Aside from my usual Tokyo sushi spots like Harutaka , this time I was after sushi shops I’ve never been before. I’ve posted already about the exellent Sushi-ya, which quality and chef’s skills wise reminded me greatly of the great Sushi Saito. Now it’s the turn of Tokami. One Michelin starred sushi Tokami (http://sushitokami.3zoku.com/13menu.html) is run by a young, new generation chef Hiroyuki Sato. His father is a sushi master. Prior to Tokami, Hiroyuki-san himself used to be a waiter at a French restaurant. What sets Tokami apart is not only the fact that the chef speaks very good English. It’s that the rice is so different from the rice served at other high end sushi shops in Tokyo.
Hiroyuki Sato uses red vinegar, thus, the rice is stronger flavored and, well, more vinegary. Sushi Tokami is partly owned by a tuna broker and red vinegar goes very well with maguro. That might be the explanation for this particular vinegar choice. Before my dinner at Tokami someone had warned me that such rice can be too overpowering for your palate, however, I thought it was not. When sushi rice is concerned, it’s all about the personal preferences and I guess mine are more leaning towards Sukiyabashi Jiro style (very vinegared rice), rather than Mizutani‘s ( mildy vinegared). The absolute highlight of the omakase at Tokami is tuna collar hand roll, rolled just after the otsumami and before the nigiri.
Some other highlights:
Crab
Antique Korean chest, used at Tokami for storing tuna
Octopus with fava beans
Abalone
Maguro
Mild tasting onion was served instead of the usual gari (ginger)
Making of the tuna roll
Flounder
Squid
Lean tuna
Medium fatty tuna
Fatty tuna
Tamago “brûlée” , another bite that Hiroyuki Sato does differently from other Edo-mae style sushi chefs in Tokyo.
Chef Hiroyuki Sato