When in Tsukiji Market, what shall one eat? Sushi of course! (besides the many snacks you can find there). We visited Tsukiji Market on day 15 of our Japan trip. It was our last full day in Japan before flying home.
I skipped those famous sushi shops where throngs of sushi fans form the long lines. I’m not at that sushi fanatic level. I can’t/don’t really eat raw and don’t know how to appreciate it. So, we randomly choose a sushi shop away from that row of famous sushi place. We went to Umai Sushikan うまい鮨勘. Sadly, there’s a line too. It should be good news, right? Means, it’s famous. LOL Time was around 12.05pm. So, I guess lunch crowds.
We were seated after about 30 minutes of waiting.
The sushi graphics on the cup is quite interesting.
We ordered the regular sushi set aka nami nigiri 並にぎり with miso soup @ 880 yen (before tax).
A total of 13 pieces. Well, can you guess which one I ate? Try as I might, I just couldn’t stomach some of them. The raw one that I’m okay with is the salmon. My sis, who were okay initially, got influenced by me and felt nauseous after that. Hahaha I know these are just basic sushi. This sushi set were tastier than what we have back home.
Any sushi lover wanna take up the challenge and dine with me? I’ll make you queasy as well. Hehe
Btw, can anyone tell me what are the fishes names for the three red nigiris and one minced red-colored gunkan? We REALLY don’t know what we ate. LOL
We also ordered a special set called winter taste set 冬の味覚セット @ 750 yen (before tax) – the 3 gunkans on the right and aburi uni gunkan 炙り うに軍艦 @ 555 yen (before tax) – left. When this plate arrived, both of us have an “Oh oh” look. What’s that sack thingy? LOL
From left to right: oyster gunkan 牡蠣軍艦, ankimo gunkan (monkfish liver) あん肝軍艦, shirako gunkan 白子軍艦 and aburi uni gunkan 炙り うに軍艦. Uni is sea urchin, which I have ate before (cooked one) in Jeju. We only found out what shirako is after we came back home. It’s fish milt. What is fish milt? According to Wiki: seminal fluid of fish, mollusks, and certain other water-dwelling animals who reproduce by spraying this fluid which contains the sperm, onto roe. In another words, it’s sperm sac!
Of the lot, major disappointing one is the aburi uni gunkan. The uni wasn’t fresh at all. Wasted my 555 yen + tax. Although I don’t always eat raw seafood, I know what fresh seafood is. My favorite is the ankimo gunakan (monkfish liver). The liver just melts in our mouth and it has a pleasant cream-like taste. I read in the net that ankimo is the foie gras of the sea. Even though I’ve not eaten foie gras before, this ankimo is certainly one not to be missed. Only in late autumn-winter.
By the way, if you’re wondering why they called these sushi as gunkan, it’s because they are shaped like battleship.
There were no more queue after we came out from the restaurant.
The queasy feeling lasted quite a while. Sorry sis! 😛
Address:
うまい鮨勘 Umai Sushikan (築地市場店 Tsukiji Market Store)
Tsukiji Wholesale Market Building 4
5-2-1 Tsukiji
Chuo-ku, Tokyo
or
東京都 中央区 築地 5-2-1 築地卸売市場４号館
Tel: +81-3-3541-2458
Opening time: 6am-3pm (Mon-Sat). Closed on Sunday
Nearest station: Tsukijishijo
Map:
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