Sushi Yuuki

Sushi Yuuki (鮨 ゆうき)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

🍣 Sushi / 📍 Hiroo

📓 Visits: 3

What distinguishes Sushi Yuuki from all the other new sushi restaurants in Tokyo?  First, the master.

Sushi Mizutani was a legendary Tokyo sushi restaurant often remembered for being the only other sushi restaurant that debuted with three Michelin Stars in the innaugural 2008 Tokyo Guide.  It should perhaps also be remembered for instituting a "no foreigners" policy, so to many the news of its 2016 closure came (not unfairly) with a shrug, but to many more it's left a hole and a hole that has arguably never been filled.

Yuuki Hayashinouchi trained under master Hachiro Mizutani (who trained under sushi legend Ono Jiro) for seven years until he took over Tokiwazushi in Yokohama from his grandfather in 2015.  In March 2024 he closed shop, moved to Tokyo and opened under his own name.  So while new sushi restaurants continue to open in Tokyo apace, you can count on one hand those opened by a chef as accomplished as this.

Then there's the rice.  It's often said that sushi is more about the rice than the fish but it's probably not said often enough now because eat out at more than a few recently opened sushi restaurants in Tokyo and it's often the rice that will stop you returning rather than anything else.  Rice here, in the Jiro-style, is seasoned with komezu and salt only.  It's very sour, but a different kind of sourness from akazu-only shari.

Next there's the pricing.  If Hayashinouchi-san was following the trend you might be expecting a two-rotation dinner-only omakase of 35k++.  Omakase here is JPY 28,600 and if you come for dinner there's flexibility in when you start.  If you come for lunch (open on Tuesdays, weekends and holidays) you can opt for the nigiri-only lunch at JPY 17,600.  All my visits have been for that.

What else is different?  Microscopic nigiri?  Not here.  Don't need a picture of the tuna?  The chef won't even ask.  Don't want to be sat there for 2 and a half hours?  You won't be.  Want to order extras / repeat anything?  Why, of course.  Reservations other than via Omakase?  Mochiron!  Need to stagger your start time?  No problem.  Nigiri-only lunch?  Yes we can!  Clark Kent shari?  Nope.

So far so good, but how's the sushi?

I rated the akami 7-7.5/10, the chutoro 8/10 and the toro 8.5/10 on visit #2.  i.e., I ate much better in Summer 2024 though I paid a lot more for it.  Unsurprisingly, the tuna was much better later in the year, though the chutoro still had some sinew.  Hikarimono have been mixed: overcured on visit #2 but one of the best ever on visit #3 with plenty of fat and a touch of yuzu.  Iwashi on visit #3 was the best I'd had that year and the best in a long time.  Saba was great and the kohada fairly standard.  Both times aji was served it was really salty.  I can only assume that's the chef's intention but I don't know why he serves it like this.  Buri was a bit funky for me on visit #3 and the uni had a hint of alum.  In summary, there are some inconsistencies but there's much more to like than dislike and that komezu-only rice is another differentiator.

Hayashinouchi-san has a (very) few words of English but all the sushi will be introduced in Japanese.  I'd describe his personality as calm, informal but authoritative.  He works quickly and hospitality from his assistant is excellent.  Prices just before Tokiwazushi closed were JPY 13,200 for nigiri-only lunch and JPY 24,200 for omakase.  Other than that I can't tell you how it compares because, much to my regret, I never made it.  Reservations are fairly easy right now.  Hayashinouchi-san has no interest and no need to attract the Instagram crowd so it remains to be seen how popular this restaurant becomes and it's probably going to be a while, if ever, that Sushi Yuuki is as revered as Mizutani or Jiro, and a while, if ever, that (and it's going to be fun to watch) Hayashinouchi-san becomes as grumpy as Jiro-san and Mizutani-san.  But I'd recommend a visit without hesitation.  Lunch here is the best value of all the Jiro-style sushi restaurants and if you've never had that, here is the place to start.  I'll be back again.

📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1307/A130703/13294395/ 

❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.3

📱 Booking: 🟩 Via Omakase.  Limited availability if your account has an overseas phone number, more availability if you have a local number and further availability by phone in Japanese only with a local number.  Getting through can be difficult so try from 3pm.  Concierges should be able make reservations by phone.

📍 Location: 

5-17-4 Hiroo.  2 mins west from Hiroo Station Exit 1 or Exit 2.  Just off the Hiroo shotengai, under Yakiniku HACHIHACHI.
Map data ©2024 Google

📅 Visit November 2024

🕛 Lunch

🍲 Katsuoboshi dashi

🍣 Buri

🍣 Sumi ika

🍣 Akagai

🍣 Akami 

🍣 Chutoro 

🍣 Shako

🍣 Kasugodai 

🍣 Otoro 

🍣 Kohada 

🍣 Kuruma ebi 

🍙 Ikura gunkanmaki 

🍙 Maguro maki

🍙 Murasaki uni gunkanmaki 

🍙 Futomaki 

🍣 Anago

=15

🍲 Owan

🥚 Tamago 

+ 🍣 Hamaguri 

+ 🍣 Shime Saba 

+ 🍣 Iwashi 

+ 🍣 Sayori

🍨 Choice of ice-cream

💴 Damage: 22,600 incl. water
⏱️ Time taken: 1h20m

📅 Visit June 2024

🕛 Lunch

🥢 Mizu nasu

🍣 Makogarei

🍣 Isaki

🍣 Kasugodai kobujime

🍣 Kinmedai

🍣 Akami

🍣 Chutoro

🍣 Hokkigai aburi

🍣 Otoro hagashi

🍣 Kohada

🍣 Aji

🍣 Kuruma ebi

🍙 Murusaki uni gunkanmaki

🍲 Owan

🍙 Anago

=13

🥚 Tamago dashi maki x1, shiba ebi x1

🍨 Ice-cream

💴 Damage: 17,600 incl. water
⏱️ Time taken: 1h20m

📅 Visit April 2024

🕛 Lunch

🍣 Hirame

🍣 Kasugodai kobujime

🍣 Aori ika

🍣 Kinmedai

🍣 Akagai

🍣 Akami

🍣 Chutoro

🍣 Masu

🍣 Kohada

🍣 Kuruma ebi

🍣 Aji

🍙 Bafun uni gunkanmaki

🍣 Anago

=13

🥚 Tamago dashi maki x1, shiba ebi x1

🍣 +Kohada

🍣 +Shime saba

🍲 Akadashi

🍨 Ice-cream

💴 Damage: 20,200 incl. water
⏱️ Time taken: ~1h15m