This time I went with a close fried and it really developed into an extensive meal that covered all the variety and depth that Matsumi had to offer. We were able to get our favourite seats at the sushi bar and were able to watch the chef preparing our dishes, one after the other. Even though the sushi bar is now equipment with a glass shield due to the pandemic restrictions, we still had an amazing view and enjoyed the experience. Sadly, it limits the opportunity for interaction with the chef, which is something I always loved and enjoyed. In any case, for any sushi aficionado that enjoy watching, the setup at Matsumi can be highly recommended.

The Finest of Matsumi

With our order quickly growing into an opulent and extensive list of à la carte items, we also decided to insert a considerable variety of staters and side dishes, some of which were on the limited specialties menu of the week. We were surprised by an amazing amuse-bouche that kicked off the experience. It was an avocado, sake (salmon) and taco (octopus) ceviche and it was an amazing competition that greatly complemented each other. It was almost sad that we could not order a larger dish of it. We also had two varieties of konomono, which are composed of differently seared, pickled or aged vegetables. These are especially delicious at Matsumi and always a well received surprise. One of my personal favourites is horenso (spinach in sesame dressing), which cannot miss during any of my visits at the restaurant. Another absolute delight is the rare but always amazing ebi shinjo (deep fried shrimp dumplings). The shrimp is packed in tofu skin, which is then deep fried along with some fried lotus root pieces. It is just amazing and comes with an amazing composition of negi (green inions), grinded ginger and a mysterious spicy sauce that delights me even time. If this is on the specialty menu, it is a must have.

Another amazing specialty is a selection of hotategai (scallop) pieces served in some seared miso sauce along with some vegetables and shitake (Japanese forest mushrooms). The dish is served raw on a stove, which is the lid so we could prepare the scallops to our liking. It is an amazing composition and the sauce is key to the experience. The scallops were amazing as always and this combination is easily among my favourite hotategai dishes. The sauce is so nice, that even after finishing the scallops, vegetables and mushrooms, it cannot be wasted and but is an absolute joy on its own. Interestingly, this is only achieved through boiling the dish. When the dish is served, the sauce does not taste good, not even pleasant. But once the scallops are done, it is an absolute delight.

Another set of my favourites followed suit. Sake cava temaki (handroll with grilled salmon skin is just about the most amazing piece of Japanese food I can imagine. Being a long time aficionado of this dish, Matsumi is the only place on the planet where this is not just beyond all others in amazingness, but it consistently impressed even after more than a decade of sampling it regularly. The salmon skin is seared and grilled to the point of perfection and the teriyaki style sauce used in this dish is just over the moon. The sauce on its own would be something to die for and of course a well kept secret, so I cannot even report what it is exactly. Another few delights we had were tamago (egg omelet), uni (sea urchin) gunkan (battleship sushi) and unagi (freshwater eel) nigiri. The sea urchin was excellent and a fresh interlude among the heavy items with teriyaki sauce etc. The unagi (freshwater eel) is also one of my absolute favourite and hard to beat.

Oamakase Style Sashimi at Matsumi

For the main course, we had an amazingly composed plate of an omakase style sashimi selection. It came with shima aji (striped jack), otoro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), chu toro (medium fatty bluefin tuna belly), madai (red seabream), ika (squid) and maguro (bluefin tuna back). The striped jack was a new addition to the menu and something totally unexpected. Visually, it could be easily confused with hamachi (yellowtail), but is was a totally different experience all together. The texture and taste was amazing and quite distinct. The squid is usually also among the best items at Matsumi and should not be missed. The was also a small side dish of seared yuba (tofu skin) with wasabi. It was just the smallest bowl on the side, but it was an amazing surprise. It provided a fresh and acute sensation that was amazingly balanced with the spicy wasabi and a nice complementary element to the sashimi plate.

The selection of different tuna cuts was as amazing as it looked an amazing journey through a variety of tastes that is difficult to attribute to the same fish. Even the subtle differences in texture always amaze me and even though this might be an somewhat obvious observation shared by many, the otoro cut is the absolute most amazing piece of fish. It is amazing to experience again and again how this extreme level of quality is as consistent as night and day at Matsumi and am already fantasising about my next visit.

To round things off, we then had a final selection of some favourites. Paired with another sake cava temaki (handroll with grilled salmon skin), we had another piece of otoro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), madai (red seabream) and unagi (freshwater eel) as nigiri. As a final composition to melt in our mouths, we decided to take a piece of zuke chu toro (seared and flambeed bluefin medium fatty tuna belly) nigiri, which was a culminating finale of the meal. With the extensive breadth of our selection, we had to cut the dessert short and just opted for an umeboshi (salted and seared plum), which was also amazing and just about the perfect contrast to balance of the entire meal.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Matsumi always surprises and even after more than a decade of patronage, I am still mesmerised by its constant delivery of the most outstanding Japanese dining experience. It is truly a one of its kind restaurant and deserved its rank among the best around. As a pillar of traditional Japanese cuisine in an authentic atmosphere in a familiar setting, it is a must for any sushi aficionado and a perfect choice for anyone new and curious. The restaurant provided an encapsulated and unique experience with its wooded interior, open sushi bar and tatami room. For me it is almost like stepping into another world and being on vacation. The menu options are so extensive, it can just be describes with being as complete as it could get. All varieties of fish one could dream of can be found and the taste and quality is absolutely outstanding. Preparation and presentation of the dishes is done with extreme attention to detail and deep pasha for perfection. The drink menu is extensive and features many Japanese spirits and beers to choose from. The service team is friendly, welcoming and most forthcoming. Even on busy nights they take the time to engage in conversation and truly make the experience as amazing as it is. Matsumi is truly amazing and I can recommend it without hesitation to anyone and I cannot wait to get back.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: September 4, 2020

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Small bites with huge impact

Over the years I did everything from large dinners with huge sashimi plates to quick bites for lunch. In any configuration, I absolutely enjoyed every meal I ever had at the restaurant. This time I had some tiny startes of which I like the marinated tako (octopus) best. It was followed by ebi shinjo (deep fried shrimp dumplings) which are among my absolute favourite dishes at Matsumi, and some sake (salmon) nigiri. The main highlight was a small tuna sashimi plate that was composed of o toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly) and chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna belly). As always, the tuna sashimi was breathtaking and an absolute delight. The tuna melted in my mouth and is hard to live without.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Matsumi is truly unique restaurant. The interior design is very authentic and warm with lots of wooden elements that always make me feel at home. The menu is outstanding and offer many delicious options apart from typical sushi dishes. As always the fish was of the highest quality and had amazing taste and texture. The drink menu is extensive and offers anything you could be looking for. Lastly, the service was perfect as ever and I really appreciate all the effort the team is putting into making every visit a remarkable experience.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

 

Review date: August 4, 2017

The post Matsumi – Japanese Cuisine for sushi aficionados 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

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