It’s a long way to the top, if you wanna eat it all.
Day 3, Tokyo: The day we had the best sushi in the world. Tsukiji Fish Market Tuna Auction, Daiwa Sushi & Sukiyabashi Jiro
BACKGROUND: This was it. Detailed meticulously in our itinerary were a few activities spread throughout one day, and it all revolved around one thing- sushi. As we wanted to immerse ourselves into the processes within the Japanese culinary culture and also take a look into one of their primary industries, enter, the Tsukiji Fish Market.
DESTINATION: Tsukiji Fish Market. For those that are considered ‘morning people’ or serious Japanese culture enthusiasts, you cannot miss the daily morning tuna auctions. It’s simple really, you get up early (around 2–3am, depending on where you’re located), take a taxi, ride a bike or drive and rock up at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Chuo. Then you hope to god that you’re one of the 200 people they accept each morning to attend the auction.
But I can sense that you’re gesturing ‘WTF’ hands and mouthing ‘WTF’ towards the screen. This whole market idea sounds silly, yes? But it isn’t. You’re getting right into what the Japanese tuna merchants do on a daily basis, how the market operates and transports its fish, you get to view the incredible tuna produce they haul in AND you get to witness the actual auction (which is strangely akin to a chorus of a song). Not to mention the exclusivity of it all; being one of the select 200 people chosen for that day to enter the market! What’s more to love?
You’ll see in the picture on the left-hand side how the tuna is laid out and prepared. Each tuna purchaser is equipped with a little ‘pick’ and a flashlight. They use the pick to dig out some flesh from the sliced area at the end of the tuna’s body, then proceed to thoroughly examine the tuna meat with their flashlight by mushing the meat with their fingers. The auction itself is a fleeting moment and lasts for roughly around 5 minutes per batch of tuna. Note that this is a place of business, so you only get to sit in on one auction session and then you are promptly, yet safely ushered out of the venue. Think you didn’t get your money’s worth? Remember, this entire experience is FREE!
Meal: Sushi Omakase from Daiwa Sushi (Breakfast). Ok, at this point, you’re probably thinking, “Alright. You expect me to get up ridiculously early to watch fish get sold to guys which takes just 5 minutes. And now, you want me to have sushi for breakfast? Ugh, no thanks. I’ll pass.”
Trust me when I say that it’s not as disgusting, weird, strange or absurd as you think. Sushi for breakfast is a common occurrence in this venue and you will find quite a few sushi restaurants and market stalls that are open to serve sushi starting from 5–6am in the morning.
One of the more popular options is a small restaurant called ‘Daiwa Sushi’. Their top selling offering is the Omakase (お任せ) from the chef and costs ¥3,500 which equates to ~$35-$38 dollarydoos. This consists of 7 pieces of Nigiri and a bowl of home brewed miso soup. Not exactly the cheapest breakfast meal available, but as soon as you take a bite of any one of the Nigiri, your breakfast splurge will be immediately justified.
Unfortunately as this restaurant along with others in the same complex have garnered such a world-known reputation, their small internal dining spaces means there are always going to be lines outside, and quite long ones at that.
My friend and I waited from around 5:30am and didn’t get into the restaurant until ~7:15am. It may seem like a lifetime to others, but having had to wait in line for many concerts, (errhm, anyone ever waited in line to secure a spot in the front row for a Paramore moshpit before?) this sounded like a piece of cake. People from all over the world are in these lines, so you’re not just battling it out with the locals. Most probably you’ll find 3 types of people in this line:
The dedicated (chirpy until entry)The sleepyThe irritable (and possible hangry)
After our almost 2 hour wait, we entered the restaurant.
Highlights of this meal (in order of tastiest to tasty):
Otoro and Chu-toro (fatty and medium fatty tuna): This was the first time we’d ever tried this type of tuna and it blew our minds. The texture for both was ridiculously soft on the tongue and there was no resistance when chewing (virtually it didn’t require much chewing because of its ‘melt-in-mouth’ consistency).Uni (sea urchin- not pictured): Another one my friend and I had never tasted back home due to the lack of fresh/reputable produce and the simple fact we weren’t familiar with it. OH MAN! Flavour explosion- slightly sweet with a real buttery consistency, we found this to be one of our most cherished and favourited nigiri pieces. No traces of overpowering sea/fish essence here!Fried prawn head off the Ebi (prawn): We’d never eaten the head of a prawn before, but this was charred until the contents were cooked and solid. The charcoal/smokey taste left us wanting more!
We didn’t realise until the middle of our meal that these restaurants are about dining in and getting the hell out ASAP. There was no time and no actual atmosphere to hold a long winded conversation with a fellow diner. But with produce and quality like this, we didn’t really care.
Rating: 4.0/5. Lost points because of the wait, so it could have achieved a 4.5/5. Daiwa Sushi opened our eyes to a whole new level of Nigiri. Gone are the days of thinking that it just meant pedestrian Salmon, normal Tuna or Kingfish on top of vinegar rice. It is so much more than that. New textures, new tastes, years of sushi-making experience, we undoubtedly left with an improved appreciation for the art of sushi. Well done, Daiwa. We can’t wait til the next time we’re able to have superb sushi for breakfast!
Stomach status: I want some more of that Chu-toro and Uni!!
After the incredible trip to Tsukiji, we made our way back to the hotel and decided to nap for a bit. We would have to restore our energy for what was to come later in the day…
SNACK: Various pastries from Keyakizaka Bakery, Roppongi Hills. To kill some time before our epic dinner, we decided to explore the Roppongi Hills precinct. Known for its large commercial buildings, vast walkways and overall upmarket urban landscape, we found it to be fairly good attempt at combining the local community, culture and business into one giant hub.
Upon walking around, we stumbled upon a cute Japanese bakery. Back at home there has been a wave of ‘Select your own pastries’-style Asian bakeries popping up in the CBD area. They have been welcomed with open arms so my friend and I were no strangers to this type of store layout.
Rating: 3/5. A good place to unwind after walking around Roppongi Hills. The quality of the drinks far outweighed the pastries. NOTE: This cafe may be permanently closed. Check Google for the most up-to-date information.
This day post continues onto part 3.5. Click here to view it