2 1/2 hour wait, but it was worth it.

We can’t seem to avoid posts which are about Japanese food. But I figured letting everyone know about Sushi Dai was too good to pass up, and it might come in handy for anyone visiting Japan anytime soon. It wasn’t too long ago that I would constantly hear ” But I heard Japan is really expensive ? “. These days, you can hop on a plane to Tokyo or Osaka for as little as $400AUD during a Jetstar sale.

Tsukiji Market is the Tokyo equivelent to the Sydney Fish Markets here in Sydney, though Tsukiji is actually the biggest seafood market in the world. Tourists flock here all year around, it might have something to do with a few tiny sushi restaurants which have massive queues. It is apparently one of the top places to have sushi and sashimi and judging by the queues we saw this might well be the case. Who in their right mind would queue (standing) for 2 to 3 hours for a meal ? It has to be good right ?

Also before I go on, this is a pretty long post. But if your a fan of sushi and seafood and plan on visiting Japan soon, then Tsukiji should definately be on your hit list.

It doesn’t matter where you go in Japan, there is bound to be some random moments occuring. Today I bring you a man with a number plate on his head.

Behind the scenes

We arrived late at 11am and joined the back of the queue. We were told it would be atleast two hours before we would be seated, we obliged. If we’re going to try the “best” sushi in Japan, we’re willing to wait for it.

Five minutes into lining up, I decided to go for a walk while Teresa and Tim stayed in line. I walked all around the different aisles in the market and snapped a few interesting shots of chefs and kitchen staff going about their usual routines in their tiny restaurants. Some of these guy would have been up since the wee hours of the morning buying seafood from the auctions and having them ready for hungry patrons during breakfast.

One hour later, we get hungry.

Our stomachs couldn’t take it anymore, so I went for another walk in search of a “snack”.

I think this cost us 2500 yen which at the time was a whopping $42AUD (59 yen = $1AUD Feb 2009). We travelled at the lowest point of the Japanese yen but didn’t let it bother our trip too much (though my credit card bill would show another story).

As you can see the fish was very fresh with precise care taken with the knifesmanship as well. It was an expensive snack, but well worth it.

Sushi Dai, finally.

The wait in total was 2 1/2 hours. Why did we wait ? We had been recommended from various people that Sushi Dai was a must visit for sushi fans. There were only two restaurants in this little alley which had people lining up. Teresa had already been to Daiwai Sushi during her previous trip to Japan, which was enough to convince Tim and I to give Sushi Dai a go.

The lines snaked their way outside the alley itself and onto the footpath which led to other alleys. This was the queue next door for Daiwa Sushi which was just as long as Sushi Dai’s.

To save on space this bag rack was a stroke of genius. Patrons would put their bags on top, directly above their seats.

We had this Chef serve us for our entire meal. He was great value and spoke with us during the entire meal. Despite his lack of english, he tried his best to communicate and crack a few jokes. The good was also his willingness to tell and show us how to eat each sushi. Some required soy and wasabi , some didn’t. Some were better if eaten in one shot while some were better after a few bites. He looked after us welll in this regard.

The rate at which these Chef’s prepare the sushi is bloody damn quick. Even the young guy at the end was keeping up, we were really impressed. You know what was also impressive, they didn’t mind me taking photos at all.

There are no plates here, all the food is served directly on the wooden counter bench in front of you. Hygeine isn’t a problem, it’s the Japanese after all! I would eat off their toilets if forced to.

Omakase Set (3900 yen)

We chose the Omakase set which also gives you the option of one more item from the menu. With each set you get hot green tea, miso soup, soy sauce and wasabi and fresh ginger slices which are continuedly topped up as you run out.

In summary, it’s without a doubt the best sushi I have ever had. The reason for this is the freshness of the seafood and the craftmanship behind each piece. They don’t do anything fancy here, with maybe a little bit of wasabi and a slightly thick soy sauce in each piece. I’m not the biggest seafood fan out there but on this day I was converted into a vegequarian. The only other place in Sydney which I have had a similiar experience was Azuma at Chifley Plaza but that was still not on par with Sushi Dai in terms of freshness.

It’s not just the food that was good either, the Chef’s were helpful and enthusiastic to customers regardless of whether you were a native or a foreigner. I admire their enthusiasm considering they start serving at 5am or 6am.

I won’t go into full detail for all the pieces as there isn’t much to say, apart from the fact that it was the freshest sushi I have ever tasted.

This was probably my favourite, the fattyness made this taste unbelievable. To me, it is the wagyu beef of tuna.

A slight twist on your regular miso soup with infused fish. The fish was definately noticable, letting off a strong aroma.

If my memory serves me correctly, I think this was still moving when he put it on my bench.

If there was one downside, it was these sushi rolls. They still had the melt in your experience due to the tuna, but it wasn’t let’s just say it didn’t leave a party in my mouth compared to what happened below.

Oh so creamy!

I didn’t let the name put me off, infact I deliberately chose this because of the name. Who would give up the chance to tell all your friends you have eaten the sperm from the sack of a cod fish ?

You know, I really hate to say this but the only way to describe the sperm from the sacks of a cod was that it was very creamy. From a culinary sense, it tasted a bit like Japanese mayonaise (Kewpi).

They scream out the usual Japanese greetings whenever someone enters and leaves the tiny restaurant.

There’s always room for dessert …

I was pretty stuffed from that meal, but it’s not often you get to have Pierre Herme for dessert because it happens to be “on the way” back. I chose the chocolate sorbet and it tasted more like gelato than it did sorbet, perhaps due to the high quality chocolate which was super rich. I actually liked it this way and despite costing $12, it was well worth it.

While roaming the streets I noticed this bit of graffiti which looked rather spooky.

Sushi Dai

Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo
Building 6, 3rd alley, 3rd shop on the right.
If you can’t find it, look for 2 restaurants right next to each other with massive queues of people.