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Sushi Sho (Sushi Shou) – Chef Keiji Nakazawa

February 17, 2014 by Jennifer Che 10 Comments

_DSC4125
This is the ninth post in the Tokyo – Kyoto – Osaka series. Other posts in this series include the intro post: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, Matsugen (soba), Sushi Iwa, Ramen Honda (Tokyo Ramen Street), Ryugin, Omen (udon), Shouraian (tofu), Dotonbori in Osaka (street food), and Taian (3-star Michelin).

How do you cap off an intense week of traveling throughout Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, having dined at so many incredible places? After all the exotic, unusual, and variety of food in Japan, we decided on going back to what we loved most for our last meal: sushi.We’d already had pretty world class sushi up to this point: 1-star Michelin Sushi Iwa early in the week and 3-star Michelin legendary Sushi Mizutani later on in the week. Sushi Sho was the first non-Michelin rated restaurant we were visiting.
_DSC4131
According to an article in CNN Travel, Chef Keiji Nakazawa “kicked out the Michelin reviewers” because they “didn’t know how to appreciate sushi.” When asked personally by blogger Aun Koh from Chubby Hubby, Chef Nakazawa explained that he never kicked anyone out.

A Michelin reviewer had instead approached him about possibly including Sushi Sho in their guide. As the reviewer returned to eat at (and presumably review) his restaurant several more times, Chef Nakazawa became more and more unhappy with this man, concluding that he knew absolutely nothing about sushi.

He told the reviewer exactly what he thought.

And then his restaurant never appeared in any sort of Michelin guide.
_DSC4143
10-day aged maguro

Despite the fact that Chef Keiji Nakazawa may not be known as much internationally, this does not mean he’s not loved and revered in Japan.

Sushi Sho regularly shows up on top sushi lists in Japan. Chef Nakazawa competed against Chef Morimoto in Iron Chef Japan (though Morimoto did win with his fusion style over Nakazawa’s traditional Edo style). He has trained many proteges who have gone on to open very, very successful restaurants of their own, many of which are named after him (e.g., Sushi Sho Masa, Sushi Sho Shingo and Sushi Sho Saito).

We arrived at Sushi Sho at 9PM on our last night in Tokyo (the only time that was available to us). Inside, the ambiance was boisterous and loud. Many of the guests were in the middle or end of their meal, already on their nth glass of sake and looking quite pleased with everything.
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We settled into four seats at the end of the circular counter. They handed us the most interesting assortment of seaweed: umibodo, wakame, and ginger.
_DSC4128
Also known as sea grapes or green caviar, Umibodo comes from Okinawa and pops like caviar when you bite into it. I found it delightful, and savored each “strand” of tiny little pearls as I bit into them.

Pop pop pop pop pop.
_DSC4130 We began with some lightly cooked Hamaguri (clam), served with just a small dollop of wasabi on the side.
_DSC4133 Next came two rolled up pieces of sashimi: Kinmedai (Golden Eye Snapper) and Ara (Cod).
_DSC4134 Chef Nakazawa does a mix of traditional nigiri sushi, sashimi, and creative combinations like this ika (cooked squid) which was filled with rice inside, a tiny bit of soy sauce, and a delicate dab of wasabi. The squid was a bit chewier than the ethereal squid we’ve had at 3-Star Michelin places like Mizutani and Jiro (maybe because they massage the squid for a long time?). Nevertheless, the flavors were still excellent.
_DSC4136Aji, or Horse Mackerel, was served filled with finely sliced raw ginger, cucumber, and shiso. I love the pop of the herb, which offset this fattier fish nicely.
_DSC4137Sagoshii (Baby Spanish Mackerel) nigiri.
_DSC4138Katsuo (Skipjack Tuna) is the same type of fish used in making bonito flakes. I have often seen it slightly seared at restaurants, a preparation that I love. Here, the skin seems just barely seared and it’s topped with a tiny dollop of onion and Japanese mustard. It’s definitely a milder preparation, not as salty or smoky as the grilled ones (which I still prefer).
_DSC4139 The simple Ika (squid), is good, though less tender than the best ones I’ve had.
_DSC4144 It seems like every Japanese sushi chef I’ve ever run into translates Shirako into “monkfish liver.” Either they are all getting their translations from the wrong book, or it’s just a euphemism that they prefer to use because the truth would gross people out a bit too much.

In fact, shirako is “milt”, or sperm sac. The first time I had it in Japan (in a 2-star Michelin sushi restaurant, no less), I was also told it was “monkfish liver.” In fact, I announced it proudly on the blog. It wasn’t until a kind commenter told me the truth (at least a month later) that I realized what I had eaten.

This time, I knew, though they still told us it was monkfish liver.

The exotic brain-like organ was hot, creamy, and  mild. If you didn’t know what it was, you’d probably think it was quite delicate and tasty. Unfortunately, psychology is a strong deterrent. One of my male friends who was dining with us said “that is a little too weird for me.”
_DSC4145Kamasu, or Barracuda, reminded me of hamachi (yellowtail), but softer and a bit saltier. I enjoyed this piece quite a bit. _DSC4146
Samma, or Mackerel Pike, was super soft, very fatty, and had a strong, intense, mackerel-like “fishiness” (for lack of a better word).
_DSC4147 At this point in the meal, they gave us a few slices of pickled radish to cleanse our palates.
_DSC4148
Chef Nakazawa uses several different types of rice for different types of seafood. For example, in this next unusual style of Ebi (Shrimp), our rice was brown due to the use of a special type of dark vinegar. The shrimp was topped with an interesting egg and vinegar powder.

Although the flavor was interesting, the quality and texture of the shrimp was only average, not nearly as good as ones we’ve had at other sushi place, which have been sweeter and juicier with a texture that  really “pops” when you bite into it. I found this one to be only OK.
_DSC4149You never see freshwater eel, or Unagi, in a restaurant that strictly serves Edo style sushi. This is because Edo purists will only serve seafood that comes from Tokyo Bay. As a result, you will only see sea eel, or Anago, at these types of restaurants. The Grilled Anago we had was pre-dressed for us with a tiny bit of wasabi and soy sauce. It was good, on par with most places we’ve visited.
_DSC4150Kombu (seaweed)-cured Ebodai, or butterfish.
_DSC4151 This Hokkaido Oyster was extremely flavorful, boiled in soy sauce, sugar, yuzu, and several more ingredients that I just couldn’t catch while he was explaining it to us.
_DSC41521 Chef Nakazawa is well known for how he ages various types of fish. He believes that fresh fish is not always necessarily the best. Instead, sometimes aging fish can intensify and bring out the flavors. In this case, we had a 1-week aged Hamachi (yellowtail) served with rice that was mixed with brown vinegar. The aged fish definitely tasted different. It was softer, more mushy in texture than fresh fish. It definitely tasted fatty and had a nice intense flavor.

I guess I forgot to photograph this next course, but we also had two pieces of Mackerel, one with scallions and ginger pesto and another one flavored with just Japanese mustard. The mackerel was soft, fatty, and flavorful – not a hint of that fishy flavor you sometimes associated with these fattier fish. Along with that we enjoyed some Grilled Snapper Skin (also not pictured).
_DSC4154 The Uni (Sea Urchin) was from Hokkaido. The quality of the uni was excellent: the flavors were clean and sweet, without any hint of stink. The seaweed itself was a bit soggier than I would have liked, and the uni was colder than I expected. Overall, it was still a very enjoyable piece of sushi despite the minor flaws.
_DSC4156 Hamaguri (Clam) was simply prepared with just a tiny bit of wasabi. This piece was perfectly seasoned (good salt level), very fresh, and overall very enjoyable.
_DSC4158 We also tried 10-day aged Maguro (Tuna), which again was softer in texture than fresh tuna. It was also saltier and seemed to have the texture of a fattier piece even though this piece had very little fat.
_DSC4159On the left we enjoyed Mehikari,  a deep sea fish called Round Green Eyes. It was served with a crispy skin. On the right we had a slice of grilled Nodoguro (Rosy Sea Bass). Both were excellent.
_DSC4161We then each enjoyed a single Sardine Maki beautifully rolled with cucumbers, ginger, and a slightly sweet soy sauce. The fish itself was quite fatty, and I was slightly surprised at the presence of a few tiny bones in my piece. Overall, I found it to be decent, but it wasn’t a favorite.
_DSC4164
We then had Ebi (shrimp), which was sweet, super fresh, and warm. The texture was juicy and “popped” the way super fresh shrimp pops. It had balanced flavors and overall was excellent.
_DSC4165 They also served us the head of the shrimp separately, which was crunchy, mushy, and warm all at the same time. The psychology of what I was eating got the best of me, and I did not enjoy that bite much at all.  I was too grossed out, unfortunately.
_DSC4167
Our last bite was Kinmedai (Golden Eye Snapper), the same piece we had enjoyed as sashimi at the beginning of our meal. Here, just lightly grilled, it was slightly smoky yet super soft and fatty, reminding me of fattier belly pieces. I loved how the bitter daikon purée on top balanced out the smoky, fatty fish. We loved this bite.
_DSC4171And finally, we had a cleansing bowl of Shijimi, or clam soup. The flavors of this barely milky broth were fantastic. It was simple, clean, yet richly full of clam umami flavor. It was a lovely way to close out the meal.
_DSC4169-2You can’t finish a sushi tasting without Tamago, or Japanese egg omelet. We tried two different types here: the one on the left was a shrimp flavored tamago; the one on the right, a scalloped flavored tamago. These were mild and had decent texture. The flavors made it interesting, though I believe most sushi chefs use a variety of trade secret seafood-based ingredients in their tamago.

These were good, but nothing close to my all-time favorite transcendent tamago at Mizutani.

We were super full, yet it was a lovely way to enjoy our last night in Tokyo.

General Thoughts and Tips
Sushi Sho was definitely a fun experience and we had lots of excellent sushi there. The atmosphere is boisterous and casual, and the staff is friendly. Perhaps due to the recent increased attention after a couple food blogs “outed” this place, they now do not allow photography of their staff (though photography of sushi is still OK).

I don’t think Sushi Sho is quite on par with the top sushi places in Tokyo, but it’s still an excellent experience and costs a bit less than some of the other 3-Star Michelin sushi places. Our total bill, all-in, was just shy of $200 USD (20,000 yen) per person. Expect to pay closer to $300 per person at some of the other top sushi places in Tokyo. My favorite parts of this meal would be the fun “sea grapes” green caviar, the grilled Kinmedai, and that beautiful clam soup.

I booked my dinner for a party of four about a month in advance. I had my hotel concierge call for me. I’ve heard they only speak Japanese, so that is definitely the easiest way to get a reservation. Because the restaurant only has 10 counter seats, it’s crucial to make reservations in advance, especially if you have a larger party. Because they shop for your ingredients that morning (at the fish market!), you cannot cancel same-day. The penalty is 20,000 yen a person for same-day cancellations.

Thanks to Cindy of Chubby Chinese Girl for first telling me about this place!

©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: Japan, Restaurant, Review, Tokyo, World Travel Tagged With: Japanese, Sushi

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Comments

  1. Bianca Garcia says

    February 17, 2014 at 1:45 pm

    Ahhh this is making me want to head back to Japan1 Or at least eat some sushi right now. I’ve never had “monkfish liver” hehe but I would be willing to try it once!

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  2. Michelle Lahey says

    February 17, 2014 at 2:17 pm

    It was so great seeing you at this dinner! Your photos are gorgeous, per usual.

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  3. Holiday says

    March 11, 2014 at 10:38 pm

    I’ll also be going there in April! Just curious, how long was your dinner?

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  4. Michel I. says

    March 8, 2015 at 1:12 pm

    I so enjoyed your review of Shush Sho and descriptions of each dish. Your photos combined with the narrative provides a mouth-watering experience for your readers. Unfortunately I kept getting a popup ad for Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwiches at the bottom of my screen. The sperm sacks didn’t look at all gross when compared to that Jimmy Dean breakfast offering. Gross.

    I recently ate at Shushi Sho in Northern California where the Master Chef Aki-san serves a similar menu with less rarified ingredients, due I would assume to availability and cost. Thanks for your sharing. Great job.

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    • Jennifer Che says

      March 8, 2015 at 10:50 pm

      So great to know about Sushi Sho! Sorry to hear about the ad, though your comment made me laugh. 🙂

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  5. Laura Wheatley says

    March 21, 2015 at 10:54 pm

    Hello! I loved your post on Sushi Sho – the narrative, the pictures… ah! So beautiful. After reading several reviews including your post on Sushi Sho, I’ve decided that I would like to do for dinner when I am in Japan this May. I was hoping you could give me some tips on making a reservation (I am learning Japanese, but do not speak it very well). I have heard that you can ask the concierge of a hotel you’ve booked to make that reservation for you – is this the best way? Does it have to be a hotel that is part of a Tourism Intermediary Company? I would love any tips you have. Thank you!

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    • Jennifer Che says

      March 22, 2015 at 10:59 am

      Hi Laura,
      Enjoy Japan! The exchange rate is so favorable right now for the U.S> dollar. The best way to get a reservation is through your hotel in Japan. Some restaurants won’t even talk to you unless if you go through the hotel (I don’t know if Sushi Sho is that way or not). Best of luck!
      Jen

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  6. NL says

    May 16, 2015 at 12:51 am

    Hi Jen,
    thanks for this very detailed review! I was thinking of booking dinner at Sushi Sho but now I’m thinking I’ll try them for their famous bara chirashi lunch instead. If you could recommend 1 high-end sushiya in Tokyo for dinner (price no object), what would it be? Jiro is not ideal as I prefer a more leisurely paced omakase.

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    • Jennifer Che says

      May 16, 2015 at 2:14 pm

      One of the most popular and hard-to-reserve place is Sushi Saito (really hard to book & I still haven’t been!). Other excellent choices would be Sushi Sawada and Sushi Mizutani. You can check my blog for those posts.

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  7. Lara Olivia says

    October 24, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    Haha I know the feeling, the psychology sure can get to you. I love Japanese sushi, but find the omakase experience a bit like digging into a bag of jelly beans, where 95% are delicious, and the other 5% are supposed to be disgusting flavours like snot or vomit. For me, I couldn’t stomach a raw clam nigiri for breakfast. The nigiri bites can be on the large side, invoking my involuntary regurgitation reflex. Haven’t had a Michelin sushi experience, yet, but it’s on the list 🙂

    missportmanteau.com

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Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
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