite a heavy breakfast.
It's not 'normal' in Japan. It's just a very touristy thing to do. The benefits of going early are:
1. generally shorter line: I've waited up to three hours for the same restaurant
2. better fish: for the omakase, if they run out, they'll give you different pieces
On January 01 2012 23:01 Belial88 wrote:
Ive been to Tsukiji before.
That place is awesome. Have you been to the area where they chop up the fish? Normally, tourists aren't allowed in there, but there's not anyone stopping you from just walking in. The coolest thing is seeing them huge mansized fish with fucking swords.
I didn't go to the place you are talking about, instead I went to the smaller places, and went to like 5 different ones and tried something different at each one.
Tsukiji is the freshest sushi ever, I don't know how anyone could see there is better sushi anywhere else. Maybe I'm wrong on that, but I've worked in a sushi restaurant and besides fancy sushi pieces, there isn't much to it as long as you know how to cut fresh fish, and most importantly, have fresh fish.
My favorite blogpost ever though! Brings back memories.
By the way, sounds kind of expensive where you were :O. I know exactly the place you were talking about, long line, but I find sushi to generally be cheap if you find the right place. I suppose the exquisite pieces you had just racked it up, I know the place you were at is also a bit more fancy. A lot of those sushi-row restaurants are the size of a bathroom, have a sushi bar, and are meant to be cheap lunch for the fishermen to get during break or coming back from the sea. But god damn the best sushi I had was there. I dont get why you said that thing about better sushi elsewhere.
I've been to the tuna auction back in 2008, before they imposed an informal (?) ban on the tourists. I got to see all the frozen tunas as well as some fish cutting action. You can find some of them here, most of the pics still work I think.
http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?id=81044
The omakase was 3900, the other 3000 or so was from the a-la-carte ordering. Dai is definitely one of the most expensive ones.
I've never been to the really expensive sushi shops in Tokyo, but the really good ones (Jiro and Saito are both Michelin 3 stars) cost upwards of 30,000 JPY for dinner. These shops are usually located very close to Tsukiji so that the fish is just as fresh, but they put a lot more care into their rice, techniques, and presentation. This is a good link imo:
On January 01 2012 17:03 Xxio wrote:This blog reminded me of the upcoming movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Can't wait!
From what I hear, supposedly, the difference between Jiro and Tsukiji is like Tsukiji and supermarket sushi.
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I've been there! It's so cool!
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oh how I miss japanese food >.< , I have to eat sushi again one of this days .
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jesus that fish looks delicious. big fan of chirashi, myself
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Thanks for the answers.
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blue fin tuna 
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God I love japanese cuisine. I've never seen it being so diverse unforfortunately as I've never been to Japan. This makes me want to go even more :/
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On January 01 2012 17:48 Shymon wrote:
Incredible photos man, as a professional french chef, i always have a small part of me that wants to run away and learn to make sushi from some old japanese zen master. There is something completely pure and untainted by a simple presentation of really awesome nagiri. So much technique wraped in such a minamalist presentation. Also that o-toro is massive, so envious. Was the differnce in the o-toros that one was cut with the grain and the other cut aginst it (at least that's what it looks like in the photo)?
all in all excellent writeup.
The first one is more like chu-toro which is more toro and the other one is oo-toro or most toro. toro meaning fatty. there is also just "toro" which is the least fatty tuna.
oh and oo-toro costs significantly way more than chu-toro.
great pictures and write up man.
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I just had sushi buffet 2 days ago and you're making me want more. D: It all looks so beautiful, thank you for sharing this place with us.
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infinity21
Canada6683 Posts
oh man not the best blog to be reading when I'm trying to cut. Looks delicious!
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Canada4481 Posts
mmm sushi looks great! wish I got to try that place when I visited Tsukiji, but the line was so long.
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This thread makes me incredibly sad that I'm allergic to fish
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I love this blog. <3 sushi
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On January 01 2012 23:01 Belial88 wrote:
If you saw the video of the octopus that dances around 'live octopus', or the video of tasteless eating moving octopus, it was actually long dead, but the soy sauce causes it to spaz out.
fyi this is sannakjji, it is actually is served live (san = living, nakji = octopus)
also, this blog is fucking awesome. OP was the kawahagi unpleasantly chewy or did you enjoy it? I've always wanted to try kawahagi nigiri, especially with the liver on top :D
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Fantastic blog.
I've only had sushi in my city, which is as far as you can get from the ocean, so I'm sure fresh fish is much better. That thought boggles my mind because I find my "inferior" sushi to be delicious.
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
I'm not a fan of seafood myself, but my Mum would love a meal like this. I definitely appreciate the charm of how sushi (and a lot of Japanese cuisine in general) looks though ^_^.
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3030 Posts
Those sushi pics, yummy! Omelet looks interesting...
Food blogs make me sooo hungry
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~$170 for 2 people to eat isn't that expensive. Stop with the overreacting, I've spent way more then that on a meal.
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Holy crap, I'm getting hungry. And it's 1:30 am
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Damnit, 4:01am, bad time to read this... hungry!
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Oh how i miss Tokyo
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I've never been to the really expensive sushi shops in Tokyo, but the really good ones (Jiro and Saito are both Michelin 3 stars) cost upwards of 30,000 JPY for dinner. These shops are usually located very close to Tsukiji so that the fish is just as fresh, but they put a lot more care into their rice, techniques, and presentation. This is a good link imo:
Oh well shit. Michelin star restaurants are just something you go to maybe once in your entire lifetime. As in, you go to a Michelin rated restaurant just once or twice a lifetime, much less trying multiple ones. A lot of them have over 2 year long waiting lists (el bulli).
I went to Lasarte in Barcelona. Absolutely amazing. Still, I have no idea how sushi can be that unique. The food at the Michelin I went to - the flavores, the textures, it was absolutely insane. I've never had anything, from things like ice cream to even $100 meals (michelin restaurants cost about $200 per meal for a person), that came anywhere remotely close to flavor and taste and texture as michelin food. They had such complicated things, like a tiny, complicated grape sized 'thing' that apparently was fish and it tasted like candy and was just... It's literally impossible to describe that kind of food. It made restaurants that I've been to that were $100+ plus, upscale steakhouses, look like mcdonalds.
I suppose you'll have to try. I'm sure it'll be absolutely mindblowing, but I'm sure it'll still taste remotely like sushi. The stuff I had... man, I have no idea what it was, even when I did. It was just so damn complex. Even the $30 wine we had... I've never had finer stuff, it was like... like grey goose vs aristocrat, but even more so.
fyi this is sannakjji, it is actually is served live (san = living, nakji = octopus)
fyi, it's called that because it's part of the meal to make it look alive. It is not actually alive...
http://toddcarothers.com/2011/07/food-fun-dead-octopus-comes-alive/
I mean, soy sauce can cause things to come back to life. Sprinkle it on your grandmother, and nanny is back to cooking those amazing pies for thanksgiving!
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that isn't sanakji, (its not even korean lol...you can tell by the bowl the miso soup is in). the meal I was referring to (as well as the one tasteless was eating in the video you mentioned) is a korean dish that is definitely live octopus that isn't even eaten with soy sauce, as well as being prepared in front of you a lot of time (i.e. live baby octopus is pulled out of a fish tank and then cut up).
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On January 02 2012 20:13 Belial88 wrote:Show nested quote +I've never been to the really expensive sushi shops in Tokyo, but the really good ones (Jiro and Saito are both Michelin 3 stars) cost upwards of 30,000 JPY for dinner. These shops are usually located very close to Tsukiji so that the fish is just as fresh, but they put a lot more care into their rice, techniques, and presentation. This is a good link imo: Oh well shit. Michelin star restaurants are just something you go to maybe once in your entire lifetime. As in, you go to a Michelin rated restaurant just once or twice a lifetime, much less trying multiple ones. A lot of them have over 2 year long waiting lists (el bulli). I went to Lasarte in Barcelona. Absolutely amazing. Still, I have no idea how sushi can be that unique. The food at the Michelin I went to - the flavores, the textures, it was absolutely insane. I've never had anything, from things like ice cream to even $100 meals (michelin restaurants cost about $200 per meal for a person), that came anywhere remotely close to flavor and taste and texture as michelin food. They had such complicated things, like a tiny, complicated grape sized 'thing' that apparently was fish and it tasted like candy and was just... It's literally impossible to describe that kind of food. It made restaurants that I've been to that were $100+ plus, upscale steakhouses, look like mcdonalds. I suppose you'll have to try. I'm sure it'll be absolutely mindblowing, but I'm sure it'll still taste remotely like sushi. The stuff I had... man, I have no idea what it was, even when I did. It was just so damn complex. Even the $30 wine we had... I've never had finer stuff, it was like... like grey goose vs aristocrat, but even more so.
I agree and I want to emphasize that everyone who remotely likes good food should really think about saving some money and going to a restaurant which was awarded at least one Michelin star. It is really worth it.
Of course it is expensive, but one has to remember that the _really_ big names are so much more expensive than other, less known but equalliy rated, restaurants; which means that one possibilty to save some money is just not visit the guys who are the best-known. Also, it really pays off to check whether there are special offers for lunch instead of dinner. I tend to visit a 3 star restaurant in France from time to time, which offers a really reasonably priced menu for lunch, while the quality and creativity of the food surprises and overwhelms me each time again. I just checked the homepage, I'm talking about 135€ for a menu with 8 parts here (not counting the ones which are not listed like the Amuse-Gueule or several smaller things in between).
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that isn't sanakji, (its not even korean lol...you can tell by the bowl the miso soup is in). the meal I was referring to (as well as the one tasteless was eating in the video you mentioned) is a korean dish that is definitely live octopus that isn't even eaten with soy sauce, as well as being prepared in front of you a lot of time (i.e. live baby octopus is pulled out of a fish tank and then cut up).
It's essentially the same thing going on.. soy sauce makes dead octopi kick around. I believe the korean dish you are referring to also is actually chopped up bits of octopus arms. Because you know, octopus arms are live on their own. Sometimes I cut off my own limbs so they can go get the groceries. Just put some soy sauce on them.
Yes, it is live and fresh 5 minutes before you eat it. Then it dies, then you eat it with soy sauce or similar salt on it to cause the muscles to spaz out. Please.
Some Michelin *'d restaurants that I had posted on TL:.........
I love you, your posts are so cool. i travel a lot, been to morocco, stories of beating up pickpockets, adventure, corrupt cops, good food, harajuku, that kind of stuff, so i can really relate to a lot of your stuff. but damn i thought i ate well and made sure to go to only good restaurants, but fucking that many michelin. you fucker.
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Sannakji doesn't squirm around because of chemicals making the muscles spasm. Both types, either the WHOLE live octopus eaten alive, or the chopped up legs really are just squirming because they're either fully alive or the legs were chopped up a minute ago. It squirms before you put anything on it - you pick up the squirming thing and then dip it into gochujang.
Please.
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I'd cry so hard if I had to spend that much money. My wallet is a barren wasteland as it is right now Q_Q
Thanks for the blog!
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On January 03 2012 02:01 Belial88 wrote:
]I love you, your posts are so cool. i travel a lot, been to morocco, stories of beating up pickpockets, adventure, corrupt cops, good food, harajuku, that kind of stuff, so i can really relate to a lot of your stuff. but damn i thought i ate well and made sure to go to only good restaurants, but fucking that many michelin. you fucker.
Honestly, that's just a question of how a) much you value good food and b) how much money you have. I don't even know in how many starred restaurants I've been, but I've grown up with good food and the attitude that good food is something which is worth spending money on. Might also be a question of Europe/USA though; I don't know exactly how rare/valued the starred restaurants are in the USA. Of course, in France, they are much more common.
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ahhh man, I wish I could fish that fresh in the UK. I fish, so I know that fresh fish isn't fishy, I loathe fishy fish.
Looks absolutely delicious.
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I must try that dish.... never tried sushi in my life seems like its about time to do it!
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I'm incredibly sick and have barely eaten anything for the past 2 days....... and now I'm STARVING. Thanks Cambium! 5/5.
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On January 03 2012 05:00 Mawi wrote:
I must try that dish.... never tried sushi in my life seems like its about time to do it!
Man, You've been missing out one of best food in the world.
To OP: Nice blog, made me regret I didn't go to the place last time I was in Japan...
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On January 03 2012 02:01 Belial88 wrote:Show nested quote +that isn't sanakji, (its not even korean lol...you can tell by the bowl the miso soup is in). the meal I was referring to (as well as the one tasteless was eating in the video you mentioned) is a korean dish that is definitely live octopus that isn't even eaten with soy sauce, as well as being prepared in front of you a lot of time (i.e. live baby octopus is pulled out of a fish tank and then cut up). It's essentially the same thing going on.. soy sauce makes dead octopi kick around. I believe the korean dish you are referring to also is actually chopped up bits of octopus arms. Because you know, octopus arms are live on their own. Sometimes I cut off my own limbs so they can go get the groceries. Just put some soy sauce on them. Yes, it is live and fresh 5 minutes before you eat it. Then it dies, then you eat it with soy sauce or similar salt on it to cause the muscles to spaz out. Please.
....you don't eat it with soy sauce, as I already said. or anything with salt in it. it's eaten with sesame oil/seeds.
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+ Show Spoiler +On January 01 2012 23:01 Belial88 wrote:Ive been to Tsukiji before. That place is awesome. Have you been to the area where they chop up the fish? Normally, tourists aren't allowed in there, but there's not anyone stopping you from just walking in. The coolest thing is seeing them huge mansized fish with fucking swords. I didn't go to the place you are talking about, instead I went to the smaller places, and went to like 5 different ones and tried something different at each one. Tsukiji is the freshest sushi ever, I don't know how anyone could see there is better sushi anywhere else. Maybe I'm wrong on that, but I've worked in a sushi restaurant and besides fancy sushi pieces, there isn't much to it as long as you know how to cut fresh fish, and most importantly, have fresh fish. My favorite blogpost ever though! Brings back memories. By the way, sounds kind of expensive where you were :O. I know exactly the place you were talking about, long line, but I find sushi to generally be cheap if you find the right place. I suppose the exquisite pieces you had just racked it up, I know the place you were at is also a bit more fancy. A lot of those sushi-row restaurants are the size of a bathroom, have a sushi bar, and are meant to be cheap lunch for the fishermen to get during break or coming back from the sea. But god damn the best sushi I had was there. I dont get why you said that thing about better sushi elsewhere. I kinda feel sad for the clam. Just think about the pain it must have been feeling, considering how it was served and prepared and such. The clam is already dead. Things still move after death, due to residual chemicals in the muscles left over. Also, certain salts can cause muscles to spaz around - I don't know if it's the case with that clam, but it's possible the chef put soy sauce on it to get it kicking. If you saw the video of the octopus that dances around 'live octopus', or the video of tasteless eating moving octopus, it was actually long dead, but the soy sauce causes it to spaz out. And seriously. You feel sad for the clam? Really? Are you sad anytime like, fish eat clams? whatever, OT.
Well since it's dead, that's fine. But imagine this: you are a mass of crudely shaped muscle and organs attached to a hard shell. You then have your shell ripped off you, no doubt tearing a good bit of flesh with it. Then you are subjected to the unrelentingly dry air you are unfamiliar to. After that, you are possibly subjected to seasoning and extremely salty condiments. Finally, you are stabbed through your entire body by 4 massive metal spikes and then chewed to bits. That's the kind of pain that should inspire pity in anyone.
Anyways, it was dead, and that was Japan, so no metal spikes I'm guessing.
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why do you torture us with awesome food!
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On January 02 2012 15:29 gosuMalicE wrote:
~$170 for 2 people to eat isn't that expensive. Stop with the overreacting, I've spent way more then that on a meal.
It is for a lot of people. Only once in my life have I spent close to $80 for a meal (for the record, it was inferior to most cheap restaurants' food), and that was a rare exception I was pressured into.
I think the majority of people have never spent close to that amount on a single meal, and I never would have wanted to do it myself. It's not an overreaction. I think excluding that one time, my most expensive meal at a restaurant was $30.
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Yeah, well, that's a question of priorities, right?
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On January 03 2012 21:31 Chocobo wrote:Show nested quote +On January 02 2012 15:29 gosuMalicE wrote:
~$170 for 2 people to eat isn't that expensive. Stop with the overreacting, I've spent way more then that on a meal. It is for a lot of people. Only once in my life have I spent close to $80 for a meal (for the record, it was inferior to most cheap restaurants' food), and that was a rare exception I was pressured into. I think the majority of people have never spent close to that amount on a single meal, and I never would have wanted to do it myself. It's not an overreaction. I think excluding that one time, my most expensive meal at a restaurant was $30.
Well then you must be incredibly young, or you never eat out anywhere that isn't fast food because that seems impossible otherwise. Take any decent sit down restaurant, you are paying $15-30 per person for appetizers. drinks are like $5+ each so each person has a $15-20 drink tab, main course will run between $30-80 per person, desert is another $15-20. It all adds up.
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I like almost any food and I love fish but I really don't like sushi but I gotta admit the pictures look tasty.
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On January 04 2012 11:14 REDBLUEGREEN wrote:
I like almost any food and I love fish but I really don't like sushi but I gotta admit the pictures look tasty.
most sushi takes some getting used to
but even 'beginners' will like salmon
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On January 04 2012 07:25 gosuMalicE wrote:Show nested quote +On January 03 2012 21:31 Chocobo wrote:On January 02 2012 15:29 gosuMalicE wrote:
~$170 for 2 people to eat isn't that expensive. Stop with the overreacting, I've spent way more then that on a meal. It is for a lot of people. Only once in my life have I spent close to $80 for a meal (for the record, it was inferior to most cheap restaurants' food), and that was a rare exception I was pressured into. I think the majority of people have never spent close to that amount on a single meal, and I never would have wanted to do it myself. It's not an overreaction. I think excluding that one time, my most expensive meal at a restaurant was $30. Well then you must be incredibly young, or you never eat out anywhere that isn't fast food because that seems impossible otherwise. Take any decent sit down restaurant, you are paying $15-30 per person for appetizers. drinks are like $5+ each so each person has a $15-20 drink tab, main course will run between $30-80 per person, desert is another $15-20. It all adds up.
It's a matter of perspective. If you consider the demographics of people who visit a StarCraft 2 site and the fact that $170 can buy a month's worth of food for a single person in many first-world nations, then spending that much money on a single meal does seem rather extravagant.
Restaurants aren't exclusively divided into "fast food" and "decent sit-down restaurants" either. Good restaurants can be found at a wide range of prices depending on what they're serving.
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IMO 80$ for a meal is kinda steep :| especially if its just sushi
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Great blog. So hungry for good sushi.
What's the difference, tastewise, between the aji and sawara? Here in L.A. I am used to seeing aji labeled as Spanish mackerel, and what you have listed as aji is the same as what I've seen. Not sure I've ever seen sawara on a sushi menu here.
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On January 04 2012 12:53 Newbistic wrote:
Restaurants aren't exclusively divided into "fast food" and "decent sit-down restaurants" either. Good restaurants can be found at a wide range of prices depending on what they're serving.
Yeah. You are right. Like here in Germany you can get a great meal in a traditional German Restaurant for like 20€. (With drink)
But thanks for those awsome pics! it really looks delicious.
I bet those 130€ were worth it for you.
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On January 04 2012 14:40 askTeivospy wrote:
IMO 80$ for a meal is kinda steep :| especially if its just sushi
I'm really not trying to sound rude, or specifically rag on you, but to say "especially if its just sushi" is really a discredit to an extremely precise and artistic form of cuisine.
Master Sushi chefs are amongst the worlds elite in their culinary abilities, and are just as respected as any other form of chef.
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Oh I fuckin hate you...I always love to crunch those clams up. Mmm...
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I'm probably gonna masturbate to this later.
Seriously though cambium keep it up. I love your food blogs!
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OMG that looks awesome
I really wan tto visit japan and feast on sushi.
I think im gonna have to go get sushi for tea! I am addicted to mackerel and eel
post moar ... if i ever get to visit these blogs will be invaluable.
As for $80 on food? I regularly spend £80+ with the missus if we find somewhere that does great food. You ever tried getting *really* fresh fish in manchester? Don't bother, its all at least half a day old.
Its so hard to find food that the chef has time to care about - and puts food before inappropiate presentation (tiny arranged morsel on a fancy plate when you ordered steak for instance)
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Food blogs with pictures are great. Made me go back and read your other stuff.
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In the end it's just food.
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Now I'm hungry sir... Just by looking at those pictures. Oh and did I say that I'm jelly... I really am. So much good food. Thanks for sharing all of this though.
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I WANT DO EAT THERE SO BAD
Wow great write up and wonderful read, I'm super jealous of that food. Hope to see more Cambium thanks for the post!
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On January 04 2012 14:40 askTeivospy wrote:
IMO 80$ for a meal is kinda steep :| especially if its just sushi
Sushi is on the top for food that I would be most willing to spend money on compared to other things. The difference between good sushi and the crap you get in a lot of NA restaurants is astronomical. I hate spending a lot of money on food as a student and as someone that tries to live as practically as possible, but I'd rather have no sushi than bad sushi moreso than any other food, so if I find a good place then I will be willing to pay good money for it. I'm only going to have it like once a year.
But the best seafood for me is by the ocean in Korea. Dongdongju and hoe in the afternoon is great.
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What a great food blog.
I really love fresh jap food T_T! like really really.
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Wow, very envious and hungry right now.... I ate a ton of sushi when I lived in Japan but never saw filefish like that with the liver. Looks interesting...
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Why did I look at this. Now I hunger for sushi, and its nighttime here
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I spent several minutes just starring at the pictures and fighting against the idea that a LED monitor will not taste as good as those pictures look
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The sushi over there is really something else, the Tuna is just insane, melt in your moth goodness... Just thinking about it makes me really miss Japan.
Kicking myself for not going so Tsujiki when I was there, definitely be taking a trip when I go back later this year!
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