Sushi Ao (้ฎจ ใใ)
๐ฃ Sushi / ๐ Aoyama
๐ Visits: 2 (2024, 2020)
After a glowing review on Tokyo Table Trip it was time for a revisit to Sushi Ao. My first visit was almost 3.5 years ago and I wasn't impressed but since then I've been eating more and more sushi so perhaps I would appreciate it more?
Back then lunch was JPY 23,000 + tax and dinner JPY 27,500 + tax. I went for lunch but it seems like dinner was better value: 17 nigiri, makimono, tamago, owan and dessert for lunch or the same for dinner plus 5-6 tsumami. Prices have gone up 13% for lunch and 20% for dinner since then and they went up again in April 2024. Sushi price increases show no sign of slowing down so this is not unexpected but what is unexpected is fewer pieces in the course. This time there were just 13 nigiri and recent Tabelog reviews suggest just 12-13 nigiri at lunch now. If I'd known that beforehand I might not have bothered.
As it happened I hadn't done these comparisons in advance and I was just (trying to) enjoy what I was given. The tsumami were almost all unadorned fish with no creativity. The best of these was kinmedai shabu shabu, the ponzu daikon and nira elevating the deliciously fatty splendid alfonsino. With one exception the neta were all large. Rice (as expected from an ex-Jiro chef) was seasoned with kome-zu only and was very sour and soft. The hirame was chewy. Akami was not zuke but was high enough in quality that it didn't need it. The uni was just fine. The best pieces in the set were the anago and an outstanding tamago, rich in ebi. The otoro was sinew-free but sliced wafer-thin so you completely missed out on the explosion of oils you should get in your mouth when eating really great toro. If the chef was going to skimp on the toro he should have at least reduced the size of the shari so it didn't feel like you were mostly eating rice.
Apart from the otoro (which was just cost control at play) there were no faults like on my first visit where the aji was so overpowered with ginger I could hardly taste the fish. Back then I also noted the ikura was particularly unremarkable. Awabi (nigiri) was seasoned with shoyu then but salt is better. You can argue that is a matter of preference but most chefs prefer salt! Kuruma ebi was exemplary back then, as it was this time.
The chef didn't really engage with guests this time. His sous chef could speak some English but wasn't around to name the sushi during the course (no idea what he as doing in the back kitchen). The room is quite spacious for a sushi restaurant and features natural lighting during the day and an unusual darkwood counter.
The sushi was lacking in umami for me with seasonings more on the sour side. It reminded me of Sushi Keita where the chef uses very light seasonings and doesn't age his fish. If that's your style of sushi you might enjoy Sushi Ao but if anything my opinion went down on my second visit: no outstanding fish and a massive drop in value so still not somewhere I can recommend.
Had I not been before and had the otoro been sliced more thickly I would have rated Sushi Ao 4.0. While it's not to my my taste I can appreciate quality. Instead my meal was just disappointing but writing this review made me mad.
๐ https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1306/A130602/13246982/
❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.75 (value: 3.2)
๐ฑ Booking: ๐ง Omakase only: https://omakase.in/en/r/ut138135. Slots fill up very quickly.
๐ Location:
2F FPG links OMOTESANDO B building, 3-10-13 Kita-Aoyama. 1 min from Omotesando station Exit B2 (stairs only) or a few minutes from Exit B5. Not the easiest place to find. Behind the Ao Building on Aoyama Dori. Building B is at the back of the development on the left. If you find yourself in a lift that won't take you to 2F you're in the wrong building, A, which is not connected. The signage only has the restaurant's logo. To add to the fun there's an FPG links OMOTESANDO II building around the corner.
Map data ©2021 Google
๐ Visit: January 2024
๐ Ezo awabi
๐ Yude taco
๐ Komochi ika
๐ Tai, tairagai
๐ Kinmedai shabu shabu
๐ Fugu shirako
=6
๐ฃ Hirame
๐ฃ Sumi ika
๐ฃ Shima aji
๐ฃ Akami
๐ฃ Chutoro
๐ฃ Otoro
๐ฃ Kohada
๐ฃ Akagai
๐ฃ Kuruma ebi
๐ฃ Sayori
๐ฃ Hamaguri
๐ Uni gunkan-maki
=12
๐ฅซ Owan
๐ฃ Anago
๐ฅ Tamago
๐ต Tea
๐ Ichigo
๐ด Damage: 38,270 inc. two small bottles of water
⏱️ Time taken: 2h15m
๐ Visit: October 2020
๐ฃ Hirame
๐ฃ Shin ika
๐ฃ Shima aji
๐ฃ Akami zuke
๐ฃ Chutoro
๐ฃ Otoro
๐ฃ Kohada
๐ฃ Hamaguri
๐ฃ Aji
๐ฃ Awabi
๐ฃ Kuruma ebi
๐ฃ Katsuo
๐ฃ Kobashira
๐ฃ Iwashi
๐ฃ Uni
๐ฃ Anago
๐ฃ Ikura
๐ฃ Tekka maki
=18
๐ฅ Tamago
๐ Melon (dessert)
๐ด Damage: 26k incl. water
⏱️ Time taken: 1h15m
Hi! Just wanted to comment to thank you for the great blog entries, I read them religiously and always enjoy them. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind feedback. It means a lot, especially from you.
DeleteI ate there about 2 weeks ago (Nov 2024) for the first time. It was also my first time in Japan. I was the only diner at the 10 seat counter. I had not read this blog previously, but I agree with it entirely. My own thought as I left was " lacked umami" and since I dont consider myself an expert, I feel validated by this post.
ReplyDeleteI live in NY and I have had better sushi in New York City and Tel Aviv! While the experience was novel (first timer in Japan) I do not think it was worth the price. (44000). The Chef was engaged and spoke little English , though the maitre de did and with google translate we managed. Ceramics used were nice, but if the fish isnt up to par, its hardly a consolation.
Thank you for the considered comment. Strange that you were the only person there - I'd expect them to be full on every seating. I recommend Sushi Yuuki if you'd like to try Jiro-style sushi.
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