Sushi Saito

Sushi Saito is situated opposite the US embassy in the Jidousha Kaikan building in Minato ku. Even by Japanese standards the entrance is hard to find, with the entrance to the corridor where the restaurant is located halfway up the car park ramp (turn right up the ramp just before the security desk). The chef is Takashi Saito (born 1972) who originally trained at the well known sushi restaurant Kyubei. The place is tiny, with just seven counter seats; the chefs prepare the sushi and serve it to you directly. The rice is prepared with red vinegar and is served, as it should be, at body temperature

We began with red snapper; I had tried this elsewhere on the same trip and found it chewy, but here this was not the case at all (18/20). Eel tail was simply stunning with lovely texture (18/20). I have eaten some good tuna in my life but no better than the magnificent specimen here, the texture silky, the flavour delightful (19/20). The toro was also absolutely superb, the best I have eaten.

Next was squid, with just a drop of lime applied by the chef as he served it; those of us used to chewy squid in Europe should all take a trip here and see just how good squid can be (18/20). Next was baby shrimp, enlivened by a little freshly grated wasabi; also excellent (18/20). This was followed by bonito, which is a little like tuna in taste (18/20).

Gorgeous horse mackerel followed, its natural hint of spiciness coming through and entirely without chewiness of texture (18/20), Next was regular mackerel, followed by superb sea eel; both were lovely, the eel just warm and having terrific flavour (18/20). We finished the lunch with more of the magnificent tuna, this time in rolls. The bill for two was ¥13,020 for two people (£49 per person). Bear in mind that you can have a longer form of the menu, and doubtless it is costlier in the evening.

Until this moment the best sushi I had eaten was at Sushi Mizutani, but Sushi Saito had the edge. The chef was friendly and careful to check our preferences. I simply cannot fault this restaurant in any way. I don't feel comfortable scoring more than 18/20 to a restaurant that is serving food which could be construed as shopping rather than cooking (of course the selection process must be elaborate, and the cutting of the sushi is highly skilled, but still). However it is the best sushi I have eaten, and if I was to score on a sushi restaurant scale this would be a perfect 10.

Further reviews: 19th Apr 2017 | 25th Apr 2013