GB - Foodie Review: Sushi Dai (Tokyo, Japan)
HELLO FRIENDS, KIM HERE!
I am so excited to kick-off this brand new platform with one of the new content idea for the site: guest blogging!
I only know so much…so what better way to share tips, advice, ideas, experiences, hobbies, etc. than through those that know and have been there/through it/loves it. So if you see a GB in front of a post, you’ll know that someone amazing that has taken the time to write something and share it with y’all!
Today’s post is brought to you by my friend Wendy and it’s super cool because it is something that is on my bucket list, but have not done yet!
So for those of you who are going to Japan and interested in checking out a sushi place or those that are thinking of doing so in the future (like me), then you want to read this post!
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU DIVE IN TO READ THE REVIEW
Sushi Dai is a restaurant that serves fresh sushi because they are located right by the famous Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo (location change - see point #3). It’s really well known and known to have a long line starting in the wee hours of the morning!
Sushi Dai serves both a la carte and omakase. What is omakase? According to google, it is a a meal consisting of dishes selected by the chef. Basically the chef will pick what to give you on a particular day based on the ingredients they have. In this case, a sushi omakase depends on the type of fish the chef has/would like to serve. In some omakase where you sit right in front of the chef, you can see them make it in front of you and he/she hands you one piece of sushi at a time! Please note that Wendy’s experience below is doing the omakase.
Tsukiji market has recently closed and have been replaced by the Toyosu Fish Market. Sushi Dai has also moved, so if you are interested in eating here…make sure you get to the right place!
Without further ado…Wendy will take it away!
MY EXPERIENCE
I went in September 2016 based on a friend's recommendation. She had been twice and raved about it! Based on my friend's recommendation and some research online, it seemed the way to minimize the wait was to get in the first seating at the restaurant. The restaurant opens at 5am and my friend recommended lining up at around 2:30am to make it into the first seating.
When planning our trip, we knew that the subways would be closed after midnight, so we planned accommodations around the restaurant/fish market location so we can be walking distance from the restaurant/fish market. From reading online - other options were to take a taxi or pay for hourly rates at comic book stores.
We arrived for 2:30am and there already some people ahead of us in line! We counted the number of people and it appeared that we would make it into the first seating and were relieved. Also beforehand, we had gone to a Daiso to buy mats to sit on the floor. However it was rainy that day so we grabbed a stool from the Airbnb we were staying at instead (it was going to be a long wait).
In the restaurant you could order a la carte or omakase (which most people did). At the time, the meal worked out to be about $50CAD for 10 pieces (9 were selected by the chef and 1 selected by the customer - during our seating, everyone selected o-toro (fatty tuna) as their 10th piece because it was sooo good) plus tamago (cooked egg), miso soup, and small tuna & cucumber rolls.
OMAKASE - IN ORDER HOW IT WAS SERVED
OTORO - FATTY TUNA
It was melt in your mouth. There is no words to describe how delicious it was!
SEA BREAM
SPLENDID ALFONSINO
Very pleasantly surprised. Had no idea what this is, but it tasted very fresh! (Click here for picture of the fish)
UNI - SEA URCHIN
Fresh and probably best I've tasted (in comparison to what I’ve tasted in Toronto)
SAURY
TAMAGO
CLAM
One of my tops from the meal! The chef slapped the sashimi prior to placing in front of us to show how fresh it was - the clam still moved!! Almost crunchy-like texture.
MAGURO - RED TUNA
SALMON ROE
We were lucky that this was in season at the time! The chef informed us that what we eat elsewhere is likely have been frozen before, so this was a chance to eat it fresh.
TUNA & CUCUMBER ROLL
SEA EEL
OVERALL COMMENTS ABOUT THE MEAL:
Don’t dip the sushi in soy sauce or use wasabi. The chef serves all the nigiri pre-sauced to match the type of sashimi.
You can eat the sushi with chopsticks but they say traditionally, sushi is eaten with your hands.
I didn't think that I would be hungry for sushi/sashimi at 5am, but because the fish was so fresh and the sushi rice was warm, it was really easy to eat through everything.
The entire meal from start to finish was around 45 minutes.
Before going, make sure to check the restaurant hours for any off or holiday closures. Also be prepared to wait in line!