the.[ED]ition

I’ve eaten a lot of great food in my lifetime. I’ve blown $60 on a burger before. I’ve eaten signature dishes by 10 of Vancouver’s best restaurants in a row. The Dot Com Pho Crew and I even managed to eat out of a toilet. However, I can honestly say that yesterday was one of my favorite meals…ever.

I know this is long, detailed and there are lots of pictures…but bear with me. This restaurant is epic.

There are lots of amazing sushi restaurants in Japan but Sushi Dai, located in the famed Tsukiji Fish Market is the Mecca of sushi, somewhere that all raw fish enthusiasts (I’m sure that’s an official thing…) should make a pilgrimage to at least once in their lifetime. However, expect to wait a long time in line as others like us have made the same spiritual journey. There are many others in the same area in Tsukiji. In fact, Daiwa Sushi, which is three or four stalls down from Sushi Dai, had a long line as well but apparently Sushi Dai is the sushi restaurant.

The whole place is no bigger than my apartment. There are only about 14 seats at the counter where three sushi chefs prepare your meal right in front of your eyes.

I woke up at 5am due to anticipation…and necessity. Tsujiki opens early in the morning with the fish auction starting at about 4:30am. Most restaurants in the market open at 5am as well and close at 2pm, just after lunch service. This means unbelievably fresh fish brought in the same morning. I set out at about 6:30am to meet Ms. Danielle, who was in Tokyo for the day before heading out to the rest of Japan.

Not surprisingly, I got lost…twice. Once when trying to find Danielle’s hotel and again when we were trying to find the market, which is a 15 minute walk from the nearest JR line station. As Danielle quickly found out, Tokyo streets are nearly devoid of all signs and after asking some folks on the street how to get to one of the city’s biggest attractions (Tsukiji Market), I could tell she was starting to believe my theory that even the locals don’t quite know where they are.

Upon arrival at about 9:20am, an Astro Boy looking dude greeted us and brought the bad news: the wait would be about two hours. Since we came all this way, there was no chance we were turning back then or going to one of the other sushi restaurants. No, we were determined that this was the one.

About two hours of standing around and getting to know nearly everyone in line, we finally got inside. The restaurant is cramped but has fantastic ambiance as all the sushi chefs greet you loudly. Even though it’s a huge tourist attraction, it feels like a neighborhood spot.

Let’s get started with the food. Danielle and I both ordered the “trust the chef” meal. I’m sure they mean chef’s special. At 3670 yen for a 11 pieces plus one roll, it’s not exactly cheap but we’re not scrooges.

We got the tamago (sweet egg) first. It was served hot, which is a bit different from the usual cool ones. It was quite good but I wasn’t blown away. It’s difficult to do too much with the most basic of sushi toppings, though.

However, those guys really know how to start with a bang. o-toro (fattiest of the fatty tuna) was next and it was the best tuna I’ve ever had. The whole piece melts in your mouth. If it wasn’t for the rice, I wouldn’t even need to chew. It tasted fresh and rich in flavor. We don’t get this kind of tuna back in Vancouver…with the gorgeous color and marbling. A beautiful piece of fish.

Next up was suzuki (sea bass). I’ve had sea bass before but not as sushi. I watched as the chef prepared the fish, squeezing a bit of lime juice before giving it to us, specifically telling us “No sauce.” The lime juice gives the delicate fish a great zest, which is sort of a different sushi experience. At this point, I ditched the soy sauce altogether…as I’m sure any would just be a disservice to the caliber of fish we were being served.

Tai is red snapper. There’s a big difference when snapper is done properly and when it’s not. Tai that isn’t quite fresh or has been frozen for quite awhile tastes fishy and has a strange, rubbery texture. None of that here. The fish doesn’t melt like the o-toro but it is still extremely good.

There were three stand-outs in the meal for me. The o-toro is one. The uni (sea urchin) was the second. I’ve NEVER had uni this amazing. While sea urchin at a lesser degree of freshness tends to be overly mushy, taste a bit rank and looks like it’s covered in a sort of mucus, this was sweet with a very…uh…”ocean-y” taste to it. Amazing uni. By far the best I’ve ever tasted. No preservatives. Never frozen. Just pure awesome.

Next was a piece of magurozuke, which is marinated tuna. The sauce is a sort of sweet soy and the fresh tuna has incredible texture. It doesn’t have the fat content of the o-toro so it won’t melt but this old school way of preparing the fish still tastes great.

The akagai (red clam) was the third stand-out for me. It was so fresh it was still moving! I’ve never had a clam this delicious in my life. Clams are usually very chewy but this was as soft as chewing through the egg. I was so blown away by this that I almost ordered it rather than the o-toro for my last piece.

I’m not usually a fan of aji (mackerel) as when it’s not perfectly fresh, it tends to have an intense fishy taste. This piece was still intense but not fishy at all. It had a great aroma too. Our chef told us that this was a great time for fresh mackerel and it shows. A fantastic taste to this fish when it is as fresh as possible.

Some fellow foodies told me about the shiraebi (baby shrimp) beforehand. I didn’t know what to think since I’ve never had this before and assumed that it would be the same as regular shrimp but I was really wrong. The texture is slightly gloopy but they have a strong, fresh sweetness.

Kajiki (swordfish) is another fish I’ve eaten before but never as sushi. I can’t really put the taste into words but it is delicious. No, the chef didn’t mess up the rice…I did that because I was so eager to eat it that I forgot to take a picture before picking it up with my chopsticks.

The roll came next. The first is a sort of shellfish with cucumber and the second is diced chu-toro (mid-range fatty tuna, with o-toro being the best and toro being regular fatty tuna). I couldn’t taste much in the shellfish, honestly but the chu-toro was awesome. Dicing it just makes it melt in your mouth faster.

The last was anago (sea eel, steamed…I think). The flavor is nearly the same as unagi with the same sweetness from the fish and the sauce but the texture…it’s so soft that it just disintegrates. The light and fluffiness is incredible.

For our last piece, the chef lets us pick whichever piece we wanted. Danielle and I both went with the o-toro, even though I was so torn between that, the clam and the sea urchin. I was almost sad at this point as the meal was ending but I couldn’t be happier that I was eating such incredible, epic-win, ultra sushi. Danielle and I even discussed the possibility of ordering another $37 meal but we felt sorry for the folks standing outside in the sweltering heat so we snapped a couple more shots and left.

At $37, this isn’t the cheapest way to get sushi. Heck, if you want to order by the piece, each ranges from $3 (for most) to $7 (for the o-toro…with the good stuff like uni and akagai at around $5) per piece. However, it is BY FAR the best sushi I’ve ever had and probably the best place on the planet…period. I honestly don’t see how it could get better and fresher as the source is mere feet away from the restaurant and the chefs are masters, incredibly hospitable and one even spoke some English!

This was a near spiritual experience for me and I’m sure it would be for anyone that loves sushi. If you come to Tokyo, you MUST go. Don’t even think about it (as so many people outside in line were)…just trust the chef and go with the set meal. They’re not always the same things as the menu changes depending on the seasonal ingredients but they’re always guaranteed to be good. I was amazed by the freshness of the ingredients.

Even the miso soup (with chunks of fish…in Danielle’s. All I got was bones) was great. I was on the verge of tears, the meal was so good. I wrote a lot here but my words simply can’t do justice to the outstanding food served at Sushi Dai. As I still have another month and a half here in Tokyo, I will be back again…at least once.

I just don’t know how I’m going to deal with not having this place once I go home…I don’t even want to think about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Japanese food. I can’t get enough zaru soba (cold buckwheat noodles eaten dipped in a light soy sauce) and fresh sushi but honestly, eating it everyday would get tiresome. Probably not anytime soon but…eventually. The good news is that Tokyo is not just about tempura and udon. As I mentioned before, the city has become such an international gourmet city that Michelin called Tokyo the world’s best culinary destination and gave the city’s restaurants a total of 191 stars, nearly tripling the total held by Paris (65). The Japanese have learned from the world’s cuisine and many extremely good Italian, French, etc restaurants have emerged in Tokyo.

What’s more surprising is that you can get a good meal anywhere here…from a humble beef bowl stand to the poshest kaiseki establishments.

I headed to Roppongi Hills since I heard there was a great art exhibit at the Mori Art Museum and sky deck at the top. One of my favorite places is the Tate Modern in London so when I heard that there was a modern art exhibit featuring some pieces borrowed from the Tate, I thought it would be a good way to spend the day. More on the Turner Prize exhibit and the sky deck later on.

I had also heard of a great “fast food” pasta place in Roppongi Hills, a massive shopping/cinema/museum complex, called simply “Te”. Te appears to have been pulled from futuristic, big-brother society movies like Equilibrium or Gattaca with the spotless white walls, white counter, white stools and stainless steel everything else. There are eleven different pastas to choose from, varying from bolognese, tuna and broccoli, and arrabbiata.

Since I love pesto, I thought I’d try the “pasta genovese“, described as fresh basil and pine nuts. There are two chefs behind the counter who greet you warmly and tell you that you make your order, much like many small restaurants in Japan, from the vending machine off to the side. After you get a ticket, they ask if you are eating here or taking it with you.

My meal took about ten minutes to prepare as I watched one chef cook the spaghetti and then toss it in a mix of fresh basil and olive oil (and I think a bit of parmigiano reggiano) before mixing in some pine nuts. Some of the ingredients are prepped before hand but each dish is made to order…and made very quickly!

The pasta is a perfect al dente with a bit of a bite to it and the pesto was so beautiful and fragrant that I scooped the rest into my spoon and ate it after all my noodles were gone. This was one of the best pestos I’ve ever had…miles and miles above the stuff you’d normally get from a grocery store and maybe even better than, dare I say it, many popular Italian restaurants. The portions aren’t huge (you can order an extra large portion for 200 yen more) but very, very good for something that was a mere 680 yen in the world’s most expensive city.

My first experience at Te was so good that I went back after I came out of the Mori Art Museum hours later. The same chefs were still there and I get the idea that they weren’t all that surprised to see me back so quickly. I ordered a spaghetti vongole bianco (fresh clams with olive oil and garlic) to go, to see how this would differ from eating at the counter.

The container was searing hot to the touch and opening it up brought on a cloud of steam that immediately fogged my glasses. I have a feeling that you could probably take this home after a ride on the subway and it would still be nice and warm. The sauce is full of garlic in a light but flavorful olive oil…and look at all those clams!

This isn’t the two or three clams that we saw thrown into random bowls of noodles in Taipei (as well as Dot Com Toilet). It was a freakin’ mountain of them!

I’d hazard a guess that there were probably more clams than spaghetti in my little take-out bowl. They were indeed fresh and every one was open, without any sand or fishy taste that you might get from…lesser quality clams. Perfect for a dish with so much garlic…and all for only 780 yen. A steal in this city.

I think by the time I return to Canada, I will have gone to Te at least two or three more times. It’s that good…and that good of a value. Even though it’s prepared quickly, you get the idea that the chefs take great pride in making each order perfect. I’ve been to Italy (twice!) and I think this place, a little place that sits less than 15 people in a mall in Japan, is just as good… if not better.

Funny thing about Japanese restaurants is that they’re usually well known for one specific thing. While many restaurants in Vancouver or New York or Paris are famous for a certain style of cuisine, Japanese restaurants usually specialize in a single dish or dishes all based on the same ingredient. What you end up with is restaurants that only serve tempura or sushi or soba noodles. Heck, some places even only serve a single dish such as an unagi don (flamebroiled eel on rice) or fugu (pufferfish).

Because it is summer and plenty hot in Tokyo, one of my favorite dishes is zaru soba, which is basically cold buckwheat noodles. It is a perfect summer dish because it is a light and refreshing meal. When made well, it’s delicious. When they’re not, they taste like someone tried to make spaghetti out of cardboard.

Marunouchi is the business district in Tokyo and mostly full of office buildings and the occasional department store. However, nestled in the middle of a massive concrete jungle is a tiny, traditional Japanese house-looking restaurant with a small garden in front of it. I was intrigued and since it was nearly 7pm and all I had was an onigri hours earlier, I was also hungry. After peering through the window to see the restaurant at capacity (always an indication of a decent place to eat) of diners munching on soba noodles, I asked for a seat.

Kanda Yabu Soba opened in 1880, so it has a long, long history of making some of the best soba in the world. All the servers are incredibly friendly and picked up on the fact that my Japanese is horrible right away, bringing me an English menu. It has several different styles of soba noodles, both hot and cold. I ordered a cold Nameko soba since I love mushrooms as well as an appetizer of braised duck breast. Oh, and a bottle of sake.

The duck breast arrived first, served on what I assume is a bed of shaved radish with a dollop of mustard. The duck is served cold but is delicious and incredibly flavorful. I tried it with the mustard as well but since the mustard is very potent, it sort of overwhelms the duck…even though the duck itself is a strong flavor.

I was a tad perplexed when my Nameko soba arrived since I’m used to dipping my noodles in the sauce and slurping them noisily. When I saw that it was all in the same bowl, I have to admit I was a bit confused. However, this dish is fan-freakin’-tastic.

The soba noodles are perfect. Not mushy…not cardboard-y…but perfect buckwheat noodles. The nameko mushrooms and grated radish are perfect as a cold dish as each mushroom explodes in your mouth with the earthy flavor of mushrooms and taking on the flavor of the tsuyu (er…the soba sauce, if you will). I thoroughly enjoyed this bowl of noodles…right down to the last drop of the tsuyu, since after you’re finished, the waitress brings you a teapot full of the water that the noodles were cooked in (sorry, I forget what she called it) to pour into the sauce to make soup, which is a heck of a lot easier than picking up each mushroom since some of them are rather tiny.

After that, I decided I hadn’t really had enough of their noodles and ordered a plain zaru soba as well. As with my Nameko soba, the noodles are perfect.

The sake they gave me was a relatively decent one. It isn’t labeled so I can’t tell you what brand it is. I asked for a cold one since they’re usually the better sakes. Hot sake is lesser quality stuff that is heated to cover up the crappiness. It was a tad sweet for my taste (although I don’t like sweet stuff as much as most people) but easy to drink and great for summer.

The restaurant itself is a very nice place to be. From what I just read right now on the net after Googling the romanized version of the name, this is apparently one of the most famous soba places in Tokyo and the owners are quite established in the art of making noodles. Kanda Yabu Soba is set in a beautiful traditional building, with half on traditional tatami mats and the other with regular tables and chairs. The place just oozes warmth and serenity.

It has a very special kind of ambiance, especially with the lady behind the counter reading orders out in a sort of Japanese poetry style. At first, I was wondering what was going on and what CD they had in the player, but after awhile, it’s actually rather soothing. The staff are very attentive and very friendly.

The only real problem with Kanda Yabu Soba is the price and portions, as the former is rather high and the latter is a tad small. Portions in Tokyo are never truly large but if you are a big eater, you might not be satisfied here unless you spend a fortune. My bill (nameko soba, zaru soba, duck and a bottle of sake) came to 3300 yen. The Nameko is 1100, the sake 800 and soba/duck 700 each. Not absurd but when you consider that a serving of soba is usually twice the size and half the price, it does seem on the high side even if this is probably one of the best places for soba in the city. You could also probably eat here a lot cheaper but…where’s the fun in that?!

However, the quality of the noodles is higher than any other place I’ve been to so far. This is the best soba I’ve had since I arrived in Tokyo three weeks ago…and I’ve eaten a lot of it. For the experience and quality of the food, I’d definitely give them a recommendation.

After a long day last week, I ate at a little curry place on the bottom floor of a department store n Shinjuku. It wasn’t as epic as our curry in Taipei (if Stephen will ever get around to showing people that video) but the rice omelette with curry was quite good. Afterwards, I walked around and saw an interesting dessert stand selling mochi, which are basically flavored rice paste. They were sold as three pieces of a skewer for 105yen so I thoght, why the hell not? I’m not big on desserts, really but for a buck I’ll try it.

In my poor gaijin-esque Japanese, I asked “One, please.” and pointed at the skewers. The cheerful lady behind the counter told me how much it was and accepted payment. Honestly, I thought she would just hand me one or put it in a small paper pouch or something. I mean, I don’t know what I’m buying…I just want to give it a try. Instead, she proceeded with what was probably the most elaborate wrapping scheme I’ve ever seen for such a cheap item.

She first put it into a small plastic wrapper, then into a small plastic box. The small plastic box is first taped once on each side and then once all around. With the small plastic box now impossible to open conveniently, I expected her to now hand that to me. No, instead the box goes into a small plastic bag and then bound with a rubber band. The box now more secure than Fort Knox…now goes into a disproportionately large plastic bag. All this for a 105 yen mochi skewer that I was going to eat near immediately.

Now I sort of know the reasoning behind some of this. Not only are Japanese people incredibly tidy and want all products to be sealed in ways that would survive the end of the world but you are expected to take things home before use.

Tip #1 for travelers going to Japan: Do not eat while you’re on the go. Do not eat while walking, while riding a bike and especially not on the train. Doing so is rude and while I suspect they don’t expect us silly foreigners to abide by these regulations…we shouldn’t do it anyways. It’s okay to stand or sit somewhere and eat but not while you’re moving. I found a nearby table to try to solve the impossible puzzle that was my mochi and…well, it tastes exactly how you’d expect, really.

It was okay…I liked that it wasn’t too sweet and the green one was actually pretty nice.

But aren’t we supposed to be trying to clean up our act here? What’s with all the excessive plastic wrapping in Japan? Whenever I buy the smallest thing, people want to put it in bags for me even though I’m usually carrying my messenger bag with me and seem puzzled when I request that they not give me a bag (which is usually taped shut…and then sometimes put into a slightly larger bag).

Please, people of Japan…I’m not exactly the biggest environmentalist on the planet but even I know needless waste when I see it.

That being said, I highly recommend that you all read the latest issues of Wired and GQ, which have some very interesting articles on the myths and reality of saving our planet.

Tokyo has really become one of the foremost culinary destinations for gourmets everywhere. In fact, the city has become such a great place for food that Michelin called Tokyo the world’s best by bestowing the city with a total of 191 stars, nearly tripling the total held by Paris (65). I know I’ll be doing a lot of touristy things in Japan but I also wanted to experience the city’s wonderful live music, art scene and, of course, the many fantastic restaurants the Tokyo has to offer…especially those that most might not know about.

One of my first destinations was Kaikaya, a small izakaya with a red awning that only seats about 30. It took me about half an hour to find the place even though I had the exact address…mostly due to the absurd numbering address system that Japan uses that I’m sure even confuses those who actually live here. It is located maybe ten to fifteen minutes from the Shibuya train station.

Like many Japanese restaurants, Kaikaya is closed between lunch and dinner. I arrived a little early, just before 6:00pm when the place opens. I did not have a reservation but owner Teruyuki Tange greeted me warmly and gave me a seat at the counter. Reservations are a must here since the maybe 30 seats filled up very quickly. It can get quite cramped and noisy so carrying a conversation requires you to raise your voice a bit but it is a fun place to be.

Taking your order is the cheerful manager Ippei Takei, who tried his best to serve me despite his limited English…which was the better alternative to my absolutely horrible Japanese. Luckily, there is a bi-lingual menu available and when all else fails, you can simply point to what you want on it.

Ippei-san recommended the fish carpaccio and the prawns, which he reckons are probably the most popular items on the menu. This was confirmed by the rest of the patrons as I saw many people with the same or similar dishes in front of them. Kaikaya is known for both their traditional dishes of fresh seafood (mostly sashimi) as well as their more fusion-influenced creations.

My Sengyo no Carpaccio (fresh fish carpaccio with garlic, olive oil, balsamico and sweet basil) was crafted right in front of my eyes as the chef carefully sliced through the fresh fish and arranged it like flower pedals on a plate before handing it to another to finish the dish with the pesto, garlic and a salad. I’ve had similar dishes in Vancouver at places such as Guu with Garlic and although they’re good, this one is better. The fish is incredibly fresh and the garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and basil explode in your mouth.

The Ebi no Ebiniyoru Ebi-Sousu (prawns with prawn sauce) arrived shortly after. I was a bit skeptical about the sauce, which is made of prawn brains. I have no problem eating prawn brains (sucking them out of the heads is so delicious) but it didn’t seem like something to make sauce out of. I was absolutely wrong on that part, really. The sauce is somewhat like a tangy honey mustard and delicious. It’s a wonderful match with the prawns, which are a good size (no tiny, shrunken shrimpy ones here) and served in a crispy wonton bowl.

All this deliciousness comes at a price. The carpaccio and prawns were 1000 yen each and with a couple of beers and the table charge, my bill came to 3500 yen. Not cheap but a reasonable price for the fantastic food and the hospitality. After I finished, both Ippei-san and Tange-san asked me if I enjoyed my food and were very pleased that I did. Tange-san was quite interested to hear that I had come from Canada and showed me some pictures of Canadian band Simple Plan when the visited Kaikaya recently. A quick browse through the many, many pages of satisfied customers on Kaikaya’s website show several Japanese celebrities, baseball players and even the designers for American streetwear brand Stüssy. He was quite happy and proud to hear that I had a great experience at his restaurant. He walked me out and wished me well as he pointed in the direction I should go, after I told him of the difficulty I had finding his restaurant. If you can find it in the urban jungle of Tokyo, Kaikaya is a gem that is well worth the search.