Sushi Kanesaka @ Tokyo Ginza

THIS. The pièce de résistance of my entire trip. I had wanted to try the Singapore outpost (Shinji at St Regis) for ages, but the hefty price tag always put me off. But now that I was in Japan, there was nothing that was going to stop me. My reservation was made months in advance, the anticipation made all the worse by my random googling of reviews and ogling of pictures. Its not uncommon to feel that all the hype kills the outcome and I was afraid that I was going to bitterly let down, but let me just say upfront, Sushi Kanesaka was AMAZING and well deserving of its two michelin stars.

Omakase which literally means chef’s choice doesn’t come cheap. That’s the only thing they serve and lunch sets go at 8000, 10,000 & 15,000 yen each. When I went I was told those sets were for sushi only, and if I wanted a sashimi mix as well, there was an option for 20,000 and 30,000 yen. Not wanting to miss out, I went for the 20,000 yen set ( around 250SGD).

When the sushi chef behind the counter found out I was Singaporean, he asked if I heard of Shinji at the St Regis, ( which of course I have!!) and then he proceeded to utter the following words ,” Hi, I am Shinji Kanesaka, nice to meet you.” I was in a state of disbelief. I knew Kanesaka-san owned the restaurant but for some reason I never expected to be served by him . For the next few minutes, I kept poking a rather bemused c and muttering ,”omg we’re being served by the man himself.”

With a knowing grin and flourish of his knife, we got started.

1. Baby Octopus

Soft and flavourful the sauce went perfectly well with the octopus. I looked over at c and he nodded with approval. This was a sign of good things to come.

2. Bamboo Shoots

Not sure if this was intended to be a palate cleanser after the octopus but it was served in quick succession. The bowl was tiny and I devoured it in anticipation of the other courses.

3. Hairy Crab

I absolutely adore hairy crab. This was served cold with all the goodness of the roe at the bottom of the shell. I started out daintily with my chopsticks but by the end I was this close to licking the shell clean.

4.Hirame 

There was texture to this fish that I wasn’t expecting. Slightly crunchy, it had a subtle sweet flavour. I was instructed to have one piece with wasabi and sauce, and the other with wasabi and salt. After I tried both, Kaneaska-San asked which I preferred. When I replied with the salt option, he let out a laugh and said, “You, you are Japanese!”

5. Chutoro

Divine. Perfectly marbled, I didn’t really have to chew at all.

6. Abalone 

I watched wide-eyed as Kanesaka-San pulled out a whole piece of abalone. He deftly sliced it into half, then into quarters and served two of those quarters to me. This was absolute heaven. I’ve never tasted abalone like this before. Compared to the usual can stuff I got, this was incredibly sweet, and tasted of the sea. The two pieces were gone before I knew it.

7. Fish

I didn’t manage to catch the name of this fish. All I know is that it starts with O and sounds something like “Odedoro?” No matter, it was to die for. I’ve never liked having skin with my fish but this was something else. The skin was light and crisp and disappeared in my mouth. The meat of the fish was oily and delicious and I can taste it now typing this. Ahhhh.

8. Red Snapper

This was the start of the sushi course and end of the sashimi. I didn’t mind. I was anxious to try the rice that Sushi Kanesaka was famous for and boy was I in for a treat. Using a wet cloth at the side to wipe my fingers, I picked up my sushi by hand. The rice is amazing. It holds its shape perfectly and yet in my mouth each grain is delicate, perfect, a gem. The snapper was okay. This was probably the one piece I didn’t enjoy out of everything.

9. Fish

Didn’t manage to catch the name of this one but it was great. Very similar in texture to the snapper but much sweeter.

10. Maguro (Tuna)

No hint of that fishiness I hate when I get tuna in Singapore. Brushed lightly with soy sauce, this was simple and good.

11. Chutoro (Medium fatty tuna)

As good as the sashimi I had before and the creaminess was balanced out perfectly by the rice.

12. Otoro (Fattiest part of the tuna)

This piece melted in my mouth. No chewing needed. I rolled it over my tongue and let it slowly dissolve. It was bliss.

13. Ika (Squid)

Usually the ika i have tends to be rather chewy. None of that here.Each bite is slightly crunchy and the lemon/lime juice added on the top was sublime.

14. Prawn

I managed to fit the whole sushi into my mouth which was no mean feat because the prawn was huge. The tip of the head where all the lovely prawn juices are was included, which gave a nice unami flavour.

 

15. Kohada (Sardine)

I was expecting this to taste slimy because of the skin but it was excellent.

16. Bonito

This fish is used to make bonito flakes found in Takoyaki. I loved it. The piece of fish was thickly sliced so that it enveloped the rice. Lots of bite when I put it into my mouth.

 

17. Spanish Mackerel

Truthfully I thought I would hate this but I am now a convert! No fishiness at all. A little slit made in the fish which allows the garnish to poke its head out was a nice touch.

18. Octopus

This was a scary piece of sushi, all tentacles and such. But the crunch in the mouth was such a delight. I loved it.

19. Clam

This had an overwhemingly sweet taste.

20. Uni

This was THE BOMB. I had seen Kanesaka-San pull out the uni box for other customers and couldn’t wait till it was my turn. Uni is my absolute favourite and I made a point of ordering it everywhere I could in Japan. I’ve never tasted bad uni, how can you, when its just an explosion in your mouth? Nothing comes close to this piece though. Crisp seaweed paired with the creaminess of the uni that had a very clean, rich, briny flavour.

21. Anago (Eel)

This didn’t look like much but when I bit into it the flavours were overwhelming. It was light and grilled and melted in my mouth. So, so good.

With some miso soup, we were served maki and tamago.I was incredibly sad to see the tamago make an appearance, a clear sign that the omakase is coming to an end. But that disappointment quickly turned into awe when I bit into the tamago. It was nothing like I tasted before – dense with a custard texture. I savoured every bite. Next to me, a Japanese couple was conversing with Kanesaka-San, gesturing to their own tamago.  I was kicking myself for not being more diligent in Japanese class as Kanesaka-San was clearly describing the process of how he made the tamago.

So that concluded my omakase experience. I had just gotten the bill and was about to keep my camera when Kanesaka-san leaned over and gestured to himself, “picture?” And that, was the perfect end to a perfect meal.

B/F, Misuzu Building, 8-10-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku,Tokyo
T: + 81 3 5568 4411