The website looks super nice, all black with high quality photos of varies dishes and sets to choose from. The menu sees extensive and evolves mainly about preconfigured sets to choose from. Upon taking a closer look, most dishes are somewhat identical and use the same base ingredients – mostly salmon, tuna back and shrimps – mixed up with different dressings. Presentation is everything with Steffen Henssler, so the options on the website certainly also delivered on that promise.

I made some choices and received a call shortly after the order was made. Some items were not available and I was suggested some alternatives to choose from. I was quite happy with the service and curiously waited for the delivery. The sushi came in simple but beautiful packaging, matching the high quality look of the website. Even the chopsticks and soy sauce came in nice black packaging.

The meal started out with two amazing pieces of sake (salmon) nigiri, which made me really optimistic about the rest of the menu. I then tried the spicy maguro (tuna back) futo maki tempura (fried big roll), which was also nice but not as impressive. Also until here, I was also quite happy with the presentation and the overall experience.

The main package contained my individually configured set. Even though I can appreciate the intention behind the overall setup and design of the package, the unpacked food looked far less appealing as I expected it to look. The rolls looked quite messed up and pieces moved around in transit, leaving greasy traces across the glossy package. It’s not relevant for the culinary experience per se, but certainly dampened the mood as I had higher expectations.

The set cam with maguro yaki (grilled tuna back) sashimi, kappa (cucumber) uramaki (inside out roll) with sake (salmon) topping, ebi tempura (fried shrimp) uramaki (inside out roll) with sake (salmon) tartare and caviar topping. The cucumber roll was really not that amazing, the shrimp roll was better but due to the distinct taste of the salmon and caviar. Overall, the pieces were covered in sauce, all of which were not bad, but took away any taste of the fish. The dish also came with three pieces of maguro (tuna back) futo maki tempura (fried big roll) with maguro (tuna back) tartare and tobiko (flying fish roe) topping. It sounded better that it was. Also here, the tartare dressing took away most of the distinct taste of the tuna, rendering the sushi experience a bit mute in my opinion.

Certainly, the overall look, quality and taste is quite nice. It is certainly above average sushi, but it comes at a really upscale price, resulting in higher expectations in terms of taste, presentation and mostly variety in the dished. Overall, the pieces that I got, based on staff recommendation, are all quite similar and lacked any surprise.

Sushi Guide Verdict

All in all, I am happy with the presentation, menu options and service offered when ordering at GO by Steffen Henssler. However, even though the menu looks very appealing, the variety is highly limited and mainly uses salmon, tuna and shrimp as base ingredients, basically the most standard of all sushi components. In combination with the heavy use of sauces and dressings, it seems as if the menu caters less to sushi aficionados than I hope for. The quality and taste of the food is quite good, it is just not very close to anything that I expect from a sushi experience. The site offers limited drink options, but for takeout food, it is certainly sufficient. All in all, I am undecided if I would order there again. If dining in a large group, the offered sets are good options, for a nice Japanese dining experience, I would definitely look elsewhere.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: September 6, 2021

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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.

Some Basic Sushi Bites

My choices were out in a plastic box even though I dined at the restaurant which underlined the grab and go vibe I had while inside. Yet, as I was on the move anyhow it matched my individual situation. The options were somewhat limited to basic options, so I had some sake (salmon) tartare, suzuki (sea bass), maguro (tuna back) and sake (salmon) nigiri and then some kappa (cucumber) with cream cheese uramaki (inside out roll) with sake (salmon) topping, sake yaki (grilled salmon) uramaki (inside out roll) with sake yaki (grilled salmon) topping and lastly some sake (salmon) and avocado uramaki (inside our roll). All in all everything was kind of average and nothing stood out in particular. The salmon was perfectly fine but nothing special. Only the tuna back was a bit tasteless, something quite common in my experience in southern Italy.

Sushi Guide Verdict

I cannot say much about the Daruma restaurant chain in general, but from my visit to their Parioli restaurant, I was not impressed very much. Reminding me of the Giappo sushi chain, they cater the modern trend of casual sushi dining and take away food. The atmosphere at this restaurant was very cool and uninviting. This was underlined by the obvious emphasis on take away orders. The menu options are quite limited but among the usual standard sushi dishes they offer a good variety of bento boxes to choose from. The food quality is average. Even though I was hoping for more, the quality is ok for take out. The drink menu was very limited and basically only covered essentials. Service was focussed on quick sales and not particularly inviting. Based on this experience, I think I would explore other options next time I am around.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: July, 4, 2019

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Omakase Dinner

This time we went in a group of three and decided to opt for an omakase style dinner to sample the premium options available. The meal started with some tobiuo (flying fish) uramaki (inside out roll) that was simply amazing. The remains of the fish were later served to us after it had been fried, making it a truly complete and Japanese experience.

We then got some very decent sashimi plates with maguro (tuna back), hamachi (yellowtail), ebi (shrimp), katsuo (bonito fish), sawagani tempura (fried crabs), suzuki (sea bass), sake (salmon) and ika (squid) sashimi with some tamago (omelette) on the side as well as ikura (salmon roe), aji (jack mackerel), kani (crab), hotategai (scallop) and an quail egg . The squid and bonito fish were excellent and absolutely outstanding in texture and taste. Even more so the mackerel and scallop were absolutely delicious.

We then moved on to an nigiri plate that came with unagi (freshwater eel), ebi (shrimp), maguro (tuna back) and hamachi toro (yellowtail belly) as well as hotategai (scallop) gunkan (battleship sushi) and some excellent toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly) nigiri. Needless to say that the toro was amazing, but also the yellowtail belly was excellent.

Therefore we had a final plate of hamachi toro (yellowtail belly), sake toro (salmon belly) and hotategai (scallop) nigiri to finish up the meal. All of these pieces melted in our mouthes and were truly remarkable. These pieces alone are worth any trip from nearly anywhere.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Fuki Sushi is a very traditional and authentic Japanese restaurant. With its wooden and warm interiors and traditional decor if creates a very comfy and welcoming atmosphere. The menu options are extensive and range from typical sushi classics to the most exquisite rarities to be found. The quality and taste of the fish is outstanding and ranks among the best around. The drink menu is fitting for this upscale restaurant and leaves nothing to be desired. The service team is very friendly, forthcoming and makes every visit a most enjoyable experience.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: June 5, 2019

The post Fuki Sushi – Amazing Japanese Cuisine in Palo Alto appeared first on Sushi Guide.

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.

Amazing Sushi

The menu is extensive and offers everything I could hope for. I started with a moriawase sashimi plate that came with maguro (bluefin tuna back), tai (sea beam), hamachi (yellowtail), sake (salmon), hotategai (scallop) with ikura (salmon roe) topping and ika (squid). I also had some katsuo (bonito fish) sashimi, kappa (cucumber), shitake (forest mushrooms), sake (salmon) with cream cheese and seared maguro (bluefin tuna back) with ikura (salmon roe). The sake and tuna was very good, gut I especially enjoyed the hotategai and the katsuo.

As the menu had so many amazing options to chose from, I tried some more nigiri specialties. I was especially amazed by the toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), the hamachi toro (yellowtail belly) and sake toro (salmon belly). The ika (squid) and unagi (freshwater eel) was also great but was easily outperformed by the madai (red sea bream) and katsuo (skipjack tuna) nigiri. All in all, it was amazing and difficult to name a clear dominant winner.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Fuki Sushi is a one of its kind sushi restaurant. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley it has been around for decades and lives up to is reputation. The atmosphere is very authentic and cozy, providing an ideal setting for a night out. The menu options are extensive and cover anything one could hope for. The food quality and taste is outstanding and absolutely amazing. The drink menu is ok and typical for a restaurant of this esteem. The service was also perfect. The team was and welcoming and made my visit a experience to remembered.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

 

Review date: June 6, 2018

The post Fuki Sushi – Supreme Japanese Cuisine in Palo Alto, California appeared first on Sushi Guide.

The restaurant is fairly large and located on the ground floor of the hotel with a huge glass window front, providing a nice view over the media harbour and the infamous Gehry Buildings, which are considered to be the cities new landmarks. The interior design and atmosphere is very nice and fitting for a 5-star hotel. The most interesting feature of the restaurant in regards to this review is the sushi bar in the middle of the restaurant that offers insights into the preparation of the Japanese dishes.

Maki and Sashimi Selection

Having been at the hotel a few times before, I decided to sample the sushi menu, which is of average size but surprisingly limited for a restaurant claiming to specialise in Japanese cuisine. It offers 10 different varieties of fish and ranges from sashimi to nigiri and maki with a small selection of accompanying sakes to choose from. I decided to try the special roll of the day, which was an inside out maki with maguro (tuna), kappa (cucumber) and special dressing that tasted a bit like mayonnaise and wasn’t advertised. The taste was fine, but I couldn’t really understand what was special about this roll.

So I moved on to my main course, an omakase choice of 8 different kinds of sashimi. It came with hotategai (scallop), sake (salmon), maguro (tuna), suzuki (sea bass), hamachi (yellowtail), akamutsu (seaperch), aji (mackerel) and tako (octopus). The overall taste and quality of the fish was good but not outstanding. I am mentioning this since I expected way more from a 5-star hotel restaurant. The scallops and seaperch tasted very good and had a fine texture, I liked the mackerel but everything else was just ok. Also, I had the feeling that the wasabi was not fresh but I couldn’t verify.

When I enquired about a certain piece of sashimi (the akamutsu), the waiter did not know what it was, inquired with colleagues and reported it back as something else (aji). Only when he asked his colleagues a second time, the answer was correct. Lastly, I was disappointed how they handled the service at our table. We were not asked wether I wanted to order anything else. So when I tried to order some unagi nigiri as the final dish, the sushi bar was already closed while the rest of the restaurant kept operating without any noticeable change. This was a disappointing development and so we left for the bar to get over it.

Sushi Guide Verdict

The atmosphere of the DOX restaurant within the Hyatt Regency hotel in Düsseldorf is certainly nice and unique due to the overall design and the exposed position in the city’s media harbour. It is nice to come here and despite the struggles described above, it is a decent restaurant and among the best hotels around. Still, it seemed obvious that there are problems with finding high quality personnel that one would expect from a 5-star hotel. The restaurant‘s menu is great, in terms of sushi options however, it is rather limited despite the focus on Japanese cuisine. The quality and taste of the food is good, but way below expectations. Considering the fierce competition with all the Japanese restaurants in Düsseldorf, it is unlikely that sushi aficionados would choose this one as their favourite.

The general drink menu at the restaurant and bar is outstanding with some room for improvements considering the upscale positioning of the hotel. Many of the issues outlines are due to the staff. In general it seems as the restaurant and bar need not only more people to handle the number of guests but also people that stay with the hotel for a longer period of time to actually deliver on the promise of pure luxury and the highest level of comfort that the Hyatt Regency is advertising on its website.  

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: December 9, 2017

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