Sushiya Hajime

Sushiya Hajime (鮓家一)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

🍣 Sushi / 📍 Kagurazaka

📓 Visits: 1

Omakase comprised sakizuke, chawanmushi, sashimi x 2, yakimono, 14 nigiri, tamago, miso soup.

There was maybe a slight lack of umami in some of the nigiri but I have no other complaint with these.  The best pieces in the set were the akami zuke, then the uni, then the jabara then the kuruma ebi, then the anago.  Uni was supplied by Hamanaka Ogawa.  The uni was served as nigiri (i.e. not as gunkanmaki) but held its shape and had zero taste of alum.  Four pieces of tuna were included in the set.  The flavour from the akami zuke was superb.  The jabara had zero sinew and very good flavour.  The shimofuri had less good flavour.  Anago was served half and half (half with shio and half with nitsume).  I always wince when a chef serves ika geso but here it was soft and not overpowered with nitsume.  The two items of sashimi were also very good and generously portioned.  The chawanmushi was more like something you'd get in a 4-star hotel: it couldn't decide if it was hot or cold, it was probably too big and it definitely lacked depth of flavour.  Shari is firm and well-balanced with a combination of kome-zu, aka-zu and salt.

There were only two other guests at the eight seat counter on my visit.  All the sushi was properly introduced.  The chef (Masato Furuya) works without any fuss and was friendly.  A kitchen assistant and server are on hand as well.  There's no real standout signature style making the food easy to forget (though you could level that criticism at many sushi restaurants) but including four cuts of tuna at this price is outstanding.

If you're looking for something to blow you away you're not going to find it here and unfortunately the price went up by 5k, to JPY 25,000 inclusive, not long after my visit but I'd still recommend it.  Fault-free nigiri, easy to book and you can dine at a time and pace of your choosing.  Perhaps somewhere to return to in winter when the tuna should be even higher quality and when sushi reservations get more difficult at the top places.

📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1309/A130905/13220470/

❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.25

📱 Booking: 🟩 A day in advance via TableCheck.  Same day reservations by phone are possible, perhaps even walk-ins.  Furuya-san doesn't speak English but one of his assistants can speak a little.

📍 Location: 

2F TK Bldg, 4-3 Kagurazaka.  Honda Yokocho.  Building between Guchokuni and Lugdunum Bouchon Lyonnais.  2F multi-tenant building, no lift.

Map data ©2024 Google

📅 Visit August 2024

🐟 Kochi x3
🍲 Edamame, tomokoroshi, crab chawanmushi
🐟 Goma saba x3
🐟 Managatsuo yaki, Mangani togarashi
=4
🍣 Shinko
🍣 Suzuki
🍣 Tairagai
🍣 Kisu kobujime, kobu
🍣 Shin ika
🍣 Ika geso
🍣 Kuruma ebi 
🍣 Chutoro
🍣 Otoro jabara 
🍣 Bafun uni
🍣 Otoro shimofuri
🍣 Aji 
🍣 Akami zuke
🍣 Anago
=14
🍲 Miso soup
🥚 Tamago
🍵 Tea

💴 Damage: 20,770 (20k + 1 drink @ 770)

⏱️ Time taken: 1h30m