I went for an extensive dinner and even though I knew better, I started off with some fried options. As fried food is the prime discipline of any Neapolitan kitchen, fried dishes are always tasty and outperform international competition, but they are also very heavy and add quite a load for the rest of the meal. I hat some ebi tempura (fried shrimp), takoyaki (fried octopus) and few pieces of sake (salmon) maki tempura (fried roll). I am a big fan of takoyaki and have to say, that usually these are outstanding in Napoli as the ability to fry food is superior to most other regions I have been to.

Orders are managed though iPads, making the overall experience a bit impersonal. By now this is common in most all you can eat sushi restaurants in Napoli. On the upside, its easy to keep track of all the dishes for the review, so I did not need to take notes. I ordered some suzuki (sea bass) and tako (octopus) sashimi alongside sake zuke (grilled salmon) and maguro (tuna back) nigiri. The tako was outstanding and also the sake was nice. As usual in Napoli, the maguro was not so interesting. So I took another oder of the sake zuke (grilled salmon) and added some ika (squid) nigiri alongside some hotategai (scallop) sashimi. The hotategai was also very nice and overall I was impressed with quality of the food and variety of options to choose from.

Usually, all you you can eat restaurants have limited options available and focus on salmon, tuna back and shrimp. Here, there were a lot of interesting things to discover. I ordered some more sashimi. It came with sake (salmon), ibodai (butterfish), ika (squid), ama-ebi (sweet shrimp) and hokkigai (red clam), which is a rare find in any sushi restaurant around. Also the ibodai was actually the best I had in Napoli so far. Therefore I went for another round of nigiri with ibodai (butterfish) and ama-ebi (sweet shrimp) to close the meal.

Sushi Guide Verdict

All in all, I was super happy and satisfied with my experience at Sushi Sapporo. The atmosphere of the restaurant is welcoming, even though it is quite large and loud. The menu options are outstanding for an all you can eat restaurant and easily outperform the competition in Napoli. The taste and quality of the fish was very good and some pieces rank well even compared with upscale Japanese restaurants around. The drink menu is a bit limited but offers enough options for a nice night out. The service staff is friendly and welcoming, but interactions are limited due to the fact that all interactions are managed through the iPads. Apart from being seated and paying the bill, there are few interactions. I can recommend Sushi Sapporo as a nice option in Napoli and the best all you can eat sushi restaurant in the area.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: October 25 2021

The post Sushi Sapporo – All You Can Eat Sushi Dining in Vomero, Napoli appeared first on Sushi Guide.

I picked some of my favorites, unagi (freshwater eel) nigiri alongside an ebi (shrimp) uramaki (inside out roll) with unagi (freshwater eel) topping and a nigiri set. The eel was nice but not special. Most critically, it was cold which is something I do not like. It was not cold because of the delivery, it is served cold in this case. Some restaurants do that, I really prefer the warm variant.

The nigiri set was a pleasant surprise and provided a decent variety, especially considering that it is a delivery restaurant, which usually has a very limited menu to choose from. The set came with sake (salmon), maguro (tuna back), ika (squid), ebi (shrimp), aji (mackerel), tai (sea bream), tako (octopus), ama-ebi (sweet shrimp) and hotategai (scallop). Most pieces were quite average, but the mackerel, octopus and scallop really stood out. Overall, it was surpassing my expectations and I was quite satisfied with the meal.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Sushi Arigato doesn’t offer a particularly inviting atmosphere, so I deemed it is mainly suited for delivery or takeout. The menu options are surprisingly extensive for a restaurant in that category, however the quality is a mixed bag with some items being really good and the rest being average. The drink menu is limited to say the least and the service leaves nothing special to be mentioned. For simple takeout or delivery sushi, the restaurant is an option. For sushi dining, I would go somewhere else.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: October 27, 2021

The post Sushi Arigato – Quick Sushi Bites in Düsseldorf, Germany appeared first on Sushi Guide.

Lunch Experience at Matsumi

As always, the experience at Matsumi was second to none. Even though I haven’t been there for a long time, my girlfriend and I were welcomed with the same friendly and open atmosphere that I came to love. Immediately, we felt at home and enjoyed a short but nice lunch at the sushi bar. Even though the seating limitations due to COVID-19 resulted in fewer seats being available, we were lucky enough to have a nice view over the counter.

Even though during lunch the menu at the sushi bar is limited and not as extensive as during dinner hours, I was able to pick some of my favourite items. The sake cave te maki (grilled salmon skin hand roll) is one of my absolute favourites and it was as amazing as always. Even after trying similar dishes at many restaurants around the globe, I am confident that this is by far best one. In between the hand roll on and the lunch sushi set that I ordered, we also had a kappa (cucumber) maki (roll).

The lunch plate came with sake (salmon), amaebi (sweet shrimp), tako (octopus), hamachi (yellowtail) and aji (mackerel) sashimi. I always enjoy the mackerel and also the octopus was outstanding. There were also some nigiri pieces with suzuki (sea bass), sake (salmon), unagi (freshwater eel) and ebi (shrimp) of which I liked the eel the most. Unagi is also among my favourites and so I was happy that it was available during lunch hours. Also, there were some sake (salmon) maki (rolls) that were nice as well. Behind some decorative greens, there were also 2 pieces of otoro (blueing fatty tuna belly) sashimi, which were an absolute delight to round of the meal. To say it as it was, it was amazing to be back.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Matsumi is truly a one of its kind restaurant and certainly my all time favourite Japanese restaurant. For more than 10 years I have frequented the restaurant regularly and I cannot get enough of it. The unique and authentic atmosphere and wooded interior and tatami room provide an entry way into another world, even if just for a little while. The menu is extensive and covers all varieties of fish one could dream of with highest quality. Everything is prepared with the utmost attention to detail, truly making dining here an amazing experience. The drink menu is extensive and features Japanese beers, wines and spirits and leaves no desire unanswered. The service is friendly, forthcoming and welcoming and makes the experience what it is for me, a homecoming. I can only recommend Matsumi from the bottom of my heart and am happy to see them open again.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: May 29, 2020

The post Matsumi – All Time Sushi Favourites in Hamburg, Germany appeared first on Sushi Guide.

An Extensive Dinner Experience at Kushi-Tei of Tokyo

As I went there alone and without reservation, I was lucky enough to get a single seat at the sushi bar to fully enjoy my experience. Even if my view was a bit obstructed, it was a nice turn of events that I didn’t expect. I started out with some basic side dishes and tried the horenso (spinach) in sesame sauce with was amazing and the tako yaki (deep dried octopus) which was almost a meal on its own. I liked the tako yaki, but from my experiences in Napoli I can attest that there are superior deep frying skills around.

As the main course I opted for an omakase style sashimi plate that came with a good variety of fish to enjoy. I had hotategai (scallop) – one of my favourites and an absolute delight – and maguro (tuna back), tako (octopus), aji (mackerel), ama ebi (sweet shrimp), sake (salmon) and hamachi (yellowtail) sashimi. The overall taste and quality of the fish was outstanding, with my favourite ranking among aji, hamachi and the hotategai.

As a finale for my dinner experience, I ordered some nigiri pieces. I got another two pieces of hotategai (scallop) and two pieces of unagi (freshwater eel), both of which are absolute favourites of mine. The scallop was amazing and the best pieces on this day. The unagi was also good but the topping was a bit scarce and not that appealing to me. Also it was served cold, which is downer in my opinion.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Dining at Kushi-Tei of Tokyo was a nice and satisfying experiment. The atmosphere was very low key, friendly and welcoming. The menu options are so extensive that I could come back many times with always new things to try. Taste and quality of the fish and all other dishes I had was excellent and much better than at many other restaurants around. The drink menu is very traditional and offers a large selection of Japanese beers and spirits. The service was very friendly even if the language barrier was evident. All in all the team made me enjoy my stay and would definitely recommend this restaurant to any sushi aficionado.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: February 25, 2020

The post Kushi-Tei of Tokyo – Traditional Sushi in Düsseldorf appeared first on Sushi Guide.

Lunch at Matsumi

This time I went to my favourite Japanese restaurant in Hamburg only for a quick lunch, but it was still as amazing as any dinner I ever had here. Although menu options are limited at lunch and the sushi bar does not operate at full capacity, the dished on the lunch menu are all outstanding. I had a small but excellent sashimi plate with maguro (bluefin tuna back), sake (salmon), ama ebi (sweet shrimp), ika (squid), hamachi (yellowtail), chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna), akamutsu (seaperch), hotategai (scallop), hokkigai (surf clam) and torigai (cockle clam).

Even though the restaurant was full and very busy, the chef seemed as calm as any other day. The attention to detail in preparation in and decoration of each dish always amazes me. It almost makes me feel as I am presented with piece of art for me to eat.

Sushi Guide Verdict

The atmosphere at Matsumi is warm, friendly and absolutely unique with loots of custom made woods, paper windows and cloth as room separators. The sushi bar is the absolute best spot if one is interested in watching the sushi chefs prepare the dishes and allows exciting insights. The menu is outstanding and vast, although only a subset is available for lunch. The drink menu leaves nothing to be desired and the service it outstanding at any time. Matsumi is truly the Japanese restaurant of choice.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: April 25, 2017

The post Matsumi – The Japanese restaurant of choice appeared first on Sushi Guide.

Sashimi à la carte

I ordered a broad selection from the substantial list of dished and focussed mainly on sashimi to focus in the fish freshness and taste. I had some ikura (salmon roe), maguro (tuna back), ibodai (butterfish), ama ebi (sweet shrimp), tai (sea beam), ika (squid) as well as sake (salmon). In addition I tried some saba (mackerel), tai (sea beam) and unagi (freshwater eel) nigiri.

The overall taste of the fish was ok but not above average. For delivery service I would consider the menu options and quality as very good but still it felt uninspiring. Only the sake (salmon), ika (squid) and sabe (mackerel) were surprisingly good. The overall presentation of the food could also be improved upon. There are various sushi delivery services that focus more on the optical aesthetics of the experience.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Although I ordered food for delivery, I checked out the restaurants atmosphere. It is a simple place that is ok for a quick meal but it does not feel suited for a longer dinner. The menu options are very good considering it is a delivery service. Compared to other Japanese restaurants around however, it is just average. The taste and quality of the food is good but did not feel inspiring. The drink menu options are limited, which is to be expected from a delivery service. The service at the restaurant is ok, nothing more. I talked with them over the phone various times and also had to complain about a very long delivery time. With all the other options of excellent Japanese restaurants in Düsseldorf, I personally would rather go somewhere else if I am about to go out. For a delivery service ManThei might be an option to be considered. I am sure it is way above average.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: January 8, 2018

The post ManThei Sushi – Restaurant and Sushitaxi in Duesseldorf appeared first on Sushi Guide.

Sashimi Carpaccio

Sometimes, something extraordinary happens when I visit this restaurant. Already being among my absolute favourites, the sushi chef keeps surprising me with unparalleled dishes with unbelievable attention to detail. This time we were presented with a breathtaking akamutsu (seaperch) carpaccio that topped everything I have ever seen just like that. The slices were so thin, I just looked amazing and tasted even better. The carpaccio was topped some ika (squid) and ama ebi (sweet shrimp) side orders.

After that we went on with an awesome omakase sashimi plate. It came with chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna belly), ika (squid), ama ebi (sweet shrimp), sake (salmon), hamachi (yellowtail), tako (octopus), hotategai (scallop), akagai (red clam) and mirugai (long neck clam). To say the least, this was an amazing sashimi plate. The texture and taste of the chu toro was exceptional as was the ika. This is almost unfair since everything else also tasted extremely good, fresh and looked so beautiful.

Sushi Guide Verdict

The atmosphere at Matsumi is very unique and feels authentic, warm and ambient. The menu options are almost limitless and offers something for every taste, even for those who never tried sushi or don’t eat any fish. The drink menu it outstanding as well and offers a large variety of Japanese spirits to choose from. As always the staff was friendly, welcoming and warm and made this experience one to be remembered. 

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: April 3, 2013

The post Matsumi in Hamburg – One of the best Japanese restaurants around appeared first on Sushi Guide.

The restaurant’s sushi bar is famous for its incredible selection of fresh sushi and sashimi dishes that amount to almost 50 varieties. Most of the fish is sourced fresh at the local Fish Market in Hamburg while some delicacies such as tuna and yellowtail are flown in regularly to meet the quality standards of the restaurant. The sushi chefs take pride in their focus on tradition and quality, emphasising that every piece of sushi or sashimi is cut from a whole fish and only traditional means are used to prepare the food.

The atmosphere at the restaurant is also very unique and focusses on custom made timber, paper covered windows and room dividers. The restaurants offers a small number of seats at the sushi bar, around 15 tables for small groups and a traditional Japanese Tatami room for large groups which is only available by reservation. In this special room people sit on the floor to dine and are served in the most traditional Japanese fashion. All in all the restaurant feels very authentic and even more unique due to all the love and compassion that went into the little details of its interior, making Matsumi a one of its kind restaurant.

Omakase Sashimi Dinner

There is no sushi restaurant I like more and certainly none I have visited more often than Matsumi. I am always amazed by the quality and taste of everything I have ever tried and I really appreciate all the effort that is put into the dish preparation and decoration. As in most cases, this time I went there with a friend and we had a huge omakase style sashimi plate.

The plate came with kanpachi (amber jack), o toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), maguro (bluefin tuna back), sake (salmon), hamachi (yellowtail), ika (skuid), chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna belly), tako (octopus), aji (mackerel), akamutsu (seapearch), ama ebi (sweet shrimp), hotategai (scallop), mirugai (long neck clam) and akagai (red clam). To say the least, this was amazing. Not only had the plate everything one could dream of, the taste of freshness was mind blowing.

Some of my favorites were the ika (squid) and the aji (mackerel) which is different from any mackerel I ever had at any other sushi restaurant. Of course the bluefin tuna selection is always an absolute delight and it goes without saying, that the taste and texture was outstanding to say the least.

To make this even better, I point put the little side dishes on the sashimi plate. My two favourites were also served as seared ika (squid) and aji (mackerel) tar tar. The ika was very spicy and was seared in some kind of wasabi sauce as far as I could decipher. The aji was served with herbs and sesame, making it a very special dish as well. Lastly we had some sake cava te maki (grilled salmon skin hand roll), which are among my favourite dishes at this restaurant as well. For the sauce in this hand roll alone, I would come back any day of the week. All in all it was a great, no, fabulous dinner.

Sushi Guide Verdict

As always, a meal at Matsumi is not only outstanding in quality and taste, it is unique no matter how often you go there. The attention to detail and freshness is unparalleled and the frequently changing specialties menu at the sushi bar gives the experience a special twist every time. The atmosphere is warm, friendly, authentic and I always feel welcome and almost at home when I am visiting the restaurant. The variety of sushi and sashimi dishes is huge and offers specialties rare to find anywhere else. In addition the menu offers many other options from salads to traditional Japanese choices as well as vegetarian and even vegan dishes. The wine and sake list is outstanding, catering to all tastes and preferences. Lastly, the service is outstanding. Everybody is super friendly, warm, welcoming and internationally oriented as the staff speaks German, English and Japanese (a requisite for anyone working there) among others.

The be as clear as I can be, this is truly a one if its kind restaurant and I recommend it without any hesitation to both sushi new comers as well as well versed sushi aficionados from around the world. I have been at Matsumi more often than in any other sushi restaurant and there are various reviews of all the special experiences I had.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

 

Review date: October 20, 2015

The post Matsumi – A Truly Authentic Japanese Restaurant appeared first on Sushi Guide.

Omakase Sushi Dinner

Even though we have visited this restaurant many times, it is always an amazing experience to come back, especially if there is the time for an extended omakase dinner at the sushi bar. This time, the omakase plate was full of amazing surprises and was simply mindblowing. It came with an amazing selection of tuna cuts, chu toro (blueing medium fatty tuna belly), o toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), maguro (bluefin tuna back) and amazing hara toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly) sashimi. It is safe to say that this was among the best we ever had.

But also the other fish on the plate was outstanding. Beyond the tuna we had ama ebi (sweet shrimp), akagai (red clam), mirugai (long neck clam), hotategai (scallop), kanpachi (amber jack), sake (salmon) and breathtaking ika (squid) sashimi. On the side we also had ebi shinjo (deep fried shrimp dumplings), which are the best deep fried shrimps ever and can only be found on the daily specials menu from time to time.

Sushi Guide Verdict

As always, our visit at Matsumi was an outstanding experience. It authentic atmosphere and kind staff made this stay as warm as one would like with enough time and space to fully enjoy the extensive dinner. Even though we opted for an omakase dinner, the menu options are outstanding and cover a huge range of variety, leaving no desire unanswered. Same goes for the drink menu which is extensive and incorporates a sophisticated sake collection. The service was perfect, warm, friendly and humble and made this one of the reasons why we always come back. Check out more reviews of Matsumi, one of our favourite sushi restaurants on the planet.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

 

Review date: June 11, 2014

The post Matsumi – An Amazing Japanese Experience appeared first on Sushi Guide.

Sashimi Dinner

I started the dinner with a sashimi platter composed with kanpachi (amber jack), sake (salmon), ika (squid), maguro (tuna), hotategai (scallop), hamachi (yellowtail) and ama-ebi (sweet shrimp). The fish of superior quality and taste and was a perfect light dinner. As I couldn’t resists the day’s special menu, I also tried sake toro (salmon belly) nigiri. This definitely was the best salmon belly I had in a very long time and made sure that I visited Busshari frequently.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Busshari is superior Japanese restaurant with a good selection of fresh fish and other authentic dishes. The interior design of the restaurant is very pleasant, although some might consider it too dark for a restaurant. I enjoyed the atmosphere very much and would recommend it for romantic dinners as well as for quick bites. The menu is awesome and offers daily specials with a certain rarity. The taste and quality was great, only the drink menu somewhat scarce. The restaurant’s staff was very friendly and forthcoming, making this sushi restaurant one of the few in Sydney to be recommended.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: May 6, 2016

The post Busshari – An Authentic Japanese Restaurant appeared first on Sushi Guide.