Has anyone been to Sushi Take?

And to wrap up, my last visit to Inomata:

INOMATA
Nigiri: 8-8.5/10
CP: 7-8/10 (¥27,000)

Inomata appears to have been extensively discussed on this site, so I probably won't say too much. I'll instead list a couple of points which sum up my overarching thoughts:

1. The tuna was indeed very good, perhaps the best I've had in all Japan sushiya. A minor gripe, however, is that we were only served zuke versions of chutoro and ootoro. The zuke marinade is on the sweet side and has a discernible (if somewhat repetitive taste). Personally I would have liked to try out some non-marinated tuna but they weren't included in the course.

2. Ironically, I found his white fish to be even better than the tuna. The three white fish I got were kue, hira-suzuki, and madai. Each was mind-blowing for a white fish, and this is coming from a diner who doesn't particularly appreciate the delicate purity of netas like hirame (or madai, usually). Inomata-san that he aged the white fish for some period of time (10+ days), changing their texture from firm to kind of sticky yet meaty. Each of the white fish had an incredibly deep umami which reminded me of kobujime preparations (but Inomata-san said he didn't do any kobujime). The final product is a 180-degree turn when you compare it to the aging process at Kimura. I would say that Inomata ages not solely to soften texture, but also add flavor; Kimura ages mainly to soften texture (if he also ages to add flavor...well, I couldn't find much)

3. Each and every neta felt like it was of the highest quality. There were some multidimensional, "meta breaking" netas like the overflowing ikura (which had a buttery consistency rather than typical shoyu-marinated flavor) and warm zuwaigani with roe (which was dry, on the salty side, and wholly enjoyable to devour. I say "devour" because that's what you do at this place: you take BIG bites of BIG pieces). Bafun uni, anago, katsuo were all outstanding and generously-sized. Interestingly, all these pieces were so packed with flavor that I could barely taste the shari at times. Nigiri construction and coherence was flawless.

4. This is where I would like to illustrate a paradox. Taken on its own, I would score each nigiri at least 8.5/10. In fact, I'd even give many of the items 9 or 9.5. But I found that the meal, on the whole, was a bit too much for me. It's as if I wasn't given a break; I was continuously overwhelmed by herculean flavors. When someone said that this place was "too powerful", I doubted that comment, thinking to myself, isn't that what sushi should aspire to? After visiting here, I think I understand what he is trying to say. In other words, due to the ultra-meaty and thick-cut neta, each of which contained so much flavor, I suffered from some palate fatigue. The paradox, then, is that the meal - while 100% excellent - might be slightly worse than its individual parts. (Needless to say, I was completely stuffed at the end)

5. The ¥27,000 price sounds really steep but given that the ingredients were absolutely sublime I would think it's understandable. Inomata-san and his wife were charming, lovely hosts. Their hospitality was second-to-none (I felt the same level of hospitality only at Tenzushi). It was raining when we wanted to leave and Inomata-san inquired if we needed a taxi. No, we said, it's alright - we'll walk. As we left the sushi-ya, three umbrellas were prepared for us and Inomata-san insisted that we take them despite our reluctance. That was really heartwarming.

6. Would I revisit? Yes - but for a special occasion. If you want to go all out and experience some of the most formidable neta ever (at least in my opinion), I recommend Inomata without hesitation. But if you want to experience slightly more balanced meals I would recommend somewhere like Ichijo or Daisan Harumi more (see below).

Note: By the way, for those who are interested, my numerical scores of the places I've visited are in this link: http://www.sushisibz.com/sushi-matrix/ It's an evolving list so the numbers are sure to adjust over time, but for the sake of balance I want to be honest as well and say that while the meals I've had on this trip were stellar, I've definitely had some not-so-hot meals in the past. Thanks for reading!

Continuing on with the last 2 sushi-yas I tried,

SUSHI ICHIJOU
Nigiri: 9/10
CP: 6.5-7/10 (¥19,500)

I decided to visit Ichijo after hearing great feedback from Sushi Geek, Saito-san, and a kind guest who posted in the Q&A thread. I was super interested in Ichijou-san's rustic, old-school style which purportedly bears resemblances to the Shimizu/Taichi style and which places significant emphasis on shellfish and silver-skinned fish. To summarize, my expectations were very high and they were exceeded!

Getting a booking at Ichijou doesn't seem to be too difficult. I got a lunch booking about a week in advance; two days before, two extra dining companions wanted to come with me and there were still open seats. Dinner bookings seem more difficult (try at least a few weeks in advance). The great news is, for lunch, you can order one of three options:
- Okimari set, which comes with 7 nigiri and a roll (I believe), for ~¥6,000
- The full dinner omakase set, which comes with ~5-6 otsumamis and ~15 nigiri, for ¥20,000++
- Nigiri-only option, and you can specify the number of pieces you want. I went with this option and asked for 15 pieces+tamago.

To get to the point, the nigiri was absolutely to my liking. Compared to Shimizu, I would say that the pieces are slightly smaller, and I actually preferred the aka-shari here: it was a little less sour and overall weaker but still had outstanding impact. Almost every fish was at least very good, and the hikarimono/gai game is VERY strong here. To name a few highlights:
-Impeccable sawara with just the right amount of smokiness/straw flavor (unlike the version which I found overdone at Hashimoto), finished with only salt. Best sawara I've had to date
-Simmered hamaguri with minimal amount of tsume sauce which was basically a sweet bomb in the mouth. My favorite hamaguri of all time is at Shimizu; I thought that very little came close to it...until I came to Ichijou
- Akagai. It seemed like Ichijo-san worked some sorcery on this because it was crunchy but soft, and super sweet. Best akagai I've had to date (you'll notice that I had a lot of "bests" here...)
- Kurumaebi, also the best I've ever had (you get the idea, but it's true). Gigantic kurumaebi usually suffers from being slightly bland, but Ichijo's version was oh-so-pleasantly-sweet and such a gorgeous mouthful.
I can go on and on, especially about the "kai" (I also got superb mirugai, hokkigai, and kobashira) but I'd probably sound like a broken record so I'll stop.
With respect to the nigiri, the two complaints I'd make are:
1) The tuna was very average, which was totally fine by me because I didn't come to Ichijou expecting great tuna. I expected great "everything else", particularly simmered item preparations, and my wish was fulfilled and then some more.
2) Some of the netas were served very cold, so on some instances I thought the balance was a bit odd (but it was still very much serviceable, unlike the straight-out-of-the-freezer-and-pressed-into-nigiri stuff I got at Sawada)

At ¥19,500 my 15-piece course plus tamago was certainly pricey. But I felt that the sushi here was so high-level and delectable that I didn't mind too much. The ambiance was relaxing and Ichijo-san was serious but friendly (he seemed more focused on preparing sushi than talking to anyone, Japanese customers included). I also noticed that he constantly closed his eyes when shaping nigiri which, perhaps coincidentally, is reminiscent of Sugita-san's motions (FYI, Ichijo-san's shop is currently where Sugita-san's Miyakozushi used to be). As a final note, I didn't see any apprentices helping Ichijo-san out and he looked like a one-man show, which was nothing short of impressive.

After having tried around 15 sushiyas, I can safely say that I prefer the more robust/flavor-packed/old-school style than some of the Ginza greats or maguro-focused sushiyas. Sushi Ichijo is in this category and I'd 100% like to revisit in the future. It's a no-nonsense sushi-ya that focuses on bringing out intense flavors in neta, then pairing them with powerful akashari: a perfect fit for me.

HARUTAKA
Otsumami: 5/10
Nigiri: 8/10
CP: 3/10 (¥43,500 - Tableall)

Although Harutaka has bounced back and forth on the Michelin guide in the past few years, it recently won back its second star, and its score has been consistently high on Tabelog. Apparently Harutaka-san accommodates up to 3 seatings per night with 12 guests per seating, so contrary to what you may have read, bookings are not too challenging (I got mine a week in advance for a 9pm seating).

The otsumami consists of pretty generous servings of seafood. Sashimi (on my visit, I got tako, kue with ponzu, hirame) are served in threes (that is to say, 3 takos, then 3 hirame, for example) or fours. After the sashimi come an equally generous sequence of grilled fishes like sawara, kamasu, and managatsuo.
My issue with all of these courses is that the quality of produce did not seem to be very high, or otherwise the processing did very little to bring out their flavors. I may get some pushback on this but most of the items served were pretty bland and had barely any flavor. The grilled dishes were particularly unimpressive and one-dimensional. From a texture perspective the items hit the nail on the head: the chewiness of the tako, for example, was just right. But from a flavor perspective I desperately searched for substance and found little if any at all.
Overall, I'd give the otsumami course a 5/10. I am usually a big fan of otsumami at sushiya; most I've visited would score at least 8/10 but Harutaka's one was very poor in my opinion. Even when I compare it to the esoteric and straight-up-super-weird otsumami course at Jukusei Kimura (not my cup of tea) I would still pick the latter.

Thankfully, the nigiri was a different story, with pieces that were generally very good. While the tuna was nothing to write home about, some of the more "Edomae" items like kohada, saba, hamaguri, were prepared in a superb, textbook manner. I also have to highlight that the tamago here is currently my favorite tamago of all time - it had a distinctive, moist, castella-like texture and insane sweetness that was different to much of what I've tasted before, and had tons of personality. Even for someone who isn't crazy about tamago, and even though I was absolutely stuffed at the end, I had to order some extra tamago. In line with the pretty ludicrous pricing of this sushi-yawhich I'll discuss shortly, two extra tamago cost ¥10,000.
(Just kidding, they were really nice and gave them to me for free...but still, given the pricing of this sushiya, that may actually sound believable :P)

Regarding the shari, many bloggers (at least those who blog in English) have commented that it is a salty onslaught that drastically overwhelms the fish. I did not find this to be the case at all; in fact, I enjoyed the shari a lot. My personal assessment is that Harutaka-san's shari is saltier than Jiro-san's, but less vinegary, creating a similarly powerful and yet slightly different effect. The shari was a little sticky but it wasn't a huge factor for me. Nigiri completion was superb with very good coherence between fish and rice at all times.
(Sidenote: While we're drawing the inevitable comparison between Jiro and Harutaka: would say that at Jiro, 50% of the nigiri flavor comes from the shari and the other 50% comes from the neta. At Harutaka, I'd say it's about 40% shari and 60% neta. The shari is definitely still strong and packs a punch, but I didn't find it oppressive or too salty.)

The atmosphere is lively, with all the guests chatting away merrily. The sous chefs speak pretty good English and attempt to educate you with a Japanese-English book that lists descriptions and names of fish. Harutaka-san himself seems very serious and dignified, but is actually quite nice and tries to interact with you a little bit. Although I didn't feel 100% at ease - I gather that regulars have a great time here - I didn't feel uncomfortable either.

Finally, the elephant in the room: what about the pricing? I understand that there are two courses at Harutaka: a nigiri-only course that starts at ¥25,000 and the otsumami+nigiri course that starts at ¥35,000. Tableall will only allow you to book the latter. After tax, and with booking fees, you can expect to say about ¥40,000++, making this one of my most expensive sushi meals of all time.
My personal preference is that, were I to come here again, I would never order the full course. The nigiri course would be sufficiently filling and the nigiri are the stars of the show anyway, so that would be the way to go. I've also read some comments about potential price discrimination here, but I can't verify that (and, to be honest, nor am I interested in doing so, because I had a great time here). All I know is that Harutaka-san served me and the guests sitting next to me the exact same products since he cut out virtually the same slabs of neta for us, and that I was treated with the utmost respect.

I'm off to try two more sushiyas, Ichijo and Inomata - I'll hopefully report on those soon!

DAISAN HARUMI
Nigiri: 8-8.5/10
CP: 9.5/10 (¥7,300)

Daisan Harumi is not a sexy or stylish sushiya. Reservations are pretty easy, and owner Nagayama-san is a bit rough around the edges. Because I had heard some pretty drab feedback ("shari is bland and keeps breaking; neta is very average"), I didn't come in expecting too much. All I know is that I was totally wrong: this turned out to be one of my best sushi experiences in Tokyo.

The store is pretty small and I would say the black interior is atypical of sushi restaurants: there's no super expensive wood around here. I visited during lunch; Nagayama-san welcomed us politely and immediately began to slice fish. First impressions: not graceful at all; loud (knife was clanking all over the place); certainly more than a little messy. And as he forcefully dropped the first piece of sushi (hirame) on my plate, I could tell that some things were off (nikiri shoyu leaked into the shari; shari shape was a little awkward and messy, etc.)

But - what can I say? For me, the sushi was REALLY delicious.

Each piece was really a treat and there were no misses at all. Sumi ika, so milky and chewy, yet so soft. Aji with ginger and chives had stunning depth of flavor. Akami and chutoro were great, their umami intensifying with each chew. Kohada was soo good - not too sour and salty, just the way I like it (I actually think this is one of my top 3 kohada to date). Tennen kurumaebi was so large and oozed a bunch of wonderful juices out. Hamaguri was extremely sweet and came with a slightly alcoholic flavor, presumably from being simmered in hamaguri stock and sake. Every neta, in my opinion, was either very good or outstanding.

Now, about the shari: yes, the shari is very mildly vinegared. But while this doesn't usually work for me, at Daisan Harumi it magically did. Maybe it was because I enjoyed the neta so much, but I thought the shari was totally fine - it didn't have a lot of presence, but it was absolutely functional. Although slightly sticky, the way it dissolves and spreads in your mouth is, in my opinion, flawless. Nigiri completion was excellent if a little uneven or unglamorous.
(By the way, I always use my hands to eat nigiri and had no problem picking up any of Nagayama-san's pieces; I did notice some customers' shari consistently breaking apart when they tried to use chopsticks. For me, the loose packing of the rice was 100% to my liking.)

I also have to mention that eating at Daisan Harumi was not only about the food. Nigiri was really good and I've emphasized that earlier on, but it should also be noted that the experience in itself was highly enjoyable. The place is 100% gaijin-friendly and stress free. It also slowly grows on you - from the weirdly-shaped ceramic cups, to the handwritten menu that Nagayama-san places in front of you, to the laminated photographs/descriptions of each fish which Nagayama-san commands you to "read the English."
Ah, yes, of course, then there's the legend himself - Nagayama-san is so charming. Not only is he very welcoming, he also has his own style of down-to-earth, grandpapa-like service that I found endearing. He wants you to learn all about the fish, and I truly believe that stuff tastes better if you know about its background. As has been mentioned before, if you visit this sushi-ya be sure to bring Nagayama-san's book and make him sign it: he looked so happy to do that. (And remember that happiness is contagious: seeing him light up with childish excitement will melt your heart!)

By the way, my superb course cost 7,300 yen. No, I didn't miss any digits. To me, that is mad value. There is one sushi-ya that, whenever I am in Tokyo, I would always like to visit. I think I have just found my second in Daisan Harumi, and if I lived here I would not hesitate to go every few weeks. This is definitely a revisit whenever I am in Tokyo. Maybe even twice per visit to Tokyo ;)

[I'll end with a funny story: we wanted to order some extra pieces at the end. My sister asked Nagayama-san if he had kawahagi, and he said yes. But, being the educator he was, he flipped through the pictures/descriptions of the fish on our table (from his book) and he couldn't find the page on kawahagi. So he starts yelling for the waiters to bring "KAWAHAGI SHYASHIN! KAWAHAGI SHYASHIN!" (translated: photograph of kawahagi) so we could learn about kawahagi. We couldn't stop laughing, what a lovely man]