I went to Sushi Mizutani with a friend of mine last month (this post has been a long time coming). It was my first ever 3 Michelin star experience, and as it is rated as one of the best restaurants in the world (and perhaps the 2nd best Sushi place), I arrived at the restaurant full of anticipation for the meal to come.
The short story is, it was the best Sushi I have ever had... for the long....long... story, read on. I'll warn you now, it is a pretty long post.
We had intended to get a reservation at Sukiyabashi Jiro, but it was not to be. Jiro takes reservations only one month in advance, and reservations can only be made starting on the first of the previous month. As I wanted to make a reservation for the first half of December, I called about 50 times within the first week of November. Not once did I manage to get through- it was busy every day from open to close. Not sure if I would be able to get a reservation in time, I decided to look for other options. After doing some reading online, I decided to give Sushi Mizutani a try.
The short story is, it was the best Sushi I have ever had... for the long....long... story, read on. I'll warn you now, it is a pretty long post.
We had intended to get a reservation at Sukiyabashi Jiro, but it was not to be. Jiro takes reservations only one month in advance, and reservations can only be made starting on the first of the previous month. As I wanted to make a reservation for the first half of December, I called about 50 times within the first week of November. Not once did I manage to get through- it was busy every day from open to close. Not sure if I would be able to get a reservation in time, I decided to look for other options. After doing some reading online, I decided to give Sushi Mizutani a try.
Other people who have been to both claimed they liked Mizutani better for its atmosphere, the fact that the nigiri does not come out too fast and there is less pressure on you as you eat. I cannot comment on Jiro as I haven't been there myself, but it seems that it is common for diners to finish their meals in half an hour, with one piece coming each minute. In contrast, other bloggers described Sushi at Mizutani as amazing and much more relaxed.
We arrived at the building a tiny bit early as we did not want to be late. The restaurant is on the 9th floor, so you have to take an elevator up. A (southeast Asian?) couple who would also be at dinner were waiting there for the elevator as well.
On the 9th floor, the sushi bar is there as soon as you exit the elevator. After entering, we were asked for are names and given seats at the bar. Our coats were taken (by the chef's wife) and we are given hot towels to wipe our hands.
At the time we entered, there was a single middle-aged Japanese couple from the Kansai area eating quietly at the bar and complete silence otherwise. Mizutani glanced at us as we came in and returned to making sushi for his already-present diners. There was no mood music... just the occasional sounds of sushi being prepared and eaten, and words from the chef. In addition to the other international couple mentioned above, we would be later joined by two Japanese businessmen for a total of 8 diners. We started out whispering, but as time wore on and the food and drink kept flowing, we started talking regularly, both between ourselves and with the chef (we spent over two hours there). As soon as Mizutani found out that we could speak Japanese, he was very friendly with us, joking around quite a bit. He speaks a few phrases of English here and there but his assistant handled most of the communication (in English) with the other international couple. We talked about topics ranging from the origin of ingredients (of course) to the weather in Canada and London. With small sushi-bars, the customers you dine with become very important. Luckily, none of the customers we were dining with were rude so in the end the atmosphere was very enjoyable.
The decor at Mizutani is very clean, elegant and simple. The majority of the interior is furnished with light-coloured wood, with some white and black touches. There was a display case on the walls where some Japanese earthenware was on display. There are, I think, 10 seats at the L-shaped counter, with 3 on the short side and 7 on the long side. We were given the two seats at the end of the short side. There are no tables, just the sushi bar; all the attention is focused on the chef.
Asked if we would like anything to drink, we started off with two beers. The beer (Kirin, I believe) came served in porcelain beer mugs and was a good accompaniment to the meal. We would later swtich to sake (Kamotsuru, daiginjo, if you are interested in trying, it is the one in the rectangular bottles http://item.rakuten.co.jp/kamotsuru/759990/) which was fragrant and light, complementing and not overpowering the fish. Interestingly, it was flecked with gold leaf (which didn't taste like anything but added to the 'luxury' of it, I suppose.
Mizutani asked us whether we would like just sushi or sashimi and sushi. We chose to go with both. All of the food is served on a black, lacquerware plate which is placed in front of you. Mizutani or his assistant wipe it off at intervals. The sashimi was served with a bed of myouga (Japanese ginger) and gari (pickled ginger) was also provided. In general, there was no need for additional soy sauce or wasabi, as in general, the morsels of fish or fish and rice were already flavoured. There is no menu, you simply let the chef give you what he thinks is best. Of course, if there is anything you cannot eat or do not like, you can let him know. At the end of the set meal you can also ask for any additional items that you would like. Of course, we asked for a few. One interesting piece on the setting which I have not seen in other restaurants was a small moist towlette in a tiny woven basket. This was the first time I had seen such a think and when I asked Mizutani what it was, he informed me that it was for wiping fingers between pieces of sushi. While we used chopsticks for the sashimi, we used our hands to eat the sushi.
I will go over each piece as I remember it. I am not a professional chef, but through having worked for a sushi place and also having lived in Japan for a number of years, I feel that I have good perspective of what constitutes good fish and sushi. The quality of the fish was superb. Each item was fresh and clean tasting, without any telltale 'sang' taste of non-fresh seafood. This all of course, was expected.
Sashimi
The cuts of sashimi were generous and each type of fish came out after we had finished the previous one.
Hirame
Our first dish was hirame, a kind of flounder, a fish with slightly sweet white flesh. The flesh was firm, lean and bouncy, with a bit of skin left on for texture. Hirame was a good start to the meal, being kind of a neutral and light flavour, setting the stage for what was to come.
Aji,
When Mizutani set the Aji in front of us, he told his wife to bring us freshly grated ginger to eat with it. Ginger is usually served with ginger to offset its natural oiliness and stronger fishy taste. The taste of the fish was very pure and its fishiness was flavourful, rather than unpleasant (not the 'sang' kind of fishy).
Mirugai-kaibashira
The kaibashira is the muscle portion of the shellfish, what usually keeps the shells closed. I'm not sure how this exactly works with the mirugai (geoduck) as the majority of the animal sticks out of the shell (google mirugai) but I guess something has still got to hold the two parts of the shell together. This item was kind of what I expected, fresh, slightly sweet, and just a touch fibrous and crunchy.
Hirame-engawa
The engawa (fin) region of the hirame came next, a more oily cut with a slightly more stringy and muscular texture.
Steamed Awabi!
This was my favourite sashimi dish, having the most impact with its flavour and texture. Rather than serve it as thin slices, Mizutani cut the awabi into fairly large chunks, which added to the texture. The sauce/marinade was slightly sweet and syrupy and the flesh was firm, yet tender, much better than but akin a chewy shitake mushroom. Overall, the flavour was rich and strong and unforgettable.
Maguro
The chef brought out a huge block of fresh bluefin tuna, near the belly and proceeded to slice off some thick, meaty slices of chutoro. The amount of fat in the sashimi slices was perfect for sashimi, any more marbling and it might have been too oily. I thoroughly enjoyed these pieces as maguro is one of my favourite types of fish, and was looking forward to the point when we could try the Ootoro.
At this point, Mizutani asked us if we wanted to have sushi - and we did. It was time for the main event. (At this point, we also switched to Sake!)
Sushi
Stating the obvious, this is where Mizutani's craft really shone. He was very deliberate when making his nigiri, with each piece being perfectly consistent in size and shape. There was never any need to add wasabi or soy sauce, he would season the fish as he wanted it to be tasted. The first difference that I noticed from the usual sushi you get in Tokyo was the rice. The size of the rice portion of the nigiri was different, being smaller, and more rectangular and compact than I had expected, almost like one of those Staedler erasers in form. The slices of fish were generous, but not overly big. The form factor of each piece of sushi was obviously well thought out- they were beautiful and looked appetizing; once they arrived on my lacquer plate, I couldn't wait to put them in my mouth.
As with the sashimi, the taste was excellent, easily the best sushi I have ever had. Part of it was that the cuts of seafood were all prime cuts, the best fish money can buy. Another part of it was that these cuts were not only the best cuts, but prepared in an expert manner from start to finish- from choice of ingredient to marination to presentation, each step has been masterfully carried out in a calculated fashion. The final part was that the rice provided an excellent canvas for the taste of the fish to shine. The rice can only be described as perfectly balancing, or complementing the ingredient placed on top of it. It was neither too hard, nor too soft, too sweet nor too sour, too warm nor too cold. In fact, I believe that Mizutani was very particular about controlling the temperature of the rice, as he would go forth between the kitchen in the back and the sushi bar many times with his bucket for transferring rice. This post has gone on long enough, but there's a lot to talk about. Let's get to the sushi.
Kohada
The first fish that he gave us was Kohada, also known as gizzard shad. Kohada is one of the fishes with iridescent skin and fishier taste, and thus is usually served after being pickled or marinated in vinegar. Mizutani's rendition of Kohada was actually a couple of pieces of the fish on one ball of rice. Not usually an expensive fish, this Kohada was nevertheless, well executed, and less sour than one might expect. The meat was fleshy and chewy and lacked any sort of metallic or fishy taste although the distinct flavour of Kohada remained.
Hirame
We had already had hirame prepared as sashimi so I was a little bit surprised when it was given to us as a piece of sushi. However, I was not about to turn it away. As with the sashimi, the fish itself was neutral tasting with a fine, firm texture. The rice added a different angle to the taste of the fish, making it seem more meaty- one of the reasons why I think sushi is more satisfying that sashimi is that you can bite it and chew it, getting a mouth/tongueful of protein, fat and carbohydrate!
Akagai
This clam was one of the stronger tasting pieces of sushi that we had, and came with a sweet sauce which enhanced the clam's deep red colour. This piece had probably the strongest 'fishy' or I suppose 'clamy' flavour, and was not my favourite, although I am aware that this is the flavour people expect when they eat it (my mom loves it). Nevertheless, it was tasty in its own right.
Scallop-gunkan
The scallop was served in a generous mound on the gunkan, or battleship style sushi. The scallop was firm and sweet and also somewhere between moist and juicy. Its glistening appearance was augmented by the soy (+ something?) which Mizutani had brushed on it.
Mirugai
This piece of sushi was no doubt a the clam whose shell muscle we had eaten earlier. The flesh was chewy and tender at the same time, firm and yet elastic.
Akami, Chu-toro, Oo-toro
Here, Mizutani went back to his block of bluefin and proceeded to give us these three different pieces of maguro. We had had the chu-toro as sashimi, so I was looking forward to trying the Akami. The akami (literally, red flesh), was pure, unadulterated tuna. There was no trace of any 'iron' in the taste and the piece was meaty and very consistent throughout, almost free of any textural variation. A look at the piece of tuna he was slicing from revealed that he had trimmed the piece of akami he was using into brick that was almost perfectly rectangular- only the best parts were used for sushi (trimmings were used for rolls, etc, see later). The Oo-toro was simply amazing- creamy, oily, soft, melt-in your mouth goodness. In this case, the rice provided great texture to a piece of fish that would most likely have melted away in your mouth. If I had to guess, I would say that there was 80% fat and 20% meat in this cut. It may sound like I am exaggerating, but no joke- when we put it in our mouths, we just sighed contentedly and smiled at each other. Mizutani also smiled a knowing smile.
Sayori
The sayori, known also as needle fish, had one of the more interesting presentations of the night. Instead of being cut and spread out on top of the rice, it was folded on itself, almost with the appearance of a short needle with an eye (I am not sure if this was intentional or not). What made it interesting is that the 'eye' of the needle was filled with small balls of what I can only describe as meat floss, which we later would learn was made of pounded shrimp. This meat floss was slightly sweet, enhancing the natural taste of the fish, which was firm and light itself.
Uni
This may have been my favourite piece of sushi, a testament to both the quality of the uni itself and how it was made. Mizutani made the rice ball first, carefully wrapping it in seaweed. Then, he took out the tray of uni and with a bamboo tool designed so that it does not damage the individual pieces, placed a large scoop of uni on top of the rice. If my memory serves me correctly, the uni was from Hokkaido. I've had Hokkaido uni several times before (in Hokkaido) but it has never been of this quality. As uni connoisseurs no doubt are aware, uni has a creamy, velvety texture somewhat like a thick and fatty custard. This was the best piece of uni that you can imagine. There were no brown or black spots as can be seen in uni of lesser quality, and no bitter aftertaste. The colour was a also deep yellow, contrasting nicely with the black seaweed.
Anago
I'm a big fan of eel and the anago did not disappoint. The flesh was very fine and delicate, and the sweet sauce both lubricated your mouth and complemented the flavour of the eel. I enjoyed this piece as it was put together very well- while some of the other pieces were good because they were simply the best piece of fish on a perfectly formed rice ball, this one was good because it showed the skill of the chef just as much as the quality of the ingredients.
Tamago
I have read elsewhere that Mizutani's tamago is very famous for its taste. I can see why this would be so- it doesn't taste like egg at all. Instead, it was something more like a moist, fluffy yet chewy sponge cake or castella, very fitting for dessert. I was also surprised that it was quite cold. I could easily have eaten several pieces of this.
However, at this point, Mizutani asked us if there was anything else that we wanted. We had eaten quite a bit, and it would have been completely fine to end the meal here, but my friend and I shared a glance and without hesitating, decided to order more.
We chose to repeat Anago, Uni and Oo-toro, which no doubt added substantially to our final bill. In my mind I was considering ordering the braised Awabi, but ultimately decided against it.
In addition to the sushi, we finished up the meal with two rolls, a tekkamaki (tuna roll) and a kampyo maki (marinated gourd roll). As it is sweet, kampyo maki (sliced into 4 pieces to retain juiciness) is often eaten as the final dish. The other diners also made their own requests for more sushi.
By the time we had finished the maki, most of the other customers had left- it was only us and the two businessmen. We were pretty full, but Mizutani jokingly asked us if we wanted more, making a show of putting the lid on the bucket of rice as we were the last customers of the night (~21:30). We were talking pretty freely with Mizutani, and asked him to take a picture with us, which you can see below:
Overall, it was a fabulous dining experience and I found the food extremely delicious (obviously) and the atmosphere to be very cozy. The final bill was nothing to sneeze at, being +30000 yen per person. Other reviews have said that the price was in the 20,000s but given that we had had a few drinks and had also chosen to eat two of the most expensive pieces of sushi again, I figured that it would be about that much. For those going, remember that Mizutani only accepts cash and no credit card (one of the businessmen had to slip out to the ATM to make a withdrawal).
Was it worth it? I have to say yes. All things considered, for the quality of the ingredients was unsurpassed, and the sushi and sashimi he served us only used the absolute best cuts of meat. The price was high, but it was akin to having a piece of foie gras, truffle, filet mignon, etc... you get the picture. I'm repeating myself, but each piece was carefully crafted and it was obvious how much work had gone into arriving at the final product.
That being said, my pockets are not overflowing with money, and I'm the type of guy who typically looks at what you get for how much you pay. At Mizutani, you get a lot of premium quality seafood, possibly the best in the world. You also pay for what you get... I don't have a problem with that.
However, I know that it is possible to have pretty decent sushi for a fraction of what we paid that night, and in the majority of circumstances, I would likely choose another restaurant. One of my favourite sushi places is a conveyor belt sushi place (Katsu, Midori) where the bill rarely comes out to more than 3000 yen a person. The quality of food at Katsu is more than adequate, and better than the sushi you can get in many upscale sushi places world wide.
So to conclude, dining at Mizutani was a unique and special experience, and was one of the best culinary experiences I've ever had. If you really enjoy sushi, or are looking for a place to have a special celebration, and if your finances permit, I would recommend that you make the trip. Oh, and if you're in need of someone to speak Japanese for you while you are there, I know someone who would be willing to do so for the price of a simple sushi dinner :).
As with Jiro, reservations are only taken one month in advance. Crossing my fingers, I called and after days of attempting to reach Jiro, it felt so good to be met with anything other than a busy signal. In the end, I was able to make a reservation for 7 o'clock on a Friday night.
Sushi Mizutani is located on the 9th floor of the Juno building in Ginza, not too far from Shinbashi station.
We arrived at the building a tiny bit early as we did not want to be late. The restaurant is on the 9th floor, so you have to take an elevator up. A (southeast Asian?) couple who would also be at dinner were waiting there for the elevator as well.
On the 9th floor, the sushi bar is there as soon as you exit the elevator. After entering, we were asked for are names and given seats at the bar. Our coats were taken (by the chef's wife) and we are given hot towels to wipe our hands.
At the time we entered, there was a single middle-aged Japanese couple from the Kansai area eating quietly at the bar and complete silence otherwise. Mizutani glanced at us as we came in and returned to making sushi for his already-present diners. There was no mood music... just the occasional sounds of sushi being prepared and eaten, and words from the chef. In addition to the other international couple mentioned above, we would be later joined by two Japanese businessmen for a total of 8 diners. We started out whispering, but as time wore on and the food and drink kept flowing, we started talking regularly, both between ourselves and with the chef (we spent over two hours there). As soon as Mizutani found out that we could speak Japanese, he was very friendly with us, joking around quite a bit. He speaks a few phrases of English here and there but his assistant handled most of the communication (in English) with the other international couple. We talked about topics ranging from the origin of ingredients (of course) to the weather in Canada and London. With small sushi-bars, the customers you dine with become very important. Luckily, none of the customers we were dining with were rude so in the end the atmosphere was very enjoyable.
The decor at Mizutani is very clean, elegant and simple. The majority of the interior is furnished with light-coloured wood, with some white and black touches. There was a display case on the walls where some Japanese earthenware was on display. There are, I think, 10 seats at the L-shaped counter, with 3 on the short side and 7 on the long side. We were given the two seats at the end of the short side. There are no tables, just the sushi bar; all the attention is focused on the chef.
Asked if we would like anything to drink, we started off with two beers. The beer (Kirin, I believe) came served in porcelain beer mugs and was a good accompaniment to the meal. We would later swtich to sake (Kamotsuru, daiginjo, if you are interested in trying, it is the one in the rectangular bottles http://item.rakuten.co.jp/kamotsuru/759990/) which was fragrant and light, complementing and not overpowering the fish. Interestingly, it was flecked with gold leaf (which didn't taste like anything but added to the 'luxury' of it, I suppose.
Mizutani asked us whether we would like just sushi or sashimi and sushi. We chose to go with both. All of the food is served on a black, lacquerware plate which is placed in front of you. Mizutani or his assistant wipe it off at intervals. The sashimi was served with a bed of myouga (Japanese ginger) and gari (pickled ginger) was also provided. In general, there was no need for additional soy sauce or wasabi, as in general, the morsels of fish or fish and rice were already flavoured. There is no menu, you simply let the chef give you what he thinks is best. Of course, if there is anything you cannot eat or do not like, you can let him know. At the end of the set meal you can also ask for any additional items that you would like. Of course, we asked for a few. One interesting piece on the setting which I have not seen in other restaurants was a small moist towlette in a tiny woven basket. This was the first time I had seen such a think and when I asked Mizutani what it was, he informed me that it was for wiping fingers between pieces of sushi. While we used chopsticks for the sashimi, we used our hands to eat the sushi.
I will go over each piece as I remember it. I am not a professional chef, but through having worked for a sushi place and also having lived in Japan for a number of years, I feel that I have good perspective of what constitutes good fish and sushi. The quality of the fish was superb. Each item was fresh and clean tasting, without any telltale 'sang' taste of non-fresh seafood. This all of course, was expected.
Sashimi
The cuts of sashimi were generous and each type of fish came out after we had finished the previous one.
Hirame
Our first dish was hirame, a kind of flounder, a fish with slightly sweet white flesh. The flesh was firm, lean and bouncy, with a bit of skin left on for texture. Hirame was a good start to the meal, being kind of a neutral and light flavour, setting the stage for what was to come.
Aji,
When Mizutani set the Aji in front of us, he told his wife to bring us freshly grated ginger to eat with it. Ginger is usually served with ginger to offset its natural oiliness and stronger fishy taste. The taste of the fish was very pure and its fishiness was flavourful, rather than unpleasant (not the 'sang' kind of fishy).
Mirugai-kaibashira
The kaibashira is the muscle portion of the shellfish, what usually keeps the shells closed. I'm not sure how this exactly works with the mirugai (geoduck) as the majority of the animal sticks out of the shell (google mirugai) but I guess something has still got to hold the two parts of the shell together. This item was kind of what I expected, fresh, slightly sweet, and just a touch fibrous and crunchy.
Hirame-engawa
The engawa (fin) region of the hirame came next, a more oily cut with a slightly more stringy and muscular texture.
Steamed Awabi!
This was my favourite sashimi dish, having the most impact with its flavour and texture. Rather than serve it as thin slices, Mizutani cut the awabi into fairly large chunks, which added to the texture. The sauce/marinade was slightly sweet and syrupy and the flesh was firm, yet tender, much better than but akin a chewy shitake mushroom. Overall, the flavour was rich and strong and unforgettable.
Maguro
The chef brought out a huge block of fresh bluefin tuna, near the belly and proceeded to slice off some thick, meaty slices of chutoro. The amount of fat in the sashimi slices was perfect for sashimi, any more marbling and it might have been too oily. I thoroughly enjoyed these pieces as maguro is one of my favourite types of fish, and was looking forward to the point when we could try the Ootoro.
At this point, Mizutani asked us if we wanted to have sushi - and we did. It was time for the main event. (At this point, we also switched to Sake!)
Sushi
Stating the obvious, this is where Mizutani's craft really shone. He was very deliberate when making his nigiri, with each piece being perfectly consistent in size and shape. There was never any need to add wasabi or soy sauce, he would season the fish as he wanted it to be tasted. The first difference that I noticed from the usual sushi you get in Tokyo was the rice. The size of the rice portion of the nigiri was different, being smaller, and more rectangular and compact than I had expected, almost like one of those Staedler erasers in form. The slices of fish were generous, but not overly big. The form factor of each piece of sushi was obviously well thought out- they were beautiful and looked appetizing; once they arrived on my lacquer plate, I couldn't wait to put them in my mouth.
As with the sashimi, the taste was excellent, easily the best sushi I have ever had. Part of it was that the cuts of seafood were all prime cuts, the best fish money can buy. Another part of it was that these cuts were not only the best cuts, but prepared in an expert manner from start to finish- from choice of ingredient to marination to presentation, each step has been masterfully carried out in a calculated fashion. The final part was that the rice provided an excellent canvas for the taste of the fish to shine. The rice can only be described as perfectly balancing, or complementing the ingredient placed on top of it. It was neither too hard, nor too soft, too sweet nor too sour, too warm nor too cold. In fact, I believe that Mizutani was very particular about controlling the temperature of the rice, as he would go forth between the kitchen in the back and the sushi bar many times with his bucket for transferring rice. This post has gone on long enough, but there's a lot to talk about. Let's get to the sushi.
Kohada
The first fish that he gave us was Kohada, also known as gizzard shad. Kohada is one of the fishes with iridescent skin and fishier taste, and thus is usually served after being pickled or marinated in vinegar. Mizutani's rendition of Kohada was actually a couple of pieces of the fish on one ball of rice. Not usually an expensive fish, this Kohada was nevertheless, well executed, and less sour than one might expect. The meat was fleshy and chewy and lacked any sort of metallic or fishy taste although the distinct flavour of Kohada remained.
Hirame
We had already had hirame prepared as sashimi so I was a little bit surprised when it was given to us as a piece of sushi. However, I was not about to turn it away. As with the sashimi, the fish itself was neutral tasting with a fine, firm texture. The rice added a different angle to the taste of the fish, making it seem more meaty- one of the reasons why I think sushi is more satisfying that sashimi is that you can bite it and chew it, getting a mouth/tongueful of protein, fat and carbohydrate!
Akagai
This clam was one of the stronger tasting pieces of sushi that we had, and came with a sweet sauce which enhanced the clam's deep red colour. This piece had probably the strongest 'fishy' or I suppose 'clamy' flavour, and was not my favourite, although I am aware that this is the flavour people expect when they eat it (my mom loves it). Nevertheless, it was tasty in its own right.
Scallop-gunkan
The scallop was served in a generous mound on the gunkan, or battleship style sushi. The scallop was firm and sweet and also somewhere between moist and juicy. Its glistening appearance was augmented by the soy (+ something?) which Mizutani had brushed on it.
Mirugai
This piece of sushi was no doubt a the clam whose shell muscle we had eaten earlier. The flesh was chewy and tender at the same time, firm and yet elastic.
Akami, Chu-toro, Oo-toro
Here, Mizutani went back to his block of bluefin and proceeded to give us these three different pieces of maguro. We had had the chu-toro as sashimi, so I was looking forward to trying the Akami. The akami (literally, red flesh), was pure, unadulterated tuna. There was no trace of any 'iron' in the taste and the piece was meaty and very consistent throughout, almost free of any textural variation. A look at the piece of tuna he was slicing from revealed that he had trimmed the piece of akami he was using into brick that was almost perfectly rectangular- only the best parts were used for sushi (trimmings were used for rolls, etc, see later). The Oo-toro was simply amazing- creamy, oily, soft, melt-in your mouth goodness. In this case, the rice provided great texture to a piece of fish that would most likely have melted away in your mouth. If I had to guess, I would say that there was 80% fat and 20% meat in this cut. It may sound like I am exaggerating, but no joke- when we put it in our mouths, we just sighed contentedly and smiled at each other. Mizutani also smiled a knowing smile.
Sayori
The sayori, known also as needle fish, had one of the more interesting presentations of the night. Instead of being cut and spread out on top of the rice, it was folded on itself, almost with the appearance of a short needle with an eye (I am not sure if this was intentional or not). What made it interesting is that the 'eye' of the needle was filled with small balls of what I can only describe as meat floss, which we later would learn was made of pounded shrimp. This meat floss was slightly sweet, enhancing the natural taste of the fish, which was firm and light itself.
Uni
This may have been my favourite piece of sushi, a testament to both the quality of the uni itself and how it was made. Mizutani made the rice ball first, carefully wrapping it in seaweed. Then, he took out the tray of uni and with a bamboo tool designed so that it does not damage the individual pieces, placed a large scoop of uni on top of the rice. If my memory serves me correctly, the uni was from Hokkaido. I've had Hokkaido uni several times before (in Hokkaido) but it has never been of this quality. As uni connoisseurs no doubt are aware, uni has a creamy, velvety texture somewhat like a thick and fatty custard. This was the best piece of uni that you can imagine. There were no brown or black spots as can be seen in uni of lesser quality, and no bitter aftertaste. The colour was a also deep yellow, contrasting nicely with the black seaweed.
Anago
I'm a big fan of eel and the anago did not disappoint. The flesh was very fine and delicate, and the sweet sauce both lubricated your mouth and complemented the flavour of the eel. I enjoyed this piece as it was put together very well- while some of the other pieces were good because they were simply the best piece of fish on a perfectly formed rice ball, this one was good because it showed the skill of the chef just as much as the quality of the ingredients.
Tamago
I have read elsewhere that Mizutani's tamago is very famous for its taste. I can see why this would be so- it doesn't taste like egg at all. Instead, it was something more like a moist, fluffy yet chewy sponge cake or castella, very fitting for dessert. I was also surprised that it was quite cold. I could easily have eaten several pieces of this.
However, at this point, Mizutani asked us if there was anything else that we wanted. We had eaten quite a bit, and it would have been completely fine to end the meal here, but my friend and I shared a glance and without hesitating, decided to order more.
We chose to repeat Anago, Uni and Oo-toro, which no doubt added substantially to our final bill. In my mind I was considering ordering the braised Awabi, but ultimately decided against it.
In addition to the sushi, we finished up the meal with two rolls, a tekkamaki (tuna roll) and a kampyo maki (marinated gourd roll). As it is sweet, kampyo maki (sliced into 4 pieces to retain juiciness) is often eaten as the final dish. The other diners also made their own requests for more sushi.
By the time we had finished the maki, most of the other customers had left- it was only us and the two businessmen. We were pretty full, but Mizutani jokingly asked us if we wanted more, making a show of putting the lid on the bucket of rice as we were the last customers of the night (~21:30). We were talking pretty freely with Mizutani, and asked him to take a picture with us, which you can see below:
Overall, it was a fabulous dining experience and I found the food extremely delicious (obviously) and the atmosphere to be very cozy. The final bill was nothing to sneeze at, being +30000 yen per person. Other reviews have said that the price was in the 20,000s but given that we had had a few drinks and had also chosen to eat two of the most expensive pieces of sushi again, I figured that it would be about that much. For those going, remember that Mizutani only accepts cash and no credit card (one of the businessmen had to slip out to the ATM to make a withdrawal).
Was it worth it? I have to say yes. All things considered, for the quality of the ingredients was unsurpassed, and the sushi and sashimi he served us only used the absolute best cuts of meat. The price was high, but it was akin to having a piece of foie gras, truffle, filet mignon, etc... you get the picture. I'm repeating myself, but each piece was carefully crafted and it was obvious how much work had gone into arriving at the final product.
That being said, my pockets are not overflowing with money, and I'm the type of guy who typically looks at what you get for how much you pay. At Mizutani, you get a lot of premium quality seafood, possibly the best in the world. You also pay for what you get... I don't have a problem with that.
However, I know that it is possible to have pretty decent sushi for a fraction of what we paid that night, and in the majority of circumstances, I would likely choose another restaurant. One of my favourite sushi places is a conveyor belt sushi place (Katsu, Midori) where the bill rarely comes out to more than 3000 yen a person. The quality of food at Katsu is more than adequate, and better than the sushi you can get in many upscale sushi places world wide.
So to conclude, dining at Mizutani was a unique and special experience, and was one of the best culinary experiences I've ever had. If you really enjoy sushi, or are looking for a place to have a special celebration, and if your finances permit, I would recommend that you make the trip. Oh, and if you're in need of someone to speak Japanese for you while you are there, I know someone who would be willing to do so for the price of a simple sushi dinner :).
I think I know what I want to have if I go there: Akagai, Mirugai, Uni, steamed Awabi and the toro's.
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