All-you-can-eat counter sushi for 4,000 yen!Tokyo Metropolitan University's "Shin Tanaka" is too amazing.
Sushi, beloved by every Japanese! You could eat it every day and still never tire of it, couldn't you!? That said, don't you ever feel that with the price on your mind you don't eat as much as you'd like, leaving you feeling unsatisfied? Well, there is good news for those having this experience! Having heard of a store serving authentic, all-you-can-eat Edomae-style sushi to be eaten at the counter for an incredible price of around 4,000 yen, I went to see it in-person.
What is "Sushidokoro(Sushi Spot) Shin Tanaka"?
In a place 5 minutes walking from the south exit of the Tokyu Toyoko line's Toritsu-daigaku Station (on your right exiting the ticket gate), stands the store we introduce to you this time, "Sushidokoro(Sushi Spot) Shin Tanaka." The inside of store solely consists of an L-shaped counter. Although I entered at 9PM all 14 seats were full, so the height of the excitement was palpable. Soon shown to a relaxed plain wooden table, I ordered a beer. And with no further ado, let's dig in!!
Right, time to brave the all-you-can-eat sushi!
"I want to eat sushi without worrying about the bill."
Built on a foundation of this head chef's thinking is an all-you-can-eat course that has continued for over 10 years. For a duration of 70 minutes upon entering the store, sushi, sushi rolls, and battleship rolls can be ordered made with your favourite ingredients. Including fish scrap soup and dessert for approx. 4,000 yen, the cost performance is stellar. Among the clientele younger customers numbered highly, and the store interior was bustling. I would recommend you arrange for a reservation before going. If you give them a call, be sure to specify "I would like the all-you-can-eat course, please."
The all-you-can-eat course goes something like this:
Fatty tuna belly and pickled tuna nigiri signal the start.
Upon journeying to my seat, the fatty tuna belly and pickled tuna nigiri sushi arrived first. These signal the start of the all-you-can-eat course. And now begins a wonderful time when you can enjoy all-you-can-eat with your favourite menu selections! Next, I will show some of the sushi I tried.
After placing your order, the boiled shrimp is boiled and formed into nigiri just for you. Through boiling, the shrimp's sweetness was enhanced and quite delicious.
Righteye flounder fin meat (left) and sea bream (right). The fin meat was fatty and filling; a masterpiece of a dish.
Boiled orient clams. I enjoyed the plump clams with a sweet tare sauce poured on top.
Mid-meal the fish scrap soup made its entrance.
After around 30 minutes passed, the fish scrap soup arrived. The ingredients consist of fish scraps, shrimp and so on, and they change from time to time. During my visit it was shrimp, but the dashi stock was really impressive; delicious enough that I could not help but drink it completely.
And for dessert: watermelon, oh my!
For the final stage, a dessert of watermelon arrives. Upon witnessing my surprise, the head chef's smile confirmed his intentions. And to taste, how sweet it was!! The insides of my mouth were refreshed and felt nothing short of blissful. As a matter of fact, the dessert is always watermelon no matter what the season. This is about how the all-you-can-eat course goes.
All counter-seating. With a sushi restaurant's atmosphere, supreme satisfaction!
If you think of a sushi restaurant, it's always counter-seating, isn't it. Do you not yearn to take your place in a scene where you order "toro!" after meeting eyes with the sushi chef?
Shin Tanaka's seating is entirely counter-seating. "We are a sushi restaurant, after all. We want our customers to experience the sushi restaurant atmosphere of ordering at the counter." - such is the head chef's distinction. If you chat with the chef while placing your orders, you get the feeling that you have made your sushi restaurant "debut" and there is a great sense of satisfaction. Not to mention that being all-you-can-eat, you'll be overjoyed at being able to order without worrying about the price.
There is an abundant variety of ingredients!
Using standard ingredients there are sushi rolls and even battleship rolls, but many other ingredients are regularly available. Depending on the time of year seasonal ingredients are available in varying quantities, however usually there are about 50-60 varieties available to eat. Ordering one piece at a time, let's try a wide variety of ingredients.
You can eat sushi late at night until 2AM.
The store is open for business late at night until 2AM. Both salarymen unable to eat working overtime and people simply thinking "it's late in the night, but I could go for some sushi" must be thankful. However, those hoping for the all-you-can-eat course should arrive before 1 o'clock!
And finally, the cost performance is truly supreme.
I'm repeating myself, but with all of these features the price of the all-you-can-eat course is approx. 4,000 yen. Within the span of 70 minutes I ate around 40 pieces of sushi and despite ordering a small beer received change back from my 5,000 yen.
This is definitely for those of us thinking "I like sushi, but my wallet..." or "I'd like to try counter sushi, but my wallet..." You can enjoy delicious sushi at a reasonable price.
These are the most popular dishes!
1. "Conger eel," boiled and fresh with 2 different flavours.
Shin Tanaka's famous conger eel. The picture above is of the boiled conger eel. Enjoy 2 different flavours with the salt and tare sauce. Bite into its crispy texture. The tingling heat of grated daikon radish with red pepper brought out the the flavour of the eel and was rather delicious.
2. Sample and Compare the Firmness - "3 Varieties of Squid"
From the rear right, bigfin reef squid, spear squid, and golden cuttlefish. Although they all appear the same, starting with the bigfin their meat gradually becomes firmer. Although the bigfin is melt-in-your-mouth tender, the spear squid is not swallowed so easily. Please enjoy the different textures of these 3 varieties of squid.
3. Live Japanese Tiger Prawn Nigiri Sushi
Freshly cut and formed into nigiri sushi it remains alive,
the tail moved energetically and gave me a startle! Compared to the boiled shrimp this perfectly fresh live Japanese tiger prawn does not have as much sweetness, but being that it does have such a crispy mouthfeel I found it delicious all the same. Let's take it in one hand and gulp it down. From the picture you cannot tell that it's moving, so please see the video.
Did you enjoy the sushi of "Sushidokoro(Sushi Spot) Shin Tanaka," the restaurant where you can sit down to a counter serving delicious all-you-can-eat sushi? Sitting at the counter and being able to enjoy your sushi without worrying about the cost is an exercise in considerate management; in the head chef's own words "I want people to know the appeal of sushi. Not simply being full, but being content." Why not make your way to the store and try sushi brimming with the head chef's emotions?
Food Publicist YUICHI
Born July 1, 1984 in Kanagawa Pref. During school he specialised in Spanish language, and post-graduation worked with trading and translation companies, leading a life completely unrelated to food. Beginning employment at his current company in 2010, he returned home one day depressed from the single Osaka living he couldn't get used to and the difficulty of work when he made miso soup for dinner, a positively uplifting sensation through which he experienced the healing power of cooking. Since then he has cooked many a dish, for now is his chance to strive towards working as a cook. While managing his work in PR, he leverages his writing of recipes allowing simple cooking for singles and 4 years of experience writing mainstream articles as a serial columnist for gourmet media.
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