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

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Omakase Style Dinner

Even though the restaurant has no sushi bar to enjoy witnessing the preparation of the sushi, I was happy to see that the menu offered chef selected options. I decided to go with an omakase style plate of their finest and started the meal off with some ika geso yaki (grilled squid tentacles). Even though presented as a small starter plate, it was a large dish that made me worry about the rest of my selection. The squid tentacles were excellent and a great start for a fulminant meal.

The main sushi plate came with a small bowl of ikura (salmon roe), which easily ranks among the best I ever tried. There were 8 nigiri pieces, maguro (tuna back), ika (squid), karuma ebi (tiger prawn), sake (salmon), hotategai (scallop), hokkigai (red calm) and hamachi (yellowtail). It is hard to pick what stood out from this selection. All of them were outstanding. The ika and hotategai were really delicious and the usually average maguro (tuna back) was of outstanding quality and texture. It made me curious about other tuna cuts they had on the menu as well. The plate was rounded of with a maguro (tuna back) maki (roll), which was also surprisingly nice.

Looking at the specialties of the day, I decided to go for another place of 4 nigiri pieces. I chose anago (conger eel), which was amazing and a worthy alternative to my usual favorite unagi (freshwater eel). The did not have any unagi, so this was a great substitute. Another special of the day was katsuo (bonito fish), which is a rare find in Düsseldorf, and it was also excellent. Most impressive however, was the bluefin tuna cuts they had on the menu. I chose one piece of chu toro (medium fatty tuna belly) and one piece of otoro (fatty tuna belly). Even though I usually prefer chu toro over otoro on most occasions, I have to say that the otoro at Hyuga was outstanding and tanks among the best in Düsseldorf. Fort his alone, I would come back any day.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Hyuga is an amazing restaurant and rare find among the many Japanese places to choose from. It is so small and easy to overlook even when walking by frequently. Based on this night’s experience, it now ranks among my favorites and is one of the best in Düsseldorf without any doubt. The atmosphere is elegant, yet authentic and the staff was super nice and made the meal a very nice experience. The menu options are extensive and the quality and taste of everything I had was outstanding. The drink menu is ok, but a bit basic for a sophistic dining experience. This is usually not a big issue for me as I like to focus on the fish. All in all, this is an amazing restaurant and I can recommend it without hesitation for any sushi aficionado.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: June 17, 2021

The post Hyuga – Minimalistic Japanese Dining in Düsseldorf, Germany appeared first on Sushi Guide.

“Thanks to his larger-than-life personality, Leonardo Jun Sakamoto has left his unmistakable mark on this discreet restaurant where you won’t find any signage. Here, you will savour what may well be the finest nigiri in the city.”

Source: MICHELIN GUIDE SÃO PAULO 2019

An Exquisite Dinner Experience at Jun Sakamoto

As a large group reservations are in order on any day, especially if the desired seats are those at the bar. The restaurant caters to its patrons with a stylish and modern atmosphere and huge open bar where guests can witness the sushi chefs preparing the amazing served at the restaurant. The extensive drink menu offers everything on could wish for and has an expensive selection of sake to choose from.

The dinner started with some light starters, like an huramaki some ebi tempura (fried shrimp), unagi tempura (friend freshwater eel) with rice topping and and outstanding maguro (tuna back) tartare with ikura (salmon roe) topping. The unagi tempura and maguro tartare were excellent and immediately set the bar for the experience to follow.

With seats at the bar, it was nice to witness the chefs preparing one plate after the other. It certainly added to the otherwise already excellent culinary experience of dining at Jun Sakamoto.

Over the course of the opulent dinner, there were some sake (salmon) and suzuki (sea bass) nigiri, a plate of kanpachi (amberjack) and tai (sea bream) nigiri, another plate of breathtaking aji (mackerel) and kamasu (barracuda) nigiris and absolutely outstanding hotategai (scallop) and hokkigai (surf clam) nigiri. Of course, also the uni (sea urchin) gunkan (battleship sushi) had the be sampled. Like all other pieces, it was of incredibly taste and made this an outstanding experience unlike any other.

Then, the grand finale was serves with some amazing tuna pieces that were prepared at the sushi bar. Both the maguro (tuna back) and the toro (fatty tuna belly) nigiri were excellent and a worthy and triumphant close to this amazing meal. Even if it is hard to imagine, there was still room for a little scoop of green tea ice, rounding the experience off nicely.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Dining at Jun Sakamoto is certainly a unique and unmistakable experience. The restaurant caters to upscale clientele with warm and modern atmosphere, excellent menu options and excellent drink menu. The experience was outstanding and quality and taste of the fish was among the best anywhere. The service was friendly and welcoming and like you would expect from a MICHELIN start restaurant. Overall, this is a must for any sushi aficionado living in or visiting São Paulo and it deserves its spot among the MICHELIN start restaurants Sushi Guide sampled.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: October 20, 2019

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Quick Dinner

I went on a weekday and was the only guest at around 8 PM. The restaurant was very busy with delivery orders and appeared to be extremely popular as a delivery option. I took a seat at the bar and chose a few items from the menu. I started with some tako (octopus), sake (salmon) and maguro (bluefin tuna back) nigiri and sake (salmon) and suzuki (sea bass) sashimi. As in most sushi restaurants in the area, the sake was excellent while the maguro was unimpressive. Still, I was impressed with the quality and taste of the fish.

I tried some more nigiri and enjoyed the hokkigai (surf clam) and the hotategai (scallop) in particular. I also tried some fried makis (rolls) as they were recommended as the signature dishes. The surimi (imitation crab meat) and sake (salmon) maki (roll) came with a very tasty teriyaki sauce and was pretty good. Even better was the ebi tempura (deep fried shrimp) with sake (salmon) maki (roll). Only the sake tempura (deep fried salmon) maki (roll) was not to my preference. It came with a mayonnaise topping, which I generally don’t like with sushi.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Yume Sushi Bar & Restaurant is a stylish but cold restaurant that offers very good value even for small budgets. The restaurant is spacious and a little impersonal, although I felt at home during my visit as I was the only guest at the time. The menu options are limited but very good for an all you can eat restaurant. The food quality and taste was good. The drink menu is good and makes the restaurant a suitable place for a long night out. The service was very friendly and communicative. I talked with the sushi chef at the bar, which is rare among the many sushi restaurants I tried in Napoli. If you are looking for a good all you can eat restaurant or nice delivery alternative, give it a try.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

 

Review date: September 7, 2018

The post Yume Sushi Bar & Restaurant – Quick Sushi Bites in Napoli 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

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The restaurant has a small sushi bar with about 8 to 10 seats and some additional regular tables in the back. The atmosphere is cozy, and welcoming although the bright lighting mismatches the otherwise warm experience. The menu offers 10-12 different kinds of fish, served as sashimi, nigiri, maki and temaki, in addition to some select meat options. In addition the restaurant offers a substantial wine and sake menu, allowing for great accompanying drinks for any Japanese meal.

Sashimi and Nigiri Dinner

As a group of three, we decided to start with a 25 piece moriawase sashimi plate that overdelivered on our modest expectations. With previous disappointing experiences at local sushi restaurants in mind, we were very happy with our choice. The nicely decorated plate came with hamachi (yellowtail), chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna belly), hotategai (scallop). hokkigai (surf clam), tamago yaki (egg omelet), hirame (halibut), sake (salmon), maguro (bluefin tuna back), tako (octopus), kanpachi (amber jack), suzuki (sea bass) and ebi (shrimp). I personally enjoyed the hirame (halibut) and kanpachi (amber jack) most as they had a very unique and intense taste. The sake (salmon) was also very nice and almost seemed like salmon belly in texture. The chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna) was good but not overly special.

After the sashimi plate I got my sake (salmon) te maki which I originally ordered as starter. Then, the dinner went on with an à la carte 12 piece nigiri plate. We chose 4 pieces of chu turo (bluefin medium fatty tuna belly), 2 pieces of ika (squid), 2 pieces of hamachi (yellowtail), 2 pieces of saba (mackerel) and another 2 pieces of suzuki (sea bass). I liked the ika (squid) and saba (mackerel) best and also enjoyed the suzuki (sea bass). After 2 additional pieces of chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna belly) and hamachi (yellowtail), we were done with our dinner. If there had been room for more, we might have even tried the sake (salmon) and ebi (shrimp) plate that was prepared in front of our eyes. So maybe, we need to come back for that one.

Sushi Guide Verdict

‘Osushi delivers on the promise of being an authentic Japanese restaurant. The atmosphere is very nice except for the bright lighting. The menu options are better than at most other sushi restaurant in Napoli but still leaves some room for improvement. The overall quality and taste of the food was very good. Some locally sourced dishes were especially worth mentioning, such as the ebi (shrimp), hirame (halibut) or suzuki (amber jack). Still, especially the tuna was not as amazing as one might have hoped. The drink menu ist extensive and offers anything one might be looking for in any price range. The service staff was exceptionally friendly and forthcoming. Overall it was a very satisfying experience and while there is plenty room for improvement, I would go back there for dinner and can recommend the restaurant without hesitation.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

 

Review date: November 12, 2017

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The menu is described as being authentic and traditional and offers about 20 different fish to choose from. Among the specialties available are o toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), chu-toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna) and tai (gilthead). There are various plates offered in the menu and sashimi aficionados can choose between different moriawase sashimi options. An omakase style menu is not offered.

Lunch Menu

Since I went to the restaurant for lunch, I opted for a lunch plate with a maki and nigiri selection. The maguro (tuna) and sake (salmon) maki rolls were of average taste and quality. The nigiri were much better but still rather average. I tried ika (squid), maguro (tuna), ebi (shrimp), hamachi (yellowtail), sake (salmon), aji (mackerel) and hokkigai (surf clam).

Although I was satisfied with the lunch menu, the experience fell short behind the high expectations I had for this restaurant. I am not sure wether dinner would have been a much better choice, but I doubt it would have lived up to my expectations. Also the o toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly) and chu-toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna) dishes were unavailable during my visit.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Sushi-Ya restaurant provides a modern and cool setting within the Feinkost Böhm delicatessen store in Stuttgart’s Kronprinzenbau. It is rather a place for a quick bite than a cozy restaurant for a romantic dinner. Although the menu options are extensive, the quality and taste of the fish was just above average. The drink options were limited and not noteworthy. The service staff was friendly but not overly enthusiastic about the food served. Unfortunately, other than for a quick lunch, I would not recommend this place.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: Juni 30, 2015

The post Sushi-Ya – Japanese Cuisine in Stuttgart appeared first on Sushi Guide.

The menu is quite extensive and available in Japanese, English and German. It ranges from classic sushi and sashimi options to dishes like wagyu beef and ankimo (monkfish liver). There are several set menu options available as well as a sushi a la carte section, listing 20+ different fishes to choose from. To make things easy for sashimi aficionados, there are both moriawase and omakase plate options available.

Sashimi Plate

For starters, I tried ika-geso no shichimi yaki (grilled squid tentacles with seven spice hot pepper), a dish to be remembered and recommended to anyone. Still, it was easily outpaced by the following amazing omakase sashimi plate. It contained hamachi (yellowtail), hokkigai (surf clam), hotategei (scallop), o toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), sake (salmon) and maguro kama no shioyaki (grilled and salted tuna neck). The hotategei and o toro were absolutely delicious, as was the tuna neck.

As a last order, I chose chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna) nigiri (the only tuna option left on the menu I didn’t try yet) and unagi (freshwater eel) which was served cold unfortunately. The tuna selection offered at the restaurant is definitely recommendable to anyone looking for decent tuna in Germany and easily outperforms most sushi restaurants in the area.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Kikaku restaurant provides a very traditional and cozy atmosphere and allows visitors with seats at the sushi bar to watch the sushi chef preparing the dishes. The menu options are extensive and the food is superior quality and taste. The restaurant also offers a vast selection of sake and some Japanese beer options. The service was outstanding although a little hasty at times. The staffs is fluent in Japanese, English and German and seems to invite an international crowd. The restaurant closes quite early (10 pm), so it is recommended to go there early in the evening. Among the many sushi restaurant alternatives in Düsseldorf, it is to be highly recommended.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: May 2, 2017

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