The restaurant has a few seats at the sushi bar and a spacious seating area with many tables for small and large groups. Even though the capacity is now limited, the restaurants can cater to a larger audience than most other Japanese restaurants around. There is also an outside seating area that does not provide the same authentic feel as inside dining, but is a very nice alternative, especially during the summer when outside dining is the preferred option. For this visit, we opted for the outside option because it was pleasant and warm night. Also, the restrictions inside the restaurant felt a bit uninviting. So we were happy with our choice and in luck to get seats outside.

Sampling the Kushi-Tei of Tokyo Menu

We decided to go with a selection of the menu exclusives and ordered a moriawase style set to get things started. While we waited, we also had some nice starters. Even though not a typical item on a Japanese menu, we sampled the iwashi tempura (deep fried sardines), which resembled a somewhat Mediterranean experience. The vegetable gyoza were nice and were obviously self made. Another classic were the outstanding tako yaki (deep fried octopus balls) with teriyaki sauce. Even though it were heavy bytes for a hot summer night, it was a good start.

The main plate came with tamago (egg omelet), sake (salmon) gunkan (battleship sushi) with ikura (salmon roe) topping and 6 pieces of maguro (tuna back) maki (roll). The selection of nigiri pieces was composed of hotategai (scallop), unagi (freshwater eel), ebi (shrimp), hamachi (yellowtail), sake (salmon), otoro (fatty tuna belly) and chu toro (medium fatty tuna belly). Of course, they also served some gari (pickled ginger) and fresh wasabi. To say the least, the tuna cuts were outstanding and so delicious that I would come back anytime just for that. The melted in my mouth and had an amazing but subtle texture. The scallop was so amazing, it might very well be the best in town. Also the eel was great even though the chef was a bit shy with the topping. Even the salmon, that usually does not impress me much, was outstanding and delightful excitement. Encouraged by this plate, we decided to get seconds.

Browsing through the menu prompted us to pick some of our favourites from the moriawase dish and add some more specialties. We picked some more pieces of hotategai (scallop) and chu toro (medium fatty tuna belly), which definitely were the best of the night. Beyond that, we went for some karuma ebi (Japanese imperial prawn), hamachi toro (yellowtail belly cut) and aji (mackerel) nigiri pieces. I consider mackerel among my favourite fish and was pleasantly surprised. Most impressively, the yellowtail belly cut was also amazing and absolute joy. It is certainly a rare find even among the fierce competition of Japanese restaurant in the area. Even though we should could have taken even more, we had to call it a night. In my mind, I was already scheduling my next visit to build on this experience.

Sushi Guide Verdict

This dinner at Kushi-Tei of Tokyo was just amazing. It was a busy night, but were lucky to get seats outside and could enjoy the summer night with this excellent meal, even if the outdoor atmosphere is not comparable to the restaurant’s interior. The menu options are extensive and have some rare finds among them that might take a few visits to discover. Taste and quality of the fish was excellent and absolutely among the best options around. Considering the fierce competition in the Japanese quarter in Düsseldorf and the high expectations of local patrons in the largest Japanese community in Germany, this is quite an achievement. The service staff was friendly and forthcoming, but a bit overwhelmed with the high demand during the night. We had an excellent time and enjoyed out experience. For any sushi aficionado, Kushi-Tei is an excellent choice and it can be highly recommended.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: August 3, 2020

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Rolls and more for dinner

We started of with some light starters, such as a mixed set of gyoza (dumplings) that were nice but nothing special. The seared maguro (tuna back) tartare with sesame came in a unique packaging and was quite nice. Yet, as usual in Napoli, the quality and taste of lean tuna back is rather basic and nothing that special. The tartare was a nice dish, yet other restaurants are able lot make more out of the bland tuna options available locally.

Then we had some sake (salmon), maguro (tuna back) and ika (squid) nigiri, some same (salmon), maguro (tuna back) and suzuki (sea bass) sashimi and then went on to the dominant offers on the menu, makis (rolls) and uramakis (inside out rolls). We tried the ebi tempura (fried shrimp) uramaki (inside out soll) with maguro (tuna back) topping, which was a nice composition with the avocado inside. The maguro (tuna back) maki (roll) with cream cheese topping however, was not that appealing as the cream cheese dominated the dish without adding any special flavour to the mix. The maguro (tuna back) maki tempura (fried roll) with cream cheese topping was better, but also not that amazing.

Also the maguro (tuna back) uramaki (inside out roll) with aioli topping was quite nice and matched well with the visually appealing ebi tempura (fried shrimp) uramaki (inside out roll) with grilled maguro (tuna back) and aioli topping. To our surprise, the most unconventional composition amazed us most. The ebi tempura (fried shrimp) uramaki (inside out roll) with strawberry topping was outstanding and by far the best dish we had at the restaurant.

Sushi Guide Verdict

All in all the dinner at Sushi & Co was nice but nothing overly special. The atmosphere was welcoming but a bit cold and impersonal. The interior design and architecture results in very high ambient noise levels, which makes a loner stay rather unpleasant. Yet, the menu options offers some nice surprises among the otherwise basic dishes to choose from. Taste and quality of the food is good and some dishes were very pleasant surprises. The drink menu is average and focuses on wine rather than Japanese spirits etc. The service was friendly and forthcoming and made the dinner a pleasant experience. Overall it is a good restaurant that stands out among the many sushi restaurants to choose from, but doesn’t rank among the best. Considering the alternatives around, another choice might come with more pleasant surprises.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: February 11, 2020

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Dinner a la Carte

I went there for an early dinner on a Saturday and got a nice table outside that they set up just for me as all other seats were already taken or reserved. The menu ist not that extensive and covers the usual basics of a restaurant of this kind. The Peruvian twist is apparent but not dominant and mostly focusses on sauces and other accents for the traditional sushi selection.

The meal started with a tara (codfish) gyoza tempura (fried dumplings) that were quite nice, but not outstanding. Codfish is a very common fish in Napoli, which made the dish rather Neapolitan than Peruvian. Afterwards I samples the Victor Roll of the specialties menu, which was a sake (salmon), suzuki (sea bass), hirnmasse (amber jack) uramaki (inside out roll) with red ebi (shrimp) topping. The shrimps were advertised as coming from Mazara in Sicily and were in fact outstanding. The roll was nice but the distinct taste of the individual fish got lost in the mix.

As a final plate I tried the premium nigiri selection, which in fact was more a plate of classical items rather than anything special. It cake with sake (salmon), suzuki (sea bass), maguro (tuna back), ebi (shrimp), tai (sea bream) and sake yaki (grilled salmon) nigiri. The salmon was of good quality and also the tai was nice with the mango sauce they served it with. The ebi was not the same type from Mazara and therefore a bit disappointing. Same goes for the tuna which is usually nothing special in Napoli’s sushi restaurants. On the plus side, the plate looked very nice, much better then it was from a culinary perspective however.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Cariño Nikkei is tiny but stylish sushi restaurant that offers a nice vibe on a square with many other restaurants and bars. If you like being in a hectic and compressed place, it could rank among a cool place to hang out. However, it doesn’t invite for a romantic or quiet dinner. The menu options are quite nice, but do not extend beyond very typical fish to choose from. Rarities are not available. The quality and taste of the fish is average and nothing special apart from the Mazara shrimp, which is outstanding. However, many Japanese restaurants around serve excellent shrimp. The drink menu is simple but fitting for the setting of the restaurant. The service team at Cariño Nikkei was friendly and forthcoming, but since the place is rather busy, they didn’t create a very personal atmosphere. Considering the rather high price point of the restaurant, I would recommend it for small snacks or lunch, but an extensive dinner will be quite expensive and not worth the money compared to other options around.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: June 22, 2019

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Amazing Moriawase Dinner

The dinner started out with some light appetisers, such as edamame and absolutely amazing gyoza dumplings. Although the gyoza were very nice and had an excellent texture, the wakame had strangely perfumed taste, almost as if it was marinated in meat stock. But even before we could think to much about it, we were served the sake (salmon) carpaccio with ikura (salmon roe) and caviar. The salmon was smooth and very tasty but the caviar was uninspiring. It felt more like a collection of buzz words than a well composed dish. So all in all the appetisers were nice, but not amazing.

Then we had some gunkan bytes, all of which were absolutely great. The ebi (shrimp) maki with caviar was very intense and way above average ebi around. The sake (salmon) maki with ikura (salmon roe) was nice but easily surpassed by the breathtaking suzuki (sea bass) with hotategai (scallop) with green tobiko (flying fish roe). It was simply amazing. The kappa (cucumber) roll with kinoko (mushroom, and I don’t remember what kind) was also a nice piece to try.

When our main moriawase plate arrived, we were presented with amazing ebi (shrimp) tempura maki (deep fried roll) with quail egg and caviar topping. It was outstanding and set the bar very high for the entire plate.

And what an amazing plate it was. It covered all we could hope for. We had some maguro (tuna back) uramaki (inside out roll) with caviar, maguro (tuna back) uramakai (onside out roll) with ikura (salmon roe), some sake (salmon) maki with caviar topping, ebi tempura (fried shrimp) uramaki (inside out roll) with green tobiko (flying fish roe). We were really impressed by the tarabagani (king crab) maki (roll) with green tobiko (flying fish roe) as well as with the simple but great sake (salmon) nigiri. Then there was ebi tempura (fried shrimp) uramaki (inside out roll) with ikura (salmon roe), sake (salmon) maki tempura (deep fried roll) with ibodai (butterfish), some maguro (tuna back), sake (salmon) and hamachi (yellowtail sashimi) as well as some ebi tempura (fried shrimp) and sake (salmon) foto maki (big roll).

Sushi Guide Verdict

Dining an Jap One is an amazing experience. The sushi bar is absolutely outstanding and offers very limited seats at the bar and various table on two floors for groups of different sizes. The menu options are extensive and cover all basics and some exquisite dishes to choose from. The taste and quality os very good and outstanding for some select options. The drink menu is excellent as well as the restaurant also features a nice and chic cocktail bar. The service was very friendly and forthcoming but remained a bit detached, something that I felt as the main loss compared to my experience in the previous location. All in all, I highly recommend this restaurant as one of the best in Napoli.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review Date: February 21, 2019

The post Jap One – A new Japanese Experience in Chiaia, Napoli appeared first on Sushi Guide.

Sashimi Dinner

On a slow Sunday night, I went there with a friend for a light dinner. After some edamame and surprisingly tasty gyoza, we had a moriawase sashimi plate with ikura (salmon roe), hamachi (yellowtail), sake (salmon), hotategai (scallop), ebi (shrimp), suzuki (sea bass), aji (mackerel) and ibodai (butterfish). The ebi, aji and hotategai were of absolut amazing taste and the overall quality of the fish was very food. Unfortunately, the sushi bar could not offer any tuna sashimi, which was a little disappointing. It is one of the few restaurants that actually has toro on the menu, so we were hoping for some fatty tuna delights. We decided to have some unagi (freshwater eel) as sashimi and nigiri and it was outstanding. The tako (ocptous) nigiri was just average.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is an upscale restaurant compared to most other options in the area. It ranks among the best sushi restaurants in Napoli in my opinion but lacks some elements to make it to the top of the list. The atmosphere is hip but also rather cold and unwelcoming. Especially the music playlist did not match the overall experience. The menu options are good but could be more extensive. The fish taste and quality is very good and the drink menu offers many options for a nice night out. The service team is friendly and forthcoming and made our dinner are nice experience.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

 

Review date: September 23, 2018

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