Sushiryori Inose — Restaurant in Tokyo

You shows up (reservations will guarantee you a place, but it's a local joint - if you just show up you probably will get in. But, YMMV), and get the obligatory spiel - "Reservation? Cash Only. Omakase - whatever the Master gives you." Assuming you accept (you should!), you just hang on and enjoy the rest of the evening You'll be taken through an excellent selection, based on the Master's mood - some of it is "classic" (ikura, uni, toro), and some of it is his own inventions (yellowtail w/ yuzu zest). It is all, however, stellar.

The thing is, the sushi, while brilliant, isn't really the star of the show. That goes to the the Master, the "Little Master" (his wife), and the environment. On our first trip, we were lucky to be joined at the counter with a couple of sales-managers just returned from Osaka - and the sushi/sake flowed freely. It's that atmosphere - redolent of "Midnight Diner", that makes the place special. And the second trip was more of the same, this time we ended up spending the best part of four hours hanging out w/ a few students at TokyoU. Savor it, enjoy it, and go back for more :-)

The sequencing is fairly straightforward - he'll run you through a sequence of sushi for around ¥6000 or so, and then you get to ask for repeats of anything that you particularly liked. Or, anything you like at all - if he has it, you'll have it.

BTW - Libations are beer and sake - either (or both!) work. As you drink, it's not a bad idea to offer some to the Master(s) :-)

Also BTW, if you're lucky, you might get served Kohaba (classic Edo fish), Zuke (tuna marinated in soy), and Kanpyo (dried gourd with a lot of wasabi). If you're really good, you end up w/ a bowl of dashi which is - and there is no way to describe this other...

Only good things to say about this place.

*PLEASE MAKE A RESERVATION IN ADV! *

I discovered this place after talking to some of my colleagues. They helped me make a reservation.

Immediately after i walked it the chef greeted us enthusiastically. You get seated in what would really seem like a hole in the wall venue with fishheads in front of you in the fridge, chillers with different kinds of fish, in a kitchen that very much looks like someone's home. Chef Inose then proceeded to serve us a really good meal for 80k Yen. I loved nearly everything on the menu, ranging from Otoro, to Anagi, the various fishes and his unique twists to sushi such as using Japanese leek (negi), yuzu as well as the very very tasty rice. Nearly every bite raised the bar of what sushi was to me.

The Atmosphere was really great as well. Locals who talk to you enthusiastically, with Chef Inose facilitating conversations. Lots of bottles of Asahi were consumed that night. Felt like a dinner with friends more than anyhting.

Lastly, the chef is a considerate man as well. Before serving any dish to you, he will ask if you are ok with a particular dish. I don't agree with the other negative reviews. Just get a reservation, know what to expect (only sushi of course!) and arrive on time. He takes about 1-2 hrs to serve you the entire meal with a full restaurant, so be patient.

Simply put, an amazing experience. Hands down has beaten many of the other omakse experiences i've had in japan. Food deserves to be called Oishi! and i definitely...

What an absolute delight this place was. We feel very fortunate to have experienced such an incredible sushi ‘hole-in-the-wall’ restaurant during our trip to Japan.

We were lucky that our friend, who had previously lived in Japan, had recommended this restaurant to us and was able to help book us into this gem of a place. We never would have discovered it otherwise.

As soon as walked in, the chef and his wife welcomed us enthusiastically. From then on, what a wonderful, happy and fun evening we had. It was a set surprise of sushi goodness and everything was just exquisite. The flavours, the quality of the sushi, honestly it was all top, top quality and so fresh. There was one sushi dish that was coupled with leek and the flavour was sensational. It was one of the best sushi experiences we’ve ever had.

For drinks, there was no wine so we warmly embraced the delicious Japanese sake. The chef was so so wonderful, we offered him to join us in our sake, which he was delighted with. Do the same if you go, it will make for a great, friendly atmosphere!

I agree with one of the other reviewers in saying that:

1. this felt like a dinner with friends more than anything else as the chef creates such an inviting, warm atmosphere and;
2. that the chef is incredibly considerate and kind. He always checked to see if we were comfortable eating what he was about to serve us and explained what it was.

To reiterate, one of the best sushi experiences of our lives....