• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Tiny Urban Kitchen
  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Travel
    • Recipes
    • Michelin
    • Subscribe
    • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Restaurant

    Kyubey Tokyo - a follow up visit

    Published: Aug 15, 2017 by Jennifer Che

    DSC02470.jpg
    I have a soft spot for Kyubey.

    It was one of my earliest exposures to high-end Japanese sushi. It was through Kyubey that I learned all the rules about eating high end sushi (and un-learned some American habits I had picked up). I learned not to put wasabi in my soy sauce; observed the proper way to eat sashimi; and watched some of the most incredible knife work I’d ever seen.

    I also wrote a long, loooong post about Kyubey for round 9 of the food blog competition Project Food Blog, the pentultimate post before my final winning post.

    For all of the above reasons, I’ve always had a soft spot for this restaurant.
    DSC02471.jpg
    It’s been years since I’ve visited Kyubey. I’ve become a much more sophisticated sushi diner (8+ years later), having now tried sushi from many of the top sushi masters in the world (Sushi Mizutani, Sukiyabashi Jiro, Sushi Sawada, Sushi Yoshitake) just to name a few. I wondered what I would think.

    We revisited Kyubey this past February to find out.

    Below is the entire chef's tasting menu that we enjoyed.

    There were several "signature" dishes that I recognized, such as the live shrimp and the paper thin daikon shiso "sandwiches".
    DSC02466.jpg DSC02467.jpg
    We started with ice fish and a simple custard.
    kyubey white fish
    Next was a simple white fish served with a bit of ponzu and seaweed.
    kyubey kampachi
    Then came the kampachi (yellowtail), which was lovely.
    bonito kyubey
    I love bonito, or skipjack tuna, one of my favorite fish to eat in Japan, especially when it's ever-so-slightly charred.
    bonito
    Here, the chef sandwiched the bonito with garlic  and onion inside, which was delicious.
    anago no kimo sea eel liver
    I was not a fan of this next course, anago no kimo (sea eel liver). I found it to be quite bitter.
    Kyubey shrimp head
    Next, the chef served us two "snacks": crunchy deep fried fish spines (surprisingly tasty!) and a deep fried shrimp head (eyes and all!). I was a bit squeamish about eating the head whole, which I think affected my overall enjoyment. The flavors were quite "shrimpy" (I think the head as the most flavor). I just had trouble getting over the psychological aspect of it!
    Kyubey abalone
    Abalone was simple but sweet and flavorful.
    Kyubey scallop
    I was quite disappointed with the next course, a single seared scallop wrapped with nori. The scallop was overcooked, tough, and devoid of flavor. To add insult to injury, the nori was super hot to touch, which made the entire experience a bit painful.
    Kyubey chutoro
    Thankfully, the chutoro was very good.
    Kyubey otoro
    Unfortunately, the otoro (super fatty tuna) was a stringy and chewy in texture.
    Kyubey grilled collar
    Grilled collar came next with a simple sauce of mashed daikon and chives.
    Kyubey ika squid
    I personally found the ika (squid) to be too salty.
    Kyubey uni sea urchin
    Thankfully, the uni (sea urchin) was deliciously creamy and super sweet.
    Kyubey
    One of Kyubey's signature dishes is ebi, or the raw prawn. The chef begins by placing a live shrimp on the counter. After allowing it to jump around a bit, he quickly kills it in front of the guest. In a matter of minutes, the chef masterfully creates a nigiri piece out of the freshly killed tail. It's a bit disturbing, but the flesh still twitches for quite some time on the rice.

    I extensively documented this course in my last post, so I won't belabor it here. Check out my prior Kyubey post to see a video about the whole meal, including the live shrimp.
    Kyubey
    Saba (Mackerel)
    Kyubey
    I do really enjoy their signature palate cleanser, paper thin daikon (hand sliced!) with shiso and ume dressing. Check out the video in my previous post to see some impressive knife action.
    DSC02489.jpg
    More heads??!

    Out came the deep fried head of the shrimp the chef had just killed moments earlier. I was getting a bit tired of shrimp heads at this point.
    DSC02488.jpg
    We ended with sweet and tender anago (sea eel), which was very good.

    *      *       *       *       *

    General Thoughts - Kyubey

    Alas, Kyubey is not as good as I remembered it. My taste have indeed changed. Although it was still a pleasant experience, there were several courses that I found disappointing. Most notably, the sea eel liver was bitter, the scallop hand roll was overcooked and devoid of flavor, and the otoro was a bit chewy.

    On the bright side, the uni was delicious and super sweet. The fresh live shrimp is still one of the best around (largely because it’s so fresh), and the chutoro was excellent.

    I left thinking that there were several sushi places in the same price range (or even cheaper), that I thought offered better sushi. Having said that, everyone at Kyubey speaks very good English, and you do get to interact with the chef more (which adds so much to the overall experience). The sushi there is still very good, and if you value the overall experience, it’s still worth going.

    Related Posts 
    Tsukiji Fish Market auction
    Sushi Ya
    Bird Land Tokyo
    Tour of Top Taiwanese Restaurants Part I: Noodles, Dumplings, and Breakfast
    Tour of Top Taiwanese Restaurants Part II: Taiwan Night Markets
    Matsuya Kanda Soba
    Afuri Ramen
    Shima!

    Kyubey - 2010
    Sushi Mizutani
    Sukiyabashi Jiro
    Sushi Sawada
    Sushi Yoshitake

    More Restaurant

    • La Dame de Pic - Paris France
    • Mono Hong Kong
    • Nostalgic Reminders of Home: Five Guys Hong Kong
    • Divino Patio Hong Kong

    Recent Posts

    • La Salita Valencia Spain January 16, 2023
    • El Poblet Valencia Spain -2 Michelin Stars December 29, 2022
    • MercatBar by Quique Dacosta - Valencia December 9, 2022
    • La Pepica Waterfront Paella - Valencia December 5, 2022
    • Llisa Negra Valencia Spain December 1, 2022
    • Central Bar by Ricard Camarena - Valencia Spain November 29, 2022
    • Casa Ripoll Valencia - Beachside Paella November 27, 2022
    • Valencia Spain Trip Report - Itinerary November 23, 2022

    Reader Interactions

    Trackbacks

    1. Sushi Tokami Hong Kong -1 Michelin Star - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      August 21, 2017 at 1:02 am

      […] to many of the most famous sushi restaurants in Tokyo, including Sushi Sawada, Sushi Saito, and Kyubey. It’s no surprises therefore that the fish at Sushi Tokami is top notch. Pictured above: […]

      Log in to Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

    More about me →

    Explore

    • Recipe
    • Restaurant
    • US Travel
    • World Travel

    Popular Posts

    • La Salita Valencia Spain
    • El Poblet Valencia Spain -2 Michelin Stars
    • MercatBar by Quique Dacosta - Valencia
    • La Pepica Waterfront Paella - Valencia

    Recipes

    • Appetizer
    • Snacks
    • Meat
    • Vegetables
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Seafood
    • Noodles

    Recently Traveled

    • Hong Kong
    • France
    • Belgium
    • Boston
    • California
    • United Kingdom
    • Germany
    • Spain

    Support Us

    Recognition


    Featured on the front page
    of the FOOD Section: 2015

    Best Food Blog Awards:
    Restaurant & Dining 2012

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • My Equipment
    • In the Press
    • Project Food Blog
    • Privacy Policy

    Eating Guides!

    Eating & Travel Guides
    Trip Reports
    "Kawaii" (Cute Foods)
    Around the World

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Mail
    • RSS Feed

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Shop at Amazon

    Copyright © 2022 Tiny Urban Kitchen