Nihombashi Kakigaracho Sugita — Restaurant in Tokyo

The absolute perfect meal.

Managed to snag a last minute reservation to this place. Was almost like a Christmas miracle. If you ever have the opportunity to come here, prioritize it over everything else.

Having been to a lot of top tier sushi restaurants, I usually walk out thinking there's a piece or two that stood out more so than others. However, everything was excellent and balanced at Sugita. All 20 or so dishes were very well executed. I didn't know that was possible.

Nigiri wise, balance is the name of the game. All pieces were extremely well balanced. The shari was flavorful but not overpowering, all of the fish was too. Let's take the kohada for example, the acidity of the pickling was at the perfect level (I guess all the kohada I've had before was maybe even over pickled?) to match the rice, allowing for the umami to shine through.

The presentation of the nigiri is beautiful too. See the picture.

Service and atmosphere were amazing. Sugita himself was very warm and humble, despite him being one of the top dogs in sushi. It felt like he was glad to serve his guests. You can't say the same at many other places where you feel like it's more of a privilege to be there.

Finally, the sake pairing was amazing. Sake was served at the right temperature, allowing the aromas and taste to fully shine through.

I completely understand why people say this is the best sushi restaurants in the world. The meal was...

I have been visiting Sugita-san since his Miyakozushi days and it is probably one of my most-visited restaurants in Tokyo. The execution is extremely consistent, which is not surprising given the reputation. The biggest change over that period of time has been the shift from "high-CP" to "premium pricing" in the shop's classification. Take that for what it is.

Nigiri are very large size with punchy flavor. With add-ons the meal can easily stretch to 12-15 appetizers and 20+ sushi. The course is quite filling and even lunch can go as long as 3 hours.

Generally, reservations are only available for existing customers, although it may be possible to make a private room booking or snatch some seats via online...

The most amazing sushi I ever had.

Booking is quite challenging, so I ultimately used Pecotter to book. It will cost around 5000 yen just for booking, but it's worth it, as they will call the restaurant exactly when new seats are available. If I understand correctly first time customers need to book a private room first (availability is given a week prior), but then can book a counter seat (availability a month prior).

The course lasts around two hours and is amazing from...