Sushi Fukuzuka

Sushi Fukuzuka (すし ふくづか)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

🍣 Sushi / 📍 Kagurazaka

📓 Visits: 1 (2023)

What makes a great sushi restaurant?  There are a few criteria: the quality and preparation of the neta and shari, temperature control, the skill of the chef, the signature dishes, the atmosphere and (maybe to a lesser extent) value for money.  Then there's personal preferences.  How about the pacing of the meal and whether or not you can place additional orders?  What about the style of sushi?  Once you become more experienced with sushi and can pick up on differences like the contrast in seasonings, range of neta served, the consistency and acidity of the rice, you're likely to form a personal preference as to what kind of sushi you like.  Most sushi restaurants serve Edomae sushi.  If you then band those restaurants by price, I would argue that in general, there isn't much difference in quality between them and, on the food alone, whether you like the sushi at a particular place may just come down to those personal preferences you've formed.  So food-wise, the restaurant is great and even matches your preferences and you think it's worth the cost.  You can, perhaps, easily book it again if you need to.  What's stopping you go back?  Service.  How many times have you heard it?  "The food was great but the service was bad."  Restaurants are part of the hospitality business and sometimes you might wonder if they've forgotten this.  You might say that service is important in any restaurant but I'd argue that at an omakase sushi restaurant, where you sit directly in front of the chef who personally serves you every bite, and where there's far less difference between restaurants compared with most other food genres, service is even more important.  There are a few restaurants where the sushi might be so good or value for money is so high that you're willing to forgo great service.  But, unless there's something else to draw you back, at least in Tokyo, you can probably just as easily take your yen elsewhere.

And that brings us to Sushi Fukuzuka.  Omakase with tsumami is JPY 31,000 while nigiri lunch is JPY 16,500.  On my visit I went for lunch.

It's hard to pick a standout, because everything was so good, but I would highlight two items: first the lightly grilled nodoguro yakimono donburi - a huge piece, amazing fat and unexpected in a nominally nigiri-only lunch; and, second, the fugu shirako - tiny, but excellent quality.  The sushi varies in size from small to tiny.  I've only had smaller sushi at Takamitsu.  Other than the size (which apparently some people like), overall the sushi here is pretty much flawless.  One thing didn't work: the maguro goma tsumami: the maguro was average and clashed with the strongly-flavoured goma.  That would be my only major complaint about the quality of the food.  There are times when I thought the rice was too warm or the neta too cold but that was clearly chef's intention because at the end of the meal you get a menu (in Japanese) of what you ate including the temperatures it was served at.

So so far almost every box ticked.  What else? Ueken anago, Yamayuki tuna, reasonable value for money (at least the lunch course I had).  More boxes ticked!  So what's the problem?  Yep, service is poor.

The restaurant is dark, even during the day and the building feels cold and a little rickety.  There is just the taisho in front of the counter with another chef in the back preparing the fish and rice.  Tea is served in a tiny cup and not topped up unless you ask.  If you buy a large bottle of water you'll need to pour yourself (yeah I know, First World problem).  It seems like wine pairings are a thing here but I'm not really into that.  Chef saw me out of the restaurant but that was the only time he made eye contact with me during my entire visit.  He was chatting a fair bit with the only other two guests on my visit but no engagement with me and when I tried, nothing.

It's a bit of a strange restaurant.  The taisho is clearly a sushi geek.  He uses three kinds of vinegar to season his rice; three kinds of gari are served: sweetened ginger, unsweetened ginger and apple.  There's even more you can say about the sushi like the three layer tamago, etc, etc.  But I won't be back, and you know why.

📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1309/A130905/13219620/

❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.45 (food: 4.6, service: 2.9)

📱 Booking: 🟩 Easy.  The nigiri-only lunch cannot be booked online so you'll need to phone in Japanese.  If you phone in English they'll tell you to book online, which you can't for lunch.  For dinner book via OpenTable.  Same week bookings should not be a problem.

📍 Location: 

2F 3-5 Tsukudo-cho.  5 mins from Iidabashi Station Exit A3.  2F multi-tenant building.
Map data ©2023 Google 

📶 Free WiFi? ❌ No

📅 Visit March 2023

🕛 Nigiri lunch

Chawanmushi
Maguro goma
Kawahagi (nigiri)
Ni-taco
Chutoro
Akami
Maguro hagashi
Kohada
Shima ebi kobujime
Meiji maguro warayaki
Fugu shirako
Negi torutako maki
Ni-hotate
Nodoguro yakimono donburi
Murasaki uni
Anago
Somen
Tamago

💴 Damage: 16,500 inc. Hildon
⏱️ Time taken: 1h