Sushi Namba Hibiya (鮨 なんば 日比谷)
⭐⭐⭐⭐
🍣 Sushi / 📍 Hibiya
📓 Visits: 7 (2021-2024)
If my only two visits to Sushi Namba Hibiya had been my two most recent I might have been wondering what the fuss was about. There were a few 10s: the saba on both visits, the shirako in February and the awabi in September. But (compared with previous visits) those were the only standouts. The iwashi was better at Sushi Nishizaki the same month. There was no ankimo in my September visit. The kinki-ni had less fat compared with previous visits and its dashi was a bit strong. Uni was only available for an extra charge in September (+JPY 4,000) and Namba-san worked in silence for the entire meal in February. All of this is in a period when prices are ever-rising. So these two meals just didn't feel as good as meals I've had here in the past, which (read on) have been some of the best sushi meals I've ever had.
There's a great review of Sushi Namba on Eric Yu's blog The Pursuit of Food Perfection. If you don't know too much about Sushi Namba I thoroughly recommend reading that review and the TableAll write-up so I won't repeat the history here.
The sourcing of the neta really is consistently in the top handful of sushi restaurants in Tokyo, with many items you won't be able to find a better version of anywhere. The saba is consistently the best I've had anywhere and completely odourless. The bottan ebi is only beaten by Sushi Fujinaga. The awabi has deepest flavour of any awabi I've had at any sushi restaurant: you'll get just one piece and you'll be craving for more. I'm not really into shellfish but Namba-san's and Sawada's are the best I've had anywhere. The 'signature' ribbon shiro ika and the kinki-ni are really worthy of that label.
If you know a little you'll know Namba-san has obsessive attention to temperature control, and it really pays off. It's so easy to ruin an item with rice that's too warm or neta that's too cold. I've never had a piece of sushi that's been served too cold (or too warm) here.
If anything sets apart Namba-san from his peers is his creativity. Dishes like ankimo paste on toast, awabi kimo chocolate; tamago topped with dried Shiba-ebi, seasonal vegetable specials as good as any kaiseki restaurant like nasu puree in October, soup from sweetcorn harvested the same morning in August, matsutake
bigger than the size of your hand in October. Namba-san trims his
ankimo at the counter, discarding about 80% of the liver and only
serving the heart. That said, the ankimo served during my most recent
visit to Sugita
was better, and as I mentioned, on one visit here it was not served.
But it's consistently a world away from the ankimo served at any other
restaurant I've been to. The video below (sped up 3x) shows Namba-san preparing his ankimo.
The nigiri are pretty much perfect. The shari is quite small, and strong in seasoning, but Namba-san actually varies this according to the type of the neta (larger for tuna). The neta are certainly not huge. Occasionally they can be very small (the sayori, the kochi) but generally I wouldn't say they were small. Tuna is supplied by Yamayuki. At least 9/10 on every visit, though you usually only get two cuts.
The food is more inconsistent than at Sushi Saito or Sugita. Iwashi maki on visit #2 was less good than the saba maki on visit #1, this a bit woolly too. Tachiuo yakimono on visit #2 was a bit dry and too salty. Anago was a bit strong on visit #1. On visit #3 there was a dish of aged ikura and nori. This tasted like a used condom. The kohada has been very inconsistent. Thankfully, now that Namba-san's assistant, Takanashi-san has grown in experience, the 'omuchirashi' seems to be a thing of the past. But the occasional faults are more than made up for by those moments that will blow you away.
Whether or not it's possible to request additional items seems to vary. Namba-san does two sittings at lunch now so if you're in the first sitting he disappears into the side room once the course is over. Prior to that I've seen him accept additional orders for makimono but not for extra nigiri. Sometimes he'll have something that's not included in the course and will ask people if they'd like to add it. On my most recent visit he asked my neighbours (but no-one else) if they'd like to repeat anything. With the second lunch setting there's more time and I know that he has taken additional orders during that course.
The TableAll write-up describes Namba-san as 'terse', which I would never have understood if I'd read that in 2021. But Namba-san has gone from sushi orator to sushi whisperer. That said, there's always a twinkle in his eye.
This is a re-write of a rave review I originally posted in January 2023. As I mentioned I don't think my two most recent visits have been as good as previous visits, the price keeps going up and now I can finally get my own reservations so the magic has slightly warn off. I'm slowing down on revisits to the top sushi restaurants because they're getting too expensive and I want every visit to be special again. I'm hoping I'll feel the magic on my next visit but be in no doubt (I've left my rating unchanged) that Sushi Namba Hibiya is one of the top five sushi restaurants in Tokyo and I would recommend a visit without hesitation. I hope, as it did for me, your first visit rocks your world.
📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1301/A130102/13219857
❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.95
📱 Booking: 🟥 The restaurant is no longer open for general reservations but cancellations are released on Omakase. There are two starts at lunch: 12pm and 1pm. The 1pm start is in a side room, the "hanare", and for the first hour it's less of an overall experience with the uncooked tsumami and neta all prepared at the main counter. But Namba-san moves to the hanare for the second hour and serves all the nigiri and the course is identical to the course served at the main counter. As I mentioned, there's been less conversation from Namba-san on more recent visits so I don't think your missing out. In fact (if you can speak Japanese) it would be easier to converse with chef in the hanare because it only seats four, as opposed to the long, straight, main counter which seats nine. You also have more freedom to converse openly during the first hour with any dining partner (Namba-san doesn't like hearing people talk about other sushi restaurants). The TableAll page states "Nanba omakase course at main counter by Nanba san" but I guarantee you the 1pm start will be in the side room. Either way, I would not turn down a seat in the side room.
A late, "nigiri only" course is occasionally served in the hanare. Thanks to earlier helpful comments on this review, it consists of 1 tsumami, 18-20 nigiri, makimono and tamago for JPY 35,000. I've yet to see a 20k hanare course offered.
Be aware that Namba-san gets tired in the evenings so if you have a choice between lunch and dinner go for lunch.
📍 Location: 3F Tokyo Midtown Hibiya
📶 Free WiFi? ✅ Yes
📅 Visit February 2024
🐟 Taco
🐟 Kinki-ni
🐟 Ankimo
🐟 Kujira
🐟 Komochi yari ika
🐟 Fugu shirako
🐟 Karasumi
🍣 Shiro ika
🍣 Hirame
🐟 Anago
🐟 =8
🍣 Kasugo
🍣 Iwashi
🍣 Akagai
🍣 Katsuo
🍣 Buri
🍣 Saba
🍣 Kuruma ebi
🍣 Akami
🍣 Toro
🍣 Kohada
🍣 Otoro
🍣 Uni
🍣 Hamaguri
🍣 Anago
🍣 =16
🥚 Tamago
🍲 Owan
💴 Damage: 45,000 incl. bottled water
⏱️ Time taken: 2h10m
📅 Visit September 2023
🐟 Taco
🐟 Kinki-ni
🐟 Kamasu
🐟 Kujira
🐟 Ikura
🐟 Anago
🐟 =6
🍣 Shiro ika
🍣 Makogarei
🍣 Kasugo
🍣 Hokkigai
🍣 Sanma
🍣 Kegani
🍣 Katsuo
🍣 Goma saba
🍣 Awabi
🍣 Shima ebi
🍣 Akami
🍣 Toro
🍣 Kohada
🍣 Anago
🍣 =14
🥚 Tamago
🍲 Owan: shiro amadai akadashi
💴 Damage: 40,000 incl. bottled water
⏱️ Time taken: 2h
📅 Visit April 2023
Taco
Kinki-ni, sansho
Hotaru ika
Ankimo
Karasumi
Botan ebi
Shiro ika (nigiri)
Kasugo
Awabi (tsumami)
Aji
Torikai
Anago yaki (tsumami)
Makogarei
Sayori
Uni
Kobashira
Katsuo
Akagai
Kinmedai, crushed crispy skin
Akami
Toro
Kohada
Anago
Kinki akadashi
Kegani donburi +3000
Tamago
⏱️ Time taken: 2h30m (course: 2h15m)
💴 Damage: 42,000 incl. bottled water
📅 Visit October 2022
Taco
Kinki ni
Ankimo
Hot ankimo paste on toast
Saba maki
Nasu puree, uni
Hotate, coral
Hokkigai
Mushi awabi
Awabi kimo chocolate
Shiro ika dashi
Shiro ika (nigiri)
Kasugo
Makogarei
Sawara
Hokkigai
Shima aji
Kawahagi zuke, kimo
Akami
Chutoro
Kohada
Otoro
Botan ebi
Saba
Kujira
Anago
Sanma, matsutake (+4k?), ikura omuchirashi
Akadashi
Tamago
⏱️ Time taken: 2h30m (course: 2h10m)
💴 Damage: 43,000 incl. bottled water
📅 Visit August 2022
Taco
Sweetcorn
Kinki-ni
Kurage, kuri
Ankimo
Hotate, dried coral
Hot ankimo paste on toast
Iwashi futomaki
Awabi
Nori, ikura, shari
Anago
Awabi kimo, chocolate, nihonshu pairing
Shiro ika dashi
Shiro ika (nigiri)
Hirame
Katsuo
Tairagai
Aji
Kasugo
Kujira
Saba
Botan ebi
Kinmedai, dried skin
Akami
Chutoro
Kohada
Kyushu aka uni
Anago omuchirashi
Tamago
⏱️ Time taken: 2h45m
💴 Damage: 39,000 incl. bottled water
📅 Visit July 2021
Junsai (sakizuke)
Taco
Botan ebi
Kinki (ni)
Hokkigai
Tachiuo
Ankimo
Iwashi maki
Tachiuo owan
Shiro ika (nigiri)
Hirame kobujime
Katsuo
Kasugo
Aji
Kanpachi
Akami
Chutoro
Kohada
Otoro
Awabi
Uni temaki
Omuchirashizushi (anago, tamago, tare, sansho)
Anago, kuri
Tamago
⏱️ Time taken: 2h30m
💴 Damage: 33,000 incl. bottled water
📅 Visit January 2021
Taco
Botan ebi
Kinki (ni)
Ankimo
Saba futomaki
Anago shirayaki
Hirame dashi
Shiro ika (nigiri)
Hirame
(Hokkigai)
(Sayori)
Kuruma ebi
Kasugo
Kanpachi
Akami
Toro
Kohada
Otoro
Hamaguri
Bafun uni
Anago
Kanpyo
Tamago
⏱️ Time taken: 1h45m
💴 Damage: 33,000 incl. bottled water
Thanks for your comment on TTT, TheTokyoGourmet! This blog is just great and I learned about a lot of new sushi restaurants (and decided not to visit some of them after some of your less-than-stellar reviews, lol)
ReplyDeleteI agree that Namba is on a very high level and is probably going to be one of Japan's legendary sushi restaurants within a few years, if not already.
Thanks, Just_Ingest!
DeleteNamba is one of the top sushi restaurants that serves Kujira based on your course list. Do you think being served Kujira is a cultural tradition that you must be ready to partake in if you book one of these top sushi restaurants where it is served? Is there ever any explanation from the chef about how it might have been ethically sourced? What could you say to the chef if you want to eat at one of these restaurants but do not wish to be served Kujira during an omakase without offending the chef?
ReplyDeleteIt's a good question. If you state your dislikes as soon as possible, preferably when you book, the chef can prepare something else for you. If he can't or won't he can omit the item from the course or (ultimately) suggest that you dine elsewhere. I've seen countless Japanese diners had their preferences accommodated as part of omakase courses so it's definitely OK to make requests. The worst way to do it is when the chef has just or is just about to serve you the item. That's going to annoy him/her because the item may be going to waste and if the chef had known in advance the chef might have been able to do something for you. At some restaurants chefs have asked me if I can eat shirako or kujira before they serve it because they know that more overseas guests prefer not to eat these. I generally decline kujira if I'm given an option but I don't reject it if the chef hasn't given me one.
DeleteSpecifically on kujira and Sushi Namba, it might be viewed as a highlight when it's served but it's not like it's a keystone element of the course so it's not going to be a problem if you'd rather not have it, and like I said, as long as you say early enough. No disrespect to Namba-san but my instinct is that if you were able to ask most chefs in Japan if their whale meat is ethically sourced you'd draw a blank stare. There will be chefs that get it and Namba-san might be one of them but I would not want a culturally sensitive conversation with a chef I didn't know extremely well before I decide if I was going to eat something. HTH.
Thank you for the thoughtful and well articulated response. I searched the internet for answers on this topic and haven’t found one as good as yours.
Delete🥰
DeleteHi thetokyogourmet, I think you probably know but FYI Namba now has a nigiri only dinner (21-22 pieces) which only cost 33K. Personally I think it is a real bargain.
ReplyDeleteOh, I wasn't aware it was that many pieces! That seems like a reasonable deal for sushi at that level. I was kinda put off because on Omakase it says 20k-35k and I've only ever seen seats come out at 33k, which I don't think would be a good deal for the usual 16 nigiri. Thank you, I might give it a try!
DeleteThe course contains 1 tsumami + 18-19 nigiri + ankimo temaki + tamago.
DeleteThe only drawback is the course starts late at 20:30 and sometimes Namba san may be a bit tired so he didn't form shari very well. However neta quality is still outstanding, especially maguro toro.
That's good information, thanks! Yeah I heard Namba-san gets tired in the evenings so I always go for lunch :)
DeleteConfirming this. I recently snagged a same-day reservation for "Hanare" that was 1 tsumami + 20 nigiri + roll + tamago. Started at 9 and Namba-san was there, but very quiet. The shari was too sour (and stick) for me? But yeah at 33k the value is great.
DeleteGood to know, thanks!
DeleteI’ll report that I was able to snag a last minute reservation for Namba for the next day via Omakase - 8:30pm sitting in the Hanare for 33,000 yen. I ended up being the only non-Japanese diner in this group, we were sat down in the Hanare initially and once everyone at the main counter had left we were moved over to the main counter. Course consisted of 1 tsumami, 20 nigiri, uni roll, ankimo temaki and tamago. At the end we were invited to place additional orders for 5-6 items that were not served or repeats of anything we wanted. I placed additional orders for Ikura, hamaguri and kuruma ebi which only added 3,000 yen to the final total. Overall, the meal was spectacular. Two pieces were just okay, everything else were 10s.
ReplyDelete