@guest Oh OK. I didn’t add anythig on and I didn’t order drinks. On my visit I got 2 uni gunkans and a small tasting platter. Plus he wasn’t using hon maguro from Japan. So again while meal was very very good, CP was not so good on my visit

@guest Maybe his price increased due to cost of raw materials? I got the 2 uni gunkan, tasting platter of 3uni, 1 uni roll and 2 sashimi pieces wrapped around uni. I remember mine weren't hon-maguro as well. I just had ocha for drink.

If that is the case, maybe inomata would offers more bang for bucks then.

And if I'm not wrong, alot of the tokyo sushiyas ate charging 30000+yen for dinner, like harutaka, namba, hakkoku, hashiguchi, amamoto, yoshitake.

*weren't Japan Hon Maguro

Thank you SO much!

@guest...Thank you so much for sharing your experience at Inomata! I wish I can eat there right now! Kind to share your experience at Takamitsu?

@guest Despite Takamitsu's reputation as the uni specialty sushiya and being a flashy showman, i find his other pieces equally good. Some of the pieces worth mentioning is a melt-in-your-mouth Ankimo, ikura nigiri(the best I had for my trip) and shinika(baby squid) done 2 ways: nigiri and its tentacles grilled so that you can have a contrasting taste of the shinika. I did not mention the other pierces, but all the other pieces are satisfying in their own way. There is around 32 courses(around 14-15 nigiri, 10 tsumami and 6-7 palette cleansers), his Shari is of the small aka Shari type and matches well with all his pieces. Only blip I have was that he was giving us 3 pieces of chutoro captured from different areas. Personally, I prefer the chutoro-otoro-akami combo and just being given the best fish that one has in his/her possession. I personally think he is trying to evolve edomae sushi to the next level by infusing uni into the usual edomae pieces(for example mixing uni with abalone liver sauce to develop Takamitsu's brand of abalone liver sauce). In terms of customer service, Takamitsu is very friendly and he has a Caucasian apprentice(which speaks of his modern and open mindset) who can converse to you in English which helps the experience greatly. Furthermore, his sushiya is more fun than serious(he even teaches the locals sitting next to me how to take instagram-worthy pictures or his sushi.

@guest...Thank you so much again for sharing your wonderful experience at Takamitsu! Sounds like you get more items at Takamitsu than at Inomata (30-32 items and 22 items respectively). Would you say that Takamitsu has better CP than Inomata? Both of them sounds amazing though. There are so many nice restaurants in Tokyo, you just want to try everything!

In terms of cost performance, takamitsu is off the charts. However, in terms of taste, I prefer inomata. Inomata is like a heavyweight boxer, he just delivers punch after punch of wonderful nigiri to knock you out. If you like tuna, go for inomata. If you like uni, go for takamitsu. This is probably a personal sentiment, i just had a meal at hakkoku last night but his raved tossaki roll cannot even match the Maguro temaki special at inomata.

@guest: how much did u pay for Takamitsu? While I had an excellent meal there I can’t say the CP is off the charts, not even close. I paid 30k btw. Is this pricing so common nowadays that the it is considered Off the charts CP.

@guest I visited last month and paid 28000 yen and that is after adding 2 additional pieces. Did you add on additional pieces? Usually adding on additional pieces drive up the price of your meal tremendously and uni is not exactly cheap(i remb a small bowl of unidon in Hokkaido cost me 4000yen and the uni isn't that great either).

If you're looking for high-quality ingredients and sushi, then I think it's safe to pick Hakkoku. (Hashiguchi's selling points are that it's easy to get a reservation and that it has good value for the price.)

Hey ChuToroZuke!

Great to hear from you :-)

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Kurosaki and Inomata.

I would love to try both! I have Sushi Takamitsu booked so only have 1 slot left for sushi omakase :(

Please let us know your upcoming dining experience at Tokyo Niku Shabuya. I am still thinking of where to go for lunch on my last day in Tokyo, considering to try Tokyo Niku Shabuya's lunch on Sunday.

Would you be so kind to share your thoughts on your favourite Yakiniku and Shabu-Shabu in Tokyo?

Looking forward to hear from you :-)

@guest I just went to Inomata this evening and second Leo's suggestion. He uses very high quality ingredients(in my opinion, all his pieces were good) and his marinated tuna temaki and whale nigiri is just crazily good. His Maguro isn't bad too, they have a strong intense umami due to aging, immensely different from what you will be getting at takamitsu. Cost:25920jpy, 22 items including kampyo and tamago.Only down part was his tamago was not custardy enough to my liking.

◆Sushi restaurants
If you don't mind restaurants that use aged fish, I absolutely recommend Inomata.
In terms of the quality of ingredients and the skill of the head chef, Inomata is absolutely much better.

◆Shabu-shabu restaurants
I think it would be a great idea to try the "omakase course" at Tokyo Niku Shabuya.
It offers an abundant menu of creative dishes featuring wagyu beef, and you'll be able to enjoy many different cuts of beef, such as tongue, sirloin, and thick-cut Chateaubriand. It's a very popular restaurant that has a different kind of appeal than Imafuku.

◆Yakiniku restaurants
This time around, how about trying a place from the "Kunimoto" family of restaurants? These restaurants have received great reviews from local Tokyo yakiniku fans.
I nominate the following 3 restaurants.

https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1314/A131401/13007842/
https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1314/A131401/13035852/
https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1303/A130303/13178613/

With regard to your question asking about the differences between Jumbo and Ushigoro, I believe that in terms of the quality of meats, there isn't a huge disparity between the two restaurants.
However, I believe that the "tare" (sauce) used by Jumbo is tastier, and so it appears that foodies tend to rate Jumbo higher as well.

Thank you for kind reply, Saito-san!

I don't mind trying aged fish as long as it taste good. I understand there is an increase in price at Sushi Inomata. I heard the price is now 20,000 to 25,000yen (depending on the purchase price for that day) for about 20 nigiri.

According to @ChuToroZuke experience, Kurosaki seem like a better choice than Inomata? What do you think, taking in consideration, the price increase, taste as well as the whole experience?

As for Tokyo Niku Shabuya, would you know the cost of their "omakase course"? I noticed there was a number of cooked items from the pictures on their Tablelog, such as dumplings and oxtail soup? Does that mean we get less cuts of beef for the actual Shabu-shabu? Would you recommend to go for lunch or dinner for better value?

From the table log links below, Kunimoto Shinkan has the highest rating amongst the 3. I read that they serve finest lean beef, taste good but not melt in your mouth.

Would you recommend Jambo or Ushigoro or Kunimoto Shinkan for best yakiniku, in terms of good taste, value and experience.

I like to add: "As for Tokyo Niku Shabuya, would you know the cost of their "omakase course"? I noticed there was a number of cooked items from the pictures on their Tablelog, such as dumplings and oxtail soup? Does that mean we get less cuts of beef for the actual Shabu-shabu?

Whereas at Imafuku, the Shabu-shabu course menu consist mainly of different cuts of beef, vegetables and miso ramen.

Do they serve the same omakase course during lunch and dinner? Would you recommend to go for lunch or dinner for better value?

Tokyo Niku Shabuya is definitely not one of those cheap places, so give their lunch a try first to see how you like the place.

◆Sushi Inomata
If you plan to visit between October and December, I believe that Inomata would be a better choice.
You can eat some of the best Pacific Bluefin tuna in the world there, and it would be right in season in that period. (Kurosaki also has very good tuna, but it cannot match Inomata)

◆ Tokyo Niku Shabuya
There are three “omakase” courses, for ¥15,000, ¥18,000, and ¥22,000.
It seems that the amount of shabu-shabu does not change, but the cuts of meat do.
(The ¥22,000 course includes Chateaubriand shabu-shabu, a high-quality cut)

Tokyo Niku Shabuya is definitely not one of those cheap places, so give their lunch a try first to see how you like the place.

◆Yakiniku restaurant
If you can reserve an “omakase” course, I would suggest Jambo. I do not know whether first-time customers can order it.
If you cannot get the “omakase” course from Jambo, then I would suggest getting the most expensive course from Ushigoro Ginza.

Thank you for your prompt and kind advise, Saito-san!

We will give Sushi Inomata a try as per your recommendation :)

As for Tokyo Niku Shabuya, we will try their lunch first. Would you know what they offer for lunch?

Hope we are able to reserve the "omakase" course at Yakiniku Jambo based on your recommendation :)

https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1310/A131004/13160962/#anchor-rd-detail

I heard my name mentioned :-)

Regarding Kurosaki vs Inomata, what Saito san says is true.

But you also have to take into consideration for yourself how important is otsumami/appetizer dishes to you. I loved Inomata as well and the difference in 0.4 is subjective and more of a personal experience and feeling. Inomata's tuna was probably the most superior of the last trip, but he also does some aging and marination, intensifying the flavors and umami. Inomata does not do any otsumami so it's entirely nigiri.

I am personally a huge fan of washoku, so incorporating those elements in otsumami, such that it is not entirely sashimi or enhanced sashimi courses, is fun for me, especially when I want to explore the effects of sake with food. This is also important because if I am sacrificing quota for kaiseki or kappo for sushi, I'd like a bit of everything. Of course I will not be averse to sushi only omakase restaurants. However Kurosaki's otsumami I felt were equally excellent. Some of his nigiri were as well, particularly memorable were kurumaebi and a stellar piece of iwashi back in October, and his kohada was also very, very good.

Honestly if you have the time and investment, please do try both! Very different styles, and you cannot go wrong with either.

@Saito san, thank you for informing of the three different omakase courses and their prices at Tokyo Niku Shabuya! I did not realize and I do have a reservation coming up there. I will probably decide when I get there. For what it is worth, this restaurant also attracts a lot of industry people, also owing to the fact that the owner dines at so many restaurants and has made friends with the owners of those places who also enjoy his restaurant a lot. I just hope they turn on air conditioning full blast while I enjoy hotpot and sake, as it is still looking fairly warm over there in Tokyo!