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

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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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An All or Nothing Dinner at Jap One

On one of the rare occasions to go out for dining during the COVID-19 pandemic, we stopped by for a late dinner and were in luck to get the last two seats of the night. Based on previous experiences and starving from the search for an appropriate restaurant, we decided to share some of the exclusive dishes on the menu. To say the least, it was worth it. After a small amuse-bouche in form of a taki yaki ball (deep fried octopus) and a sophisticated maguro (lean tuna back) tartar with avocado and kanji (crab meat), we were presented with an amazing ise-ebi (lobster) plate.

The lobster did not just look amazing but was an absolute delight. Seared in an excellent creamy sauce with some grilled seeds and bedded on wakame (dried lobe-leaf seaweed), it was a mind-blowing dish. The lobster had amazing texture and still melted in our mouths. The dish was crowned with the amazing teriyaki sauce on the side, that pushed the taste arrangement over the top for me.

Afterwards we had an omakase style plate of their sushi exclusives, which was also outstanding, even though it was hard to impress after the ise-ebi (lobster) dish. The plate came with sake (salmon), suzuki (sea bass) and hamachi (yellowtail) sashimi, sake (salmon) and mazara ebi (shrimp) nigiri, maguro yaki (grilled tuna) uramaki (inside out roll) with ibodai (butterfish) topping, sake (salmon), suzuki (sea bass), maguro (tuna back) futo maki (big roll), ebi (shrimp) and maguro (tuna back) uramaki (inside out roll), sake (salmon) tempura maki (fried roll) with quail egg and sake (salmon) tempura maki (fried roll).

Especially the mazara shrimps were outstanding and I cannot recommend them enough. If they are on any menu, they should be a must have. the grilled tuna roll with butterfish topping was also amazing and only surpassed bu the fried salmon roll with quail egg topping. Even though this rather feels like an Neapolitan composition than a Japanese delight, it was amazing and a signature dish of the restaurant in my perception.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Jap One is an amazing restaurant and deserves its rank among the best in Napoli. The menu is extensive and covers all basics and exclusives one would wish for. The taste and quality of the dishes is excellent and way above average in comparison to other Japanese restaurant around. The drink menu is also quite good and offers a nice selection of cocktails and both regional and international wines. The service staff was friendly and very forthcoming, but due to the layout of the restaurant we felt a bit left alone in the basement area. In any case, I highly recommend Jap One as one of the best restaurants in Napoli.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: October 9, 2020

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“What would you expect at Yoshizumi Nagaya’s restaurant other than typical Japanese precision and simplicity? The flavours are sophisticated, purist and natural, the onus on choice ingredients. The pleasantly reserved, professional front-of-house team are always pleased to offer wine and sake recommendations.”

Source: MICHELIN Guide

Puristic Dinner at Nagaya

In a group of two we showed up at the restaurant without reservation and were lucky enough to get a spot in the otherwise heavily frequented and usually fully booked restaurant. Seated at a table for two with a view towards the sushi bar, we quickly adjusted to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions at the restaurant. Even though all staff had to wear masks all the time, we were able to lift our face covers once we reached our table and sanitised our hands. As one would expect from a fine dining restaurant such as this, the staff ensured we had an amazing experience despite current restrictions.

Since we arrived shortly after 8:30 pm, it was no longer possible to order the set menu option, as this would not have fitted in the remaining opening hours of the restaurant. Without being too disappointed about it, we focused on the sushi part of the menu and decided to order some starters and then share a SUSHI and SASHIMI house set that would take us on a culinary journey throughout the night. The meal started with an amazing miso soup with tofu and fermented vegetables. It was matched by a great glass of Riesling recommend by the sommelier. After the soup we had a roll from goose liver terrine with red beet croquant and hazel nut powder (of which we sadly took no photos).

Nagaya’s Sushi and Sashimi house set

As the main course, a huge plate of sushi, nigiri and sashimi pieces was served with dry ice for visual effects. It covered almost all delicacies from the sushi menu and was absolutely amazing. The plate was served with another matching white wine recommended by the sommelier. It was a 2018 Weingut Keller Silvaner Feuervogel, which was not just perfectly suited for the sushi plate, but an outstanding rich and dry white wine in general.

The SUSHI and SASHIMI house set came with an outstanding california roll – a kani (crab meat) and avocado uramaki (inside out roll) – and a spicy tuna roll – maguro (lean tuna back) maki with chilli mayonnaise – as well as the house roll – a sake (Scottish salmon), maguro (lean tuna back), hamachi (Japanese yellowtail) and ebi (shrimp) futo maki (big roll). The futo maki was absolutely amazing and after some initial scepticism wether so many pieces of fish in one roll would result in a nice composition, it turned out the be the most amazing roll of them all. The plate also came with some basic sashimi pieces, sake (Scottish salmon), hamachi (Japanese yellowtail) and maguro (lean tuna back). The tuna was advertised as a Mediterranean tuna from Spain.

The were also 5 types of nigiri, all of which were pretty amazing on its own. The plate came with tai (Japanese sea bream), aji (mackerel), sake (Scottish salmon), hamachi (Japanese yellowtail) and chu-toro (medium fatty tuna belly) nigiri. The only pieces that were not absolutely breathtaking were the hamachi. Everything else was super rich, had amazing texture and taste that went well with the white wine.

There was room for more…

To round things off, we also sampled few items that were not part of the SUSHI and SASHIMI house set. Most impressively, the unagi (Taiwanese freshwater eel) and hotategai (Breton scallop) nigiri were absolutely jaw dropping. I have rarely enjoyed as amazing scallops anywhere and these two pieces are some of my absolute favourites. The hotategai came with a small dip of chilli sauce, which gave an amazing taste to the contained taste of the scallop. The teriyaki sauce for the unagi was also excellent and the piece was served warm, which is my preference. Even the fresh wasabi and gari (ginger) were excellent.

As a last dish we tried something a bit more crunchy. The ebi tempura (deep fried) uramaki (inside out roll) was a nice finale to the opulent dinner and culinary journey we took during this night.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Nagaya certainly is a one of its kind restaurant. Even among the fierce competition in Germany’s largest Japanese community in Düsseldorf it stands alone as the best Japanese fine dining restaurant around. It ranks well among the MICHELIN star sushi restaurants we tried so far. For a more casual sushi experience, Nagaya recently opened a second branch called Yoshi, which is an outstanding alternative to the fine dining setting of the main restaurant and provides the same quality of sushi dishes.

Nagaya certainly caters to upscale clientele with its chic and conservative interior design. The warm atmosphere and welcoming staff made our visit quite enjoyable and a unique experience. The menu options are a bit limited since the restaurant offers an omakase set menu each night and some additional items á la carte. Never the less, the quality and taste of the food is outstanding and second to none. The drink and wine menu is extensive as one would expect from a one MICHELIN star restaurant. We were especially satisfied with our choices of wine and can highly recommend to trust the sommelier’s recommendations for matching the dishes if desired. The service team was most forthcoming and catered to us with a good mix of restraint and initiative. Overall, this was an amazing experience and Nagaya certainly is a must for any serious sushi aficionado living in or visiting Düsseldorf.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: July 14, 2020

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Amazing Sushi Dinner

Located in the basement of a typical Napoli building, the newly renovated bar feels stylish and warm. The restaurant offers various tables as well as some limited seats at the sushi bar, where I was greeted with a small tuna tartare on a blue chip. It was amazing. Also, the sushi bar is highly communicative and allowed me to chat with the sushi chef (a rare setup in Napoli). While I waited for my sashimi plate, I tried the dragon roll with ebi (shrimp) and unagi (freshwater eel). It was very tasty, although I don’t like large amounts of avocado in sushi rolls.

The sashimi plate was absolutely amazing and the best I had so far in Napoli. It came with maguro (bluefin tuna back), seared ibodai (butterfish), sake (salmon), katsuo (bonito fish), hamachi (yellowtail), suzuki (sea bass) and o-toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), the signature fish of the restaurant. By far it was the best tuna I had in Napoli. The o-toro was especially amazing and had a very intriguing texture. I also enjoyed the sake, the ibodai as well as the katsuo.

As this started out as the most impressive sushi experience in Napoli so far, I decided to go for more specialties from the menu. I was amazed by the hotategai (scallop) and o-toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly) nigiri and also enjoyed the ibodai (butterfish) and unagi (frehwater eel) nigiri. The maguro (bluefin tuna back) and suzuki (sea bass) nigiri were also very nice, but most impressive was the hotategai (scallop) with ibodai (buttefish) and ikura (salmon roe) topping. The mango ice cream with ikura was a nice cooldown but something I could have skipped.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Hands down, otoro81 is the best sushi restaurant in Napoli that I have been to so far. It impressed me both with its atmosphere, its interior setting as well as the outstanding menu options and breathtaking food quality. The taste of the fish at this restaurant outpaces the competition in the area by a long shot. The cocktail menu is extensive and very upscale, making this location an ideal place for a long night out. The service was excellent and I really enjoyed talking with the chef during the meal, something I miss in many of the Neapolitan sushi restaurants.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: February 27, 2018

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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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Basic math: 17>14>10. (Also, usually: 22≠17)

hamachi (yellowtail) nigiri

Then we had otoro – fatty tuna. This was the best piece of sushi I have ever eaten in my life. It’s just something that you must try. In this city, it’s one of the best delicacies you will come across. The combination of the tuna taste with the fat, just makes your taste receptors extremely happy We proceeded with lean tuna (akami), from the same fish, but cut from near the back. He had cut this fish after we first sat down and let it marinate in soy sauce about 25 minutes. This is called zuke –  it concentrates the flavor and is a traditional preparation before refrigeration existed (in Edo style sushi). It was slightly salty and very new to me.

shirako (cod sperm) lightly grilled

aji (horse mackerel) nigiri

Sushi Guide Verdict

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Sashimi and Nigiri Dinner

This time I started out with an 1o piece moriawase sashimi platter with hon maguro (bluefin tuna), bincho maguro (white tuna), hamachi (yellowtail), susuki (sea bass) and king sake (king salmon). As always the taste and texture of the fish was breathtaking.

As I was sitting at the sushi bar, I decided to go with the sushi bar exclusives and opted for a 7 piece omakase nigiri menu. It starte out with umi masu (ocean trout with shiso leaf), toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly) with white sturgeon roe and katsuo (lightly cherrywood smoked bonito). After that it went on with kamasu (barracuda), zuke chu toro (red wine cured bluefin medium fatty tuna), a kusshi oyster and one amazing piece of wagyu (grade a5 Japanese beef striploin). To finish the meal I chose one final piece of shirayaki (grilled freshwater eel) as an alternative to my usual choice of unagi.

Sushi Guide Verdict

As many times before, this dinner was an amazing culinary experience. With seats directly at the sushi bar I could watch the sushi chef’s prepare the fish and could enjoy the select items of the sushi bar exclusive menu. The atmosphere at Sushi Ran is alway very cozy and welcoming, making me feel at home. The menu options are extensive and the quality and taste of the food was outstanding, above and beyond to be precise. The drink menu offered a wide selection of wine and sake and as usual the staff was extremely friendly and heartwarming.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

 

Review date: October 11, 2015

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Moriawase Sashimi Plate

This time I started out with a moriawase sashimi plate. The selection of the day was pretty good and I enjoyed the first pieces at the sushi bar especially since it has been a while since I have been there. The plate came with kausi uni (deep seas urchin), katsuo (lightly cherrywood smoked bonito), kamasu (seared barracude), tennen hamachi (wild yellowtail), aji (horse mackerel), kusshi oyster as well as hotaru ika (baby firefly squid), kinmedai (golden eye snapper) and buri toro (wild yellowtail belly).

Omakase Nigiri Menu

After that I opted for an omakase style nigiri menu and enjoyed every bit of it. It started out with kasugodai (babey red snapper), kinmedai (golden eye snapper) and buri toro (wild yellowtail belly). Afterwards I had chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna), toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), kamasu (seared barracuda) and mahata (black grouper). I finished the dinner with a wagyu grade a5 Japanese striploin, one unagi (freshwater eel) and one shirayaki (freshwater eel) nigiri.

More information about this visit to Sushi Ran can be found at moritzrecke.com.

Sushi Guide Verdict

More true than ever before, I really love this restaurant. Its unique atmosphere with the picturesque backdrop of Sausalito always makes me feel at peace. The menu options are extensive and everything is fresh and often locally sourced. The fish quality and taste is above and beyond and can’t be matched my many other restaurants anywhere in the world. The wine and sake menu is also extensive and would allow for an exciting journey through the Japanese spirit world. As always, the service was outstanding, making every visit to Sushi Ran an experience to be remembered.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: February 26, 2017

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As a group of 3 we were seated at the exceptionally beautiful open sushi bar and enjoyed the service of Sushi Ran’s executive chef, Mr. Takatoshi Toshi, their master chef since 2013. I had the opportunity to be his guest once before and cannot complain about any other chef there either, but this day truly was one to be remembered. It was a special delight to watch Takatoshi Toshi work. To give you an idea, here is a short video of him at a Gala Evening in Israel.

Omakase Sashimi Plate

Anyway, on this day we decided to go with an omakase style sashimi menu and basically went from one culinary explosion to the next. The first 1o piece sashimi plate came with 2 pieces of king sake (king salom), hamachi (yellowtail), hon maguro (bluefin tuna), ara (red spotted grouper) and kusshi oyster. We especially enjoyed the oyster, which seemed a refreshing and not so common addition to the mix, and enjoyed watching Takatoshi Toshi work on all the other delicious dishes he prepared for other guests in the restaurant.

Even more Omakase Sashimi

We went on to explore the amazing selection of sushi bar exclusives and were served even more delicious sashimi pieces one by one. We decided to stick with sashimi not only because we prefer to focus on the fish’s texture and taste but also because we wanted to make most of the experience and have room left for everything we wanted to try. This is true generally for me, I prefer sashimi most of the time and also enjoy nigiri but tend to skip makis most of the time.

During our culinary journey of the most exquisite menu items the sushi bar could offer, we enjoyed dishes like kasugodai (baby red eye snapper), iwashi (sardine), sagoshi (spanish mackerel). kamasu (barracuda), kurama ebi (Japanese tiger shrimp) and zuke chu toro (red wine cured bluefin medium fatty tuna). It was followed by kaisu uni (deep sea ocean packed sea urchin), toro (bluefin fetty tuna belly), kohada (gizzard shad), sujiko (salmon roe) and shirayaki (freshwater grilled eel).

Since that left some pieces left on the menu, we also tried tarabagani (king crab with crab butter aioli), which was an absolute delight. We continued with bincho toro (white fatty tuna belly), zuke sake (white soy sauce cured fatty salmon), meso anago (braised young sea eel) and a final piece of wagyu grad a5 Japanese beef striploin nigiri. If we would have asked for any more, we would have probably started from the beginning. I can’t remember anything important we left out on the menu.

More information about this truly one of a kind visit to Sushi Ran can be found on moritzrecke.com.

Sushi Guide Verdict

This truly was an amazing experience. With seats at the sushi bar and Sushi Ran’s executive chef Takotoshi Toshi as our chef for the day, we made the most of our visit for sure. As always the atmosphere was an absolute delight and we stayed there for many hours to taste everything we could think of. The menu options are truly extensive with even more exclusive items being available at the sushi bar exclusive menu. The quality and taste of the food was outstanding, with the rights words amiss to truly describe the experience. The drink menu offered everything we were looking for and as usual the staff was not just extremely friendly but also heartwarming. This was definitely one of the most amazing experiences I ever had at a sushi restaurant.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: October 16, 2015

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