Many people have seen the documentary ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’. And doubtless that many of these people will have been inspired to eat at the restaurant of the oldest man to hold three Michelin stars. I was tempted but my friend recommended that I try somewhere else: Sushi Imamura. As you can tell from the title, it was one truly inspired recommendation.
Traditional sushi meals are in my view the highest level of theatre. Firstly, a sense of anticipation and suspense is created in the room as you keenly gaze upon the box to see what fish or sea dweller the sushi master will bring out next. You then watch and admire his skill in preparing the sushi with immense precision, before getting a tad excited as he places it in front of you. You then proceed to eat each piece of fish/seafood and rice in a graceful or otherwise manner. Finally, you enjoy a speechless moment, often asking your co-diners not to speak to you in order for you to reach a meditative state of food nirvana.
Such speechless moments during this meal included (in order, from top to bottom):
- Shirako: If you don’t know what its is, I won’t tell you what this is in case it puts you off eating it. But it tastes like a cloud. Just eat it
- Seared saba: smokey, meaty perfection
- Squid: Unbelievably fresh, silky and sweet
- Chu-toro: They didn’t have o-toro, probably because the quality wasn’t up to scratch. But the chu-toro was so damn good.
- Large shrimp: Supremely sweet, unbelievably fresh
- Uni: Creamy, velvety, sweet… some of the best uni I’ve had
- Anago: Cooked, in a slightly sweet soy-based reduction. Melt in your mouth
- Black sesame ice cream: a universal crowd pleaser but this is the best I’ve ever had
The price per head, including a small amount of sake, was approximately 14000 yen, which, for such quality, is a steal in my view. Needless to say, reservations required.
Address: 5-8-13 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo
+81 (3) 5789-3637
Open Tuesday – Sunday. Closed Mondays. Call ahead to reserve
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