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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The stylish place offers indoor and outdoor seating and is open for lunch and dinner. It also claims to have combined their food with Sake and beer directly from Japan and offers its own genuine Bao in two flavors. On a walk through Stockholm, we stopped there for some quick pre dinner snack.

Quick Sushi Bites

As we were just stopping for a light snack before heading back to Gamla Stan for a later dinner, we ordered on of the many sushi plates on the menu. It came with suzuki (sea bass), maguro (tuna back), ebi (shrimp) and sake (salmon) nigiri. The salmon pieces also came with some black caviar on top. Then there were some sake (salmon) uramaki (inside out roll) with a spicy chilli topping, some wakame as well as wasabi and gari (pickled ginger).

All in all the plate was ok, but nothing special. The salmon was very good, had nice texture and sublime taste. It was also well balanced with the caviar. The shrimp and sea bass were not convincing and especially the tuna was very disappointing. The inside out roll was not well balanced. The avocado taste dominated the salmon and also the child topping overshadowed the otherwise nice salmon.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Pong is a nice and stylish restaurant, just around the corner from Stureplan. It interior is most compelling and might compensate for the rather average sushi menu if you are out for simple snack and drinks. The food quality is not outstanding, but ok for simple sushi dished. The drink menu is extensive and might be suitable for afterwork or cocktail hours rather then a sushi dining experience. The service team was detached and not very forthcoming, which did not add to the experience during our visit. Even though the restaurant looked very appealing, we might choose another option next time around.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: August 7, 2020

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Moriawase Dinner

As a small group we decided to order a moriawase sashimi plate. It came with sake (salmon), maguro (tuna back), hamachi (yellowtail), ika (squid), ebi (shrimp), suzuki (sea bass) and ibodai (butterfish). As a small side order we had some raw ebi (shrimp) nigiri with ikura (salmon roe). The sake and suzuki was quite nice but I was most surprised by the ika, which was excellent. Even more so the raw ebi, which was the absolute highlight of the first course. The sake was good but not outstanding, only the tuna was disappointing.

While we had some wakama and takoyaki tempura (deep fried octopus –  rather a Neapolitan dish than any other) side orders, we debated other à la carte options we could try. We went with some ika (squid) sashimi and unagi (freshwater eel), suzuki (sea bass) and obviously the raw ebi (shrimp) as nigiri. Although we only found hotategai (scallop) on the maki section of the menu, we managed to order some as nigiri as well. Since we really liked the ika, we were happy to get the sashimi plate on top of the mistakenly delivered ika nigiri.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Nori Sushi Bar is a very nice and cozy restaurant that might get full quickly on busy nights. The atmosphere is dark and only feels a little cold if there are few guests. The menu options are quite good and except for the tuna the taste and quality of the fish was fine. The drink menu is excellent and offered a wide variety of wines and sake to choose from. The service team was friendly and forthcoming but kept their distance. Overall it was a very good experience.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

 

Review date: October 6, 2018

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Dinner at otoro81

This is the second time I went to the restaurant and this time we chose a table at the far end of room. In a group of 3 people there was no way to squeeze us in at the bar. We started out with some wakame and maguro (bluefin tuna back) tataki plate as well as an amazing o-toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly) tartare. This was an experience to be remembered and scores among the most unique tuna dishes I ever had.

Afterwards we a plate of mixed sashimi with sake (salmon), maguro (bluefin tun back) and hamachi (yellowtail). Although the sake was very good, the overall experience was a little disappointing in comparison to the first course. Lastly we ordered a unagi (freshwater eel) and sake (salmon) inside out roll, which was pretty good and a few more pieces of the o-toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly) as nigiri, the signature dish of the restaurant.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Overall, dining a otoro81 is an absolute delight. It it is the best sushi restaurant I have been to in Napoli so far and provides al welcoming and totally unique atmosphere. The menu options are good, although this time they seemed limited compared to the previous visit when I was seated at the bar. The food quality and taste is outstanding and also the dink menu provides everything one could desire. The service was friendly but a little bit distanced this time. It was a very busy night, so it probably was because of that. All in all, I recommend to check out this restaurant but would advise to sit at the sushi bar for the best experience.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: April 14, 2018

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