Reservation for Sushi Ginza Kyubey Restaurant in Tokyo

Reviews (13)

• Stephen

  Good. Must try

  Good must try

• Andrew

  very good place to go with friends

  atmosphere was great, food was superb, and the chefs were very interactive. would highly recommend to go if have 4 or more people with you.

• Ziyu

  amazing

  Second time，great food！

• Sen Ji

  Sushi artisans preserving the art of of Edomae sushi

  I arrived at Kyubey right on time for my 6pm reservation, and after confirming my last name, I was whisked away to the second floor. I was tucked away at the very corner of the sushi counter, before a flurry of Japanese businessmen filled the whole establishment. Kyubey is nestled on the soutern side of Ginza, just a stone's throw away from Tsukiji market.
  
  I was promotly served starters of Shirako (cod sperm milt) tofu and Hotaru Ika (firefly squid) which were in season in winter and spring respectively. Sashimi was then presented piece by piece just as I finished the last piece: Hirame (flounder), Chutoro (fatty tuna), Hamaguri (Clams) and Awabi (Abalone) carefully selected and presented with fresh wasabi, seaweed and shredded daikon. Live kurumaebi was brought out, one served raw and the other piece served lightly steamed. The raw piece slammed against the cutting board, exuding the natural sweetness of the shrimp and severing any extraneous firmness in the shrimp's flesh. The boiled one concentrated the sweetness of the shrimp, especially the head of the shrimp which was left intact. The tail and the head of the raw shrimp were then deep fried and eaten whole.
  
  Then came the tsukemono (pickles): a sandwich of 2 slices of pickled daikon with umeboshi (pickled plum paste), shiso (perilla leaf) and sesame seeds. This served to cleanse the palette after the course of sashimi. Then I was served grilled Otoro (fattiest tuna) which melts in the mouth because of the interwoven fat of the tuna. Kyubey prides itself on being minimalist with their seasoning, using only the simplest of ingredients like salt, soy sauce and sudatchi juice to preserve the freshness and natural flavour of the seafood. Then came the steamed Madai (Sea Bream) sushi nestled under a sakura leaf, almost like a poetic expression that spring has arrived, and also a signal that the sushi course was next.
  
  First came the chutoro, kuromutsu (blue fish), ma Ika (squid) and kodai (young sea bream) in quick succession. Each building upon the umami of the last piece, multiplying and concetrating the flavours from each successive piece. The rice was seasoned just well, not too vinegary as with some edomae practioners like Sukiyabashi Jiro. Then came the bafun uni (sea urchin) nestled on a battleship gunkan of wrapped in crisp nori seaweed, bursting with umami.
  
  It is worth noting that the flow of sushi served is different from other places as Kyubey prepares sushi in order of amount of seasoning used as well as the strength of flavour of the fish. So milder, more delicate fish were served first, and subsequently sushi with heavier seasoning is served. Next came the torigai (cockle) seasoned with salt and sudatchi juice, gushing with the saltiness of the ocean breeze with every bite. Then came the Otoro sushi, which has been carefully aged for almost a week. Sushi isn't always about serving it as fresh as it is, contrary to popular belief, some fish are left to age to develop the umami and improve its texture over time, much like how beef is aged to concentrate it's flavour. Next was katsuo (skipjack tuna) which has a slightly more pungent aroma and was slightly charred on the skin side and served with grated ginger. The anago (conger eel ) was then served as 2 pieces, one with just salt and the other with a thick kaesgi sauce, made of mirin (sweetened rice wine), soy sauce and sake boiled down with katsuobushi (bonito flakes). Then came the maki of negitoro (minced tuna), cucumber and kanpyo (pickled gourd). Lastly tamago (egg) is served as a final piece, and I chose to have mine served as nigiri. Eggs may not seem all that spectacular, but the traditional way is to cook the omelette over charcoal as one solid piece, instead of the tamagoyaki style of making multiple thin layers. This traditional style has a soft texture, almost like a firm custard, that allows the taste of the egg to shine through.
  
  The chef then asked me if I wanted any seconds, and I asked for mirugai (geoduck) and he obliged. The mirguai was firm and had a mild sweetness to it that is characteristic of such shellfish especially when eaten raw.
  
  Lastly, dessert of Japanese musk melon was served, and I was left go soak in the atmosphere of the evening, of lively chatter of businessmen woeing their clients and their mistresses. To be honest, it is quite steep to dine at Kyubey (I had the most expensive set) but it is truly the artistic merit of the chefs, who deserve to be acknowledged as artisans in their own right, and I can't deny the price of art. You're paying for more than just a meal, you're paying for an artistic experience. Also the master himself, chef Yosuke Imada, 2nd generation owner chef of Kyubey made an appearance too. His father was one of the innovators who created many haute creations of nigiri such as the gunkan style of sushi which I had the uni served on rice wrapped in nori seaweed. While it certainly is just the tip of the ginza sushiya iceberg, it still served pretty damn good sushi and it's a more realistic vision of sushi than the esoteric world of Jiro or Saito. Think not of the stars that Michelin has given, precisely because they're not the most qualified to judge sushi, but taste it for yourself and formulate your own judgement. Michelin guidebooks are just that, a guide, they're not the bible with cardnial rules set in stone. It's up to the diner to form his or her own opinion on what they like about sushi, and I liked Kyubey because they turned edomae sushi into an artform, not just sushi for the sake of sushi, but to do justice to the produce and hone their skill while preserving age old techniques. Definitely a worthwhile experience with an open mind and an objective pallette.

• Jonathan

  excellent service ! friendly staff !

  for the price its a well worth experience ! will definitely be back to this establishment.

• Matthew
  We had an amazing time at sushi kyubei, possibly the best sushi experience of our lives, thank you for the booking.

• Pedro

  Great dinning experience, terrible Voyagin customer support

  The dinner was great - Voyagin customer support, however, was not. Each reservation I tried to get depended on the payment of a reservation fee - which would be refunded, if the reservation was declined. I needed to do three booking requests until they recommended Ginza Kyubey and, of the two booking that did not result in a reservation, only one was refunded. After contacting them via e-mail, it has been almost a week and there's still no sign on their part on solving the issue. I would avoid the site, given that there's better and cheaper alternatives.

• Doha

  Must Go

  Fantastic food - really great experience. Bookable through any good hotel concierge though; didn't warrant Voyagin booking fees.

• Michael

  It was one of our happiest and tasty moment in Tokyo. Thank you!

  We have an excellent time with creative and caring chef and stuffs

• Wei-Chun

  Great experience

  It's really great!