An all time classic

Since decades Akio Ando is serving sushi to go in his various Maruyasu outlets across Düsseldorf. The prime location however, seems to be the sushi bar in the Schadow Arkaden where also Akio himself can be found on most days behind the counter. At its long counter, a huge variety of different sushi dishes can be found, among which usually is a huge selection of premium nigiri pieces to choose from. Most interestingly, the selection usually features a variety of bluefin tuna cuts, as can be seen in this video (among other nice impressions).

This time I went for a nice selection of nigiri pieces for a quick meal. I chose 2 pieces of otoro (fatty bluefin tuna belly) and chu toro (medium fatty bluefin tuna belly) nigiri, which on its one would be reason enough to revisit the restaurant any day. I was told it was off a 300 kg tuna that was received and cut just some days ago and this day was perfect for trying the new arrival. It was certainly so and an absolute delight.

Also the rest of my nigiri plate was outstanding. I had some hamachi (yellowtail), hotategai (scallop), sake zuke toro (grilled salmon belly), karei (founder), unagi (freshwater eel), aburi sake (roasted salmon), ika (squid) and katsuo (bonito fish) nigiri. Needless to say, that all of these were of excellent quality and taste. Especially amazing were the scallop, squid and ell, which usually rank among my favorites. Also the bonito was great and is a rare find among the options in Düsseldorf. As a small gift from the kitchen, I also received two pieces of gyuza, which where also nice.

As always, the experience was outstanding and even though the concept is more that of a takeout shop, I appreciate the canteen style in house dining options for my visits. If I could take the tuna variety with me everywhere I go, I would really look anything else.

Sushi Guide Verdict

The atmosphere at Maruyaso is always a mix between very nice and welcoming and a bit cold and transitory. The sushi to go approach renders the restaurant not super inviting for in-house dining, but it is possible and certainly worth it. The menu options are extensive and cover even rare and exquisite fish to choose from. Most intriguingly, the tuna variety is excellent and of the highest quality. The drink menu is limited as the main focus of Maruyasu is not in-house dining. The service team is always super friendly, forth coming and happy to share about the amazing options they have on the menu. It is also always a special delight to experience Akino Ando behind the counter, serving as a sushi chef since 1983.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: December 28, 2021

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Dinner a la carte

I went there for an early dinner during late summer 2021. The restaurants closes incredibly early (8 PM), so you have to be early to get in and out in time. In a long vitrine there are extensive options to choose from. The menu features a huge variety of nigiri dishes, of which I chose most of my options on this day.

Most happily I tried the variety of bluefin tuna they offered with maguro (tuna back), chu toro (medium fatty tuna belly) and otoro (fatty tuna belly) nigiri. There were outstanding and among the best tuna I had in Düsseldorf. The rest of the plate came with ebi tempura (fried shrimp) and tatsuta age (fried chicken) chu maki (rolled sushi) as well as sake (salmon), ika (squid) and aburi maguro (roasted tuna back) nigiri. Then there was an amazing aburi battery (box pressed sushi) with roasted saba (mackerel), sake zuke toro (grilled salmon belly) and two amazing pieces of unagi (freshwater eel) nigiri.

Sushi Guide Verdict

All in all, I have to say that Maruyaso is a mixed bag for me. The atmosphere if the restaurant is very basic and canteen style but anything else is just amazing. The menu options are extensive, the taste and quality of the fish is among the best around and especially their tuna varieties are just outstanding. The drink menu is ok and provides everything you might want in a canteen setting. For sophisticated dining, unfortunately, you would have to go somewhere else. The service staff is friendly but also very direct, especially in regards to closing the restaurant on time at 8 PM.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: September 13, 2021

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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

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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

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All You Can Eat

Usually, I decline any opportunity to try all you can eat sushi restaurants. In most cases the quality and taste of the food is mediocre at best and I tend to skip this line of sushi restaurants completely. With a group of friends I tried this as it had an outstanding reputation and I must admit it was far better then to be expected. I tried the suzuki (sea bass), ibodai (butterfish) and sake (salmon) sashimi and was impressed with the taste. They even offered sake toro (salmon belly) which was very tasty. The tako (octopus) and unagi (freshwater eel) was average and only the maguro (tuna back) was disappointing. To be fair, in most restaurants in Napoli, the maguro is disappointing, so this is nothing unusual in this case. I also was amazed with the many friend options they had, of which I liked the fried sake (salmon) maki (roll) best.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Samurai Sushi is a nice all you can eat sushi restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere. Despite my dislike for all you can eat menus, I was impressed with the food and amazed by the value for money. The menu options are impressive for a fixed price menu and the quality of the food is good considering the price. The drink menu is very limited and only offers basic beers, wines and sake options. The restaurants has an iPad ordering system which makes the operational management very convenient, but it also makes the experience rather impersonal. Although the staff is very friendly, the interaction is highly limited to the beginning and end of the meal, while in between everything feels rather automated. If you are looking for a good all you can eat sushi restaurant, I would recommend it. For a more authentic sushi experience, pick another option in the area.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: January 19, 2018

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Quick Lunch

I went to the restaurant for quick lunch and opted for a nigiri plate with sake toro (salmon belly), maguro (tuna) and aji (horse mackerel). As before in Sydney, the sake toro was of supreme quality, making this a lunch to be remembered, especially since I opted for one or two drinks at the bar afterwards.

sake toro (salmon belly), maguro (tuna), aji (horse mackerel) nigiri

Sushi Guide Verdict

Sushi E is a very chic, quiet and unique restaurant, catering to upscale local and international clients. The menu options are quite ok and the foods quality and taste was outstanding. The drink variety of the restaurant is limited, but since the cocktail bar is directly adjacent, guests have full access to the cocktail menu. The service team was very friendly and forthcoming, not pushing the timeline.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: February 15, 2016

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Sashimi Dinner

I started the dinner with a sashimi platter composed with kanpachi (amber jack), sake (salmon), ika (squid), maguro (tuna), hotategai (scallop), hamachi (yellowtail) and ama-ebi (sweet shrimp). The fish of superior quality and taste and was a perfect light dinner. As I couldn’t resists the day’s special menu, I also tried sake toro (salmon belly) nigiri. This definitely was the best salmon belly I had in a very long time and made sure that I visited Busshari frequently.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Busshari is superior Japanese restaurant with a good selection of fresh fish and other authentic dishes. The interior design of the restaurant is very pleasant, although some might consider it too dark for a restaurant. I enjoyed the atmosphere very much and would recommend it for romantic dinners as well as for quick bites. The menu is awesome and offers daily specials with a certain rarity. The taste and quality was great, only the drink menu somewhat scarce. The restaurant’s staff was very friendly and forthcoming, making this sushi restaurant one of the few in Sydney to be recommended.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: May 6, 2016

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