December 26, 2011

[TOKYO] Sushi Dai | 寿司大

Address: 5-2-1 Tsukiji-Shijo, Chuo-Ku, Tokyo | 東京都中央区築地5-2-1
Tel: (+81) 03.3541.3738
Web: http://www.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/22_sushidai/index.htm
Price: ¥3,900 pp (Omakase course | 旬魚おまかせ寿司セット)
He says...
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 experiences have left me well-prepared me for what lay ahead, so I drank a flagon of fresh coffee and wrapped myself in many layers. Everything went according to plan - catching the first train at 5:02am from Shinjuku station, arriving punctually at Tsukiji-shijou station at 5:22am, and joining the queue around 5:30am. The tiny shop opens its doors at 5:00am in the morning and seats twelve, and by the time we arrived, it was already packed with yet another 17 patrons eagerly waiting at its doors. As to be expected, the wait is long and dull, made particularly arduous by the cold weather, lack of sleep, and anticipation for delicious sushi.
The sun gradually began to rise as people were slowly ushered into the shop, and by the time it was finally our turn, the day was bright as… day and my iPhone read 7:10am. We were warmly and enthusiastically greeted by the cheerful sushi chef, who profusely apologized for the 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 nigiri instead of chopsticks.

Oo-toro (fatty tuna) | 大トロ
He says...
The priciest piece on the menu is this fattiest piece of tuna belly: a great way to begin the meal. I grabbed the sushi with my three fingers, dipping it lightly in the soy sauce and moving it swiftly into my mouth. The rice was of a very nice temperature and texture. The fish required very little chewing, almost melting in my mouth on its own.


Suzuki (sea bass) | すずき
He says...
Slightly chewy, though light and refreshing: a very nice choice after the fatty oo-toro. Random aside: at this point, a Japanese girl sitting beside me ditched her chopsticks and began eating her nigiris with her hands too.


Tamago-yaki (omelet) | 玉子焼
He says...
Warm, sweet and fluffy....


Kimmedai (snapper) | 金目鯛


Uni (sea urchin) | 雲丹
He says...
Unlike regular supermarket or even high-end department store sushi, this uni was particularly fresh with almost no fishy smell or taste. Simply a bite of unctuousness with a subtle hint of the ocean.


Aji (horse mackerel) | 鯵
She says...
Despite shying away from what I like to call ‘silvery fish topped with green onion’ in all kaiten-zushi joints for their extreme fishy taste, I enjoyed this particular piece of aji immensely. The fishy taste was barely detectable, but the texture is sublime with just the right amount of firmness, and the finely minced young green onion adds a touch of freshness. I would definitely gobble this up every time if it were served at kaiten-zushi!


Hokki-gai (surf clam) | 北寄貝
He says...
The clam is arguably the most acclaimed piece at Sushi Dai: the acme in terms of entertainment, as the clam is served while still moving (which the chef gives an extra squirt of lemon juice to ensure). (Aside: She gave a queasy squeal at this point despite having already experienced this once.) I grabbed the nigiri while the clam is moving, and ate it in one big bite. The clam was crunchy with a slight but noticeable fishy taste - nothing special compared to the other delicious pieces other than its demonstrated freshness.
She says...
I found the texture to be too chewy and almost rubbery... Unfortunately this was my least favorite piece.


Ikura (salmon roe) | いくら
He says...
Much like the uni, this was superbly fresh.
She says...
Ikura is my nigiri of choice and this one did not disappoint! Following the sushi chef's advice of ‘one bite, no sauce’, each individual roe popped in my mouth with a burst of umami flavor.


Shiro-ebi (baby shrimp) | 白海老
She says...
This was an unexpected favorite! The chef again advised ‘one bite, no sauce’, and the tiny shrimps combined together to a mushy sweetness.


Sawara (Spanish mackerel) | 鰆
She says...
Similarly to the aji, I was again surprised by how much I liked this fish despite the green onions!


Tekka-maki | 鉄火巻き
She says...
Nothing special...


Anago (conger eel) | 穴子
He says...
Anago was served very warm, accentuating the sweetness and softness of the meat that the sauce also complimented. However, this still cannot compete with the anago at Sushi Bun in my opinion.


Oo-toro (fatty tuna) | 大トロ - take 2
He says...
The final piece at Sushi Dai is traditionally a favorite of the guest's choice (お好きな). We both chose the oo-toro, though what appeared before us was slightly different from the first piece... Being noticeably more chewy and slightly more fatty as well. We both preferred the first piece much more, and proceeded to specifically order that one again.


Kawahagi (filefish) | 皮剥
He says...
As we continued to browse the a-la-carte menu and obviously showed no desire to leave quickly, the chef suggested his favourite (off-the-menu) nigiri. This piece had the most complexity by far, as it came with both the fillet and liver on top. The fish was extremely chewy, and took a good minute to swallow...
She says...
Though the liver provided good contrast with its soft texture.


Aka-gai (red clam) | 赤貝


Tako (octopus) | 蛸


He says...
In the end, the meal ran about ¥13,000 total for the two of us, and we left mostly sated. I do feel that the overall experience was better than that of Sushi Bun, but the much longer wait time does not seem to justify the minute superiority in quality.
She says...
And Sushi Bun has always been my personal favorite of the two, given their more traditional approach to sushi showcasing only the quality of fish (rather than modern techniques and complimentary sauces) - as well as its much superior anago.

1 comment:

  1. Hi thanks for the detailed introduction as my wife and I are excited to go to Tsukiji during 13-hour layover next month! Curious how could you take so many photos when I read all these major sushi places do not allow cameras (so they can hurry you off)?

    ReplyDelete