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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Traditional Dinner with some Exclusives

This time we started with some small starter plates while we waited for the extensive selection of exclusives items as the main course. Among our small dishes were horenso (spinach in sesame dressing), nasu tempura (fried eggplant) with miso sauce and of course some tako yaki (deep fried octopus balls), which are always a good choice.  

The main plate was extensive and even for two people there is more than enough to choose from. We shared this plate among 2 people and some items were so amazing, that we kept ordering seconds afterwards. The plate came with 2 pieces of tamago (egg omelet), 6 pieces of maguro (tuna back) maki (roll) and then some hotategai (scallop), unagi ( freshwater eel), ebi (shrimp) nigiri pieces, a sake (salmon) gunkan (battleship shushi) with ikura (salmon roe) topping as well as some hamachi (yellowtail), sake (salmon), otoro (fatty tuna belly) and chu toro (medium fatty tuna belly) nigiri pieces, fresh wasabi and gari (pickled ginger).

To say the least, the scallop and unagi are always outstanding at this restaurant. They might even be reason enough to return just to enjoy them again. Also the tuna pieces were outstanding, making Kushi-Tei one of the better choices for tuna belly cuts in Düsseldorf.

And since it was outstanding, we ordered another plate of the best delights to round off the meal. So we had another round of otoro (fatty tuna belly), hotategai (scallop) and unagi (freshwater eel) nigiri. It were certainly the best pieces of the day that melted in our mouths.

Sushi Guide Verdict

The experience at Kushi-Tei of Tokyo was quite satisfying. Even though it was a busy night, we had plenty of time to enjoy our meal. The menu options are extensive and we need to come back to sample more of the exquisite options to choose from. Taste and quality of the fish was excellent and far exceed the average even among the rough competition in the Japanese quarter in Düsseldorf. The service staff was very forthcoming and friendly and made our stay very pleasant. If sushi is something appreciated, for sure Kushi-Tei is an excellent option.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: July 18, 2020

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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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An Extensive Dinner Experience at Kushi-Tei of Tokyo

As I went there alone and without reservation, I was lucky enough to get a single seat at the sushi bar to fully enjoy my experience. Even if my view was a bit obstructed, it was a nice turn of events that I didn’t expect. I started out with some basic side dishes and tried the horenso (spinach) in sesame sauce with was amazing and the tako yaki (deep dried octopus) which was almost a meal on its own. I liked the tako yaki, but from my experiences in Napoli I can attest that there are superior deep frying skills around.

As the main course I opted for an omakase style sashimi plate that came with a good variety of fish to enjoy. I had hotategai (scallop) – one of my favourites and an absolute delight – and maguro (tuna back), tako (octopus), aji (mackerel), ama ebi (sweet shrimp), sake (salmon) and hamachi (yellowtail) sashimi. The overall taste and quality of the fish was outstanding, with my favourite ranking among aji, hamachi and the hotategai.

As a finale for my dinner experience, I ordered some nigiri pieces. I got another two pieces of hotategai (scallop) and two pieces of unagi (freshwater eel), both of which are absolute favourites of mine. The scallop was amazing and the best pieces on this day. The unagi was also good but the topping was a bit scarce and not that appealing to me. Also it was served cold, which is downer in my opinion.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Dining at Kushi-Tei of Tokyo was a nice and satisfying experiment. The atmosphere was very low key, friendly and welcoming. The menu options are so extensive that I could come back many times with always new things to try. Taste and quality of the fish and all other dishes I had was excellent and much better than at many other restaurants around. The drink menu is very traditional and offers a large selection of Japanese beers and spirits. The service was very friendly even if the language barrier was evident. All in all the team made me enjoy my stay and would definitely recommend this restaurant to any sushi aficionado.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: February 25, 2020

The post Kushi-Tei of Tokyo – Traditional Sushi in Düsseldorf appeared first on Sushi Guide.

All You Can Eat Dinner

The prices and menu options at Osaka Japanese Restaurant differ slightly between lunch and dinner, so I chose dinner to sample the full breath of the menu. Although the menu is extensive, most dishes did not really appeal to me. The restaurant has a strong focus on ebi (shrimp) and fried food, which is common in Napoli. After some browsing, ordered some amaebi (sweet shrimp) and ebi (shrimp) wrapped with sake (salmon) sashimi, some taco yaki (fried octopus), sake (salmon) tempura make (friend rolls) and ebi (shrimp) and cani (crab) tempura futo maki (fried big roll). As expected the quality of the shrimp was quite good and the fried tolls lived up the Neapolitan standard.

Afterwards I tried some more ebi (shrimp), amaebi (sweet shrimp) and ika (squid) nigiri, all of which were quite nice but not outstanding. Some more ebi (shrimp) maki (roll) and sake (salmon) uramaki (inside out roll) were followed by some ebi (shrimp) and kani (crab) uramaki (inside out roll) with tobiko (flying fish roe) and ebi (shrimp) uramaki (inside out roll) with tobiko (flying fish roe). All in all it felt a bit repetitive and the taste of the ebi was not quite enough to keep me excited throughout the entire dinner.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Osaka Japanese Restaurant is among many options to choose from. It is a huge restaurant, probably the largest sushi restaurant in Napoli and does provide a canteen atmosphere rather than an intimate setting for a nice dinner. The menu options seem extensive at first glance, but are limited at best. There is a strong focus on shrimp (that might or might not be locally sourced) and salmon. The quality and taste of the food is not great in general, but above average for all you can eat restaurants around. The drink menu offers a good selection of basic items at fair prices. The service was forthcoming but a bit distanced at times. Overall, the restaurant ranks above other alternatives and might belong to the better all you can eat options around. However, it is not a remarkable sushi restaurant.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: June 19, 2019

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