Sukiyabashi Jiro, Sushi – Ginza

Top 20 Best Restaurants in Tokyo

I asked a Japanese colleague at work to help make a reservation for me 2 months in advance as I did not want to miss out on taking my husband here for his birthday. As with many Japanese men, if you ask them what their favourite food is, the answer is invariably Sushi. Infact I was too keen as they only accept reservations one month in advance. There are 3 things advised when you book i) the menu is Omakase (Chef’s menu) ii) the latest! seating is 7pm iii) Cash only. Credit cards are not accepted.

The restaurant itself is in the basement floor of an office building, hidden away. If it were not for the “Noren” curtain hanging outside it would be easy to miss. The restaurant is very small with about 10 counter seats and 2 tables of 4 at the side, very similar to the Roppongi Hills branch.

We arrived exactly on time and were seated at the counter. A menu was placed in front of us which listed all the fish we would be eating, an amazing 20 different kinds. We ordered a beer and I was just settling down when a piece of sushi was placed on the plate infront of me. I was suprised as I was expecting to order sashimi first but my husband said we may be too late (we were the last seating) so sashimi was not offered which I thought unusual, it was still only 7pm.

Still Jiro is the master and so Sushi it was. The first piece was Karei (flat fish) which was delicious. Next was squid and then a sea-shell followed by the three parts of Tuna starting with the meatiest to the richest and fattiest (Akami, Chu-toro and then the controversial Blue fin (Oo-toro).  They were all absolutely amazing.

I made the mistake of pausing after the Akami for a minute as the sushi was coming out continuosly fast but Master Jiro asked his son to remind me that the fish should be eaten straight away once put on our plate.  The Chefs are proud to serve the freshest fish possible at the best temperature for each fish, so once it is on our plates, it should be eaten straight away. The sushi is served extremely fast which I am told is reminiscent of the old days when Sushi was eaten as fast food.  Still, I felt like I was rushing my food and was still trying to appreciate the flavour of each fish!

Next was steamed abalone, Aji (horse mackerel) and Akagai (Ark shell) and sardine. The sushi was amazing. Then prawn, Bonito, some shellfish, mackerel, Uni, Kobashira (small scallops) and Ikura (salmon roe eggs). Then finally Anago (sea eel) was served and last but not least the Tamago (sweet egg roll).

I looked at my watch and it was 7.30pm, we had finished all in exactly 30 minutes! Infact the food was served so fast we didn’t have time to order any Sake usually a must with Sushi, which I thought a shame. The waiter advised us that dessert would be served at the tables.  This was a pleasant surprise as I thought we were finished. We moved from the counter and relaxed at the table. The dessert came, a slice of melon from Hokkaido which was beautifully sweet. We sat there for a while, 15 minutes in total, which was half the time it had taken us to eat the main course.

I would recommend this restaurant for serious Sushi lovers only. The fast speed at which the sushi is served is not adviseable for beginners.  Master Jiro was very serious, serving the sushi and saying little to some customers including us and the man who was dining solo next to us though seemed quite chatty with the group of Japanese four at the end, they may have been locals.  At the end of the meal, Master Jiro was much more relaxed and laughing with the group of four who were still eating at the counter. We asked if we could take a photo of the restaurant and him which he agreed to.

The sushi was amazing and I cannot fault it.  It was also an experience. I never imagined we would eat so! fast and was happy to have tried the traditional experience. Infact afterwards my husband and I couldn’t stop laughing when we thought about how fast we ate, it was almost a fish a minute!