Tokyo Eats Part 4: Sushi Daiwa: Sashimi at Tsukiji Market

Set Menu 3500 yen

I have never been a big fan of Sushi. In fact, I have never been a big fan of fish either when I was younger. Now, that's a big confession coming from a Teochew Ah Hia 'cos, as you well know, we Teochews (are supposed to) love steamed fish. We love fish so much that we prefer to eat it unadulterated. So for us Teochews, the fish must be fresh, and best eaten just steamed with a dash of Tau Cheo (Fermented Bean Sauce). I guess that is why I hated fish when I was younger 'cos my parents loved to eat the real fishy steamed fish such as Mullet and Peh Dou Her (Rabbit Fish) and that threw me right off.

So you can imagine my excitement when I was first introduced to Sushi many years ago while I was studying in Sydney. It was about the time when the Aussies themselves were being introduced to this form of Japanese cuisine. Fish? Hmmm......ambivalent. Raw fish? You got to be kidding me!

But as the years went by and Sushi became more popular, I had to learn to eat it since sometime, somehow, somewhere..... someone is bound to say "Hey! Let's go for Sushi today!". Boh Pien (no choice), peer pressure. Later on, the pressure came from my wife, who just absolutely loves Sushi. What to do? The CEO loves Sushi, so very difficult to say no. Then now, the kids also love Sushi. Aiyah, when the shareholders also say they want Sushi, even more difficult to say no.

The Sushi afficianados would encourage me by telling me that I have yet to taste really good Sushi as most of the stuff you get in Singapore just cannot compare to the Sushi in Japan. So, I waited patiently for the day of my epiphany believing that when I get to eat the "real" Sushi, then I shall know the truth and the truth shall set me free.



So, this trip to Tokyo was to be my time of rebirth. This Sushi Ignoramus shall finally behold the sublime beauty of the raw fish! So I set my goal to eat the best Otoro (tuna belly) in the world since this is what all the Sushi lovers seem to love so much. I always believe that if people can love something a lot, then there must be something to love. So I was determined to find this fantastical fillet of fresh fish which is going to change my life forever.


Queue at Sushi Dai, Sushi Daiwa is further down

Where better to find this wonderous wedge of Tuna than at Tsukiji, the World's biggest Fish Market? And being the Kiasu Singaporean, I had to go for the most famous restaurant with the longest queues. I wanted to make sure that the only other way to get it any fresher is to take a bite off a live fish.

The two most famous shops at Tsukiji are Sushi Dai and Sushi Daiwa. They are both located along the same row of shop at block 6. When you get off at Tsukiji, make your way down the left hand side of the main market and you should find it. The next piece of advise is important so pay attention.

The ladies running the restaurants can be quite the Food Nazis as they run the restaurants in a very regimented fashion. When you are queuing up, make sure that all the people who are going into the restaurant are in the queue because you will not be allowed into the restaurant unless all members of the party are present. Oh yes, this rule is clearly stated at the front of the restaurant...... in Japanese. Not only that, if you get to the front of the queue and your friend is not there, not only won't you get into the restaurant, you will need to start queuing again from the back of the queue. Guess how I learn about this rule?

Lucky for me the people who got put in front of me happened to be Singaporeans and seeing what happened, they very graciously offered to let us go back in front of them. Ah, it's good to know that we Singaporeans do look out for each other!

It was a good thing that when it was finally our turn, we managed to be shown into the restaurant together with our newfound Singaporean friends (or else quite Paiseh leh). Now at last, the moment of truth had come! Now I shall be able to capture this precious moment of enlightenment. But alas, when I whipped out my camera, the lady promptly told me that phototaking was not allowed in the restaurant! Doh!! (Then how did all those pictures of the restaurant online get taken I wonder?)


Otoro (Picture taken from another Sushi place)

So I managed to only take the one good photo from my momentous occasion which is the first picture you see. (The one above was taken at a less prestigious Sushi place in Ueno.)

Anyway, what can I say about the Sushi?

Wow, it was very fresh indeed and it is certainly the best sushi I have eaten. But I am far from being the newest Sushi fan. I mean, the Otoro was great, but for me, I wouldn't pay $20 bucks for it in Singapore. The Uni was very very creamy and savoury but again not something I would crave for. The one thing that was quite an eye opener was the Grilled Sea Eel (Anago) of which was the house specialty at the restaurant. Now that one was surprisingly creamy and quite shiok.


Video explaining proper Sushi etiquette - you must watch this!

For those of you who might be preparing for a trip to Japan to have your Sushi moment, may I advise you to brush up on proper Sushi etiquette but having a look at the video above. Japanese society is very regimented and it would be wise to familiarize yourself with the rules or risk getting thrown out of the restaurant! (And the video is quite entertaining too!)

Conclusion

Now, in case you are under the mistaken belief that every Japanese likes Sushi, may I say that I know of some who also can't understand what the big fuss over raw fish is about. From this experience, I can say however, that the Sushi in Japan is really very fresh, and the difference between what you get there and here is quite apparent even for me. But at the end of the day, if you are planning a surprise birthday treat for me, please don't think you are doing me a great favour by inviting me to the most expensive Sushi restaurant in town, unless they serve Matsuzaka beef as well.

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Tokyo Eats Part 3: Matsuzaka Beef at Steakhouse Satou in Kochijoji

A5 Matsuzaka Beef Steak 270g 12,800 Yen

Up till last month, my gastronomic holy grail had been to partake of the legendary Matsuzaka beef in Japan. I alluded to this when I was interviewed by Teo Pao Lin in the Straits Times last year when she asked me what my last meal would be. Now, in my post-Matsuzaka state, I have to reset my culinary sights on my next holy grail which is to have a meal at El Bulli.

When I found out that I had the opportunity to visit Tokyo last month, the very first thought that came to mind was to find the best place to eat Matsuzaka beef. This was actually the main goal of the whole trip. The rest of the food were secondary as were the sightseeing around Tokyo.

Nowadays, (or Nowsadays as some Singaporeans might say) thanks to this wonderful thing called "Blogs", you don't really need to know anyone personally to ask pertinent questions like "Eh, where can I eat reasonably priced Matsuzaka Beef in Tokyo" anymore. A quick search on the internet and I found this guy called Paul who blogged about his experience at Steak House Satou.

Steak House Satou sounds like the kind of place I'd like to visit since it was situated in a sort of non-touristy suburb of Tokyo and most importantly, it was supposed to sell Matsuzaka beef at really reasonable prices. The fact that he said "Not everyone knows about the steak house upstairs, but everyone in Kichijoji knows about the meat shop downstairs" only added to the mystery of the place. It's like someone sharing a secret "Lobang" with you that no one else knows, right?



Anyway, as per the instructions on the blog, we took the train to Shinjuku and changed to the westbound chuo line heading towards Takao. Kochijoji is the 8th station from Shinjuku. Now when you get off the train, head for the North exit and when you get out, cross the road and take the street at the 10 o'clock position and walk down the alley. Walk for 5 minutes and soon you will smell a really nice beefy aroma wafting from your left and you're there. Huh, who needs GPS when you've got great olfactory lobes? The photo above shows the scene after you walked past it on your left. I hope this set of directions will help other travellers find the place, 'cos boy were we lost.



When we got there the first thing was to quickly join the queue that was tailing down this really narrow and steep staircase......



And after 20 minutes, we finally made it to the front of the queue! The picture shows the whole dining area of the restaurant. It is really that tiny! The chefs were busy frying the meat just in front of the row of diners on the right side of the photo.



While still in the queue, we were shown the English menu and the waiter pointed out to us the Premium Beef Steak Set Menu that (according to him) most of the foreigners ordered. So we ordered the Tokusan Sirloin Steak Set 270g ($195) and a Matsu (High grade Japanese Beef) ($80) 270g set. The uncle promptly scooted downstairs and came up with.....



...the Holy Grail! Mmm..... somehow I thought it should be on a gilded plate or something. There was no certificate or anything like that, so I had to take his word for it that it was indeed A5 Matsuzaka Beef.


Matsu Beef Set 5355 yen (high grade Japanese beef)

The moment I have been waiting for had come and we had before us both the Matsu set as well as the Tokusan set. Being the type of guy who usually eats the noodles first and saves the Charsiew for last, I started off by eating the Tau Gay (Bean Sprouts) first, followed by the Matsu Beef. Mind you, at around $80 for the Matsu Beef set, it was already quite an expensive steak. But what a great steak it was. Tender, beefy... yum yum...... but now the moment of truth...



OK, quite honestly, it was not quite what I expected it to be. Yes, it was the juiciest and most tender steak I ever had, but the taste did not quite blow me away as I expected that it would. I think I have come to the conclusion that Wagyu (Japanese) and Angus (US) beef are really two Cattle sic of fish, like if you were to compare Tuna with Salmon. I was expecting to be hit by a robust beefy flavour of US beef but instead I was carassed by a sweet delicate meat. In fact, unless I had them side by side, I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between this Matsuzaka beef and the Australian Grade 11 Wagyu I had before. The texture, now that is a whole different story. Matsuzaka beef really does have that burst of juices when you bite into it that is second to none. It is certainly the most juicy, melt in your mouth piece of meat I have ever had.

Conclusion

Well, been there, done that. Although Matsuzaka was not as mind blowing as I have expected it to be, I still wouldn't have done anything differently. However, if I were to do it again, I would certainly consider just ordering the Matsu Set. Then again........maybe not.

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Tokyo Eats Part 2: Tonkatsu Tenshin: Where the locals go for Tonkatsu in Meguro

Jo Rosu Katsu (Special Pork Sirloin Tonkatsu) 1600 yen

For Tonkatsu, we made our way off the tourist route to the town of Meguro where there is a famous Tonkatsu restaurant called Tonkin. However, according to my internet research, there is a smaller restaurant which the locals favour called Tenshin which sounded more interesting to me. Rumour has it that the restaurant is run by the wife of the chef who can be quite a Food Nazi, so I might not be able to take any photos. Shudder.....



I always had the impression that Japanese society is one where the women are being subjugated but apparently this is not entirely true. One Japanese friend told us that when you walk around Tokyo during lunch time, you can see all these men in uniforms eating bowls of ramen by the streets while the women dine in restaurants. This is because everytime the man receives his pay packet, the entire amount goes to the wife and they get an allowance for their everyday needs! One thing I have noticed is that in a lot of the small eateries that I go to, it is the women that manage the restaurant while the men just prepare the food. On several occasions I got told off by the restaurant matron and commanded to stand in line, but I will talk about it more in a later post.

Anyway, when we got to the Tenshin, I was relieved to find that the Matron was not around so I was more relaxed. The chef turned out to be quite a jovial person and eventually even taught me a thing or two about making the perfect Tonkatsu.

Needless to say, this was the best Rosu Katsu I ever had and it wasn't even Kurobuta pork. Wonderfully juicy and oh so tender. It would be an exaggeration to say that you could cut it with your chopsticks, as some have claimed, but it was really tender nonetheless. 4.5/5 Contrary to expectations, there was none of that sesame grinding ritual and the Tonkatsu was just served with lots of shredded cabbage and Tonkatsu sauce.


Special English Menu for Foreigners (we were the only ones that needed it)

Now, we were feeling rather greedy that day, so after we finished our individual portions, we decided that since we came all the way from Singapore to this remote part of Tokyo, we should just order another portion to satisfy our greed.

Scallops and Pork Fillet Set 1600 yen

No regrets! The scallop tonkatsu was heavenly! It was so sweet and the taste just reminds you of the cold northern waters where the scallops were harvested! Even better than the Jo Rosu Katsu! 4.75/5



To get there you get off at Meguro station and when you exit the Station just head in the direction of Ebisu which is the next station. The best way to do this is to remember the direction of the train when you get off. I just got out of the station and headed straight down the road in front of me. There should be a 24 hour mini mart on the left side of the road followed by a hotel. Other than that it was a 10 to 15 minute walk down a dark quiet street till you hit the bright yellow signboard on your left hand side.

Conclusion

Best Tonkatsu I have had and the scallops were even better! Eating Tonkatsu in Singapore will never be the same again! Sigh.

Tonkatsu Tenshin
2-8-1 Mita, Meguro-ku
Tokyo, Japan
Open six days a week (closed Wednesdays)
Lunch: 11:30am to 3:00pm
Dinner: 17:30 pm to 9:30pm

Here is the review that recommended it

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Tokyo Eats Part 1: Daikokuya: Tendon in Asakusa

Tendon 1600 yen

Many kakis have requested to the pics of what I ate in my recent trip to Tokyo, so I have decided to post some of the highlights over the next few weeks. The reason that I have been resistant in posting my Tokyo pictures was because I thought that it might be a little frustrating to look at something delicious and not be able to easily just go down to that stall and eat it.

However, I know that Japanese food is currently very popular in Singapore and that a lot of our readers actually travel so this series of posts may be useful for everyone to reminesce about their own experiences in Tokyo as well as to recommend other great eats there.

This is my first ever trip to Japan so the itinerary had to be carefully planned so that I can get to experience the best of the different types of Japanese cuisine. I wasn't after the fine dining, michelin star stuff, but as with the other food in this blog, it was about finding the really shiok everyday stuff that the locals enjoy.

One of the frustrating things about Japan is that even if you have the address of the restaurant, you will not be able to find the place. In the end, I had to rely on asking for directions once you know you are around the area. So I am going to pen down the directions to the restaurant while it is still fresh in my mind so it would be easy for anyone to locate.



We start with the Asakusa which is famous for the Sensoji Shrine which I am sure most tourists would make a point of visiting. One of the most popular restaurants there is this Tempura place which is reputed to have a long queue everyday for lunch. Being the Kiasu Singaporean, I got there at 11am and promptly got showed a seat just next to the main door.

I ordered the Tendon as it was the cheapest item there and everyone seemed to be eating the same thing. The prices can go up to 3000 to 4000 yen if you wanted to order the works.

The Tempura here is a little different from what I normally get. First of all it was black because they dip it in a kind of black sauce before serving it. Secondly the batter was a little different from the usual tempura. Instead of crispy all the way through, it was crisp on the outside but soft and moist on the inside and reminds me of the kind of prawn fritters mom used to make at home. Not quite what I expected, but quite tasty nonetheless. 1600 yen gets you 2 large prawns, a piece of vegetable and a rather tasty prawn cake made from a handful of little prawns.


Sensoji Shrine

To get there, you get off at Asakusa station and walk towards the Sensoji Shrine. At around the point of the photo above turn left and walk for about 3 minutes and you should be able to spot a quaint little house with the words Da4 Hei1 Jia1. (Big Black Home)



By the time I finished my lunch at around 12.30pm (had to wait 45min for my food), there was already a long queue outside the restaurant. It was reported that you sometimes you have to wait an hour just to get in so it pays to be Kiasu sometimes!

Conclusion

Quite different from the usual tempura. I just wonder why not many other restaurants serve it this style since they are so popular? If you have been there too, let us know what you think!

Diakokuya
1-38-10 Asakusa, Taito-ku
11:10 a.m.-8:30 p.m.(weekdays),
11:10 a.m.-9:00 p.m.(Saturday & national holidays)
More info and map here

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