Hashida Sushi, Tokyo

The lil mansion/house of the famed Hashida Sushi

When we touched down in Narita that wet rainy morning, it was really early.....like 7am in the morning. Yawn yawn yawn and Monkey hugging her tummy happily after her nasi lemak and teh tarik onboard Malaysia Airlines....*now will be known as Malaysia Airlines Berhad*

So for the first time we took a bus to downtown Ginza all thanks to J&J Jelina who taught us how to stretch our dollar *in this case Japanese Yen*.....she was in horror when she found out that we have been taxi-ing our way from airport to hotels all these years....

Monkey grinned : "Pls don't look at me...it's my overly pampered housemate whom must be chauffered around."

The bus service was not only super duper cheap and efficient...but extremely clean!!! but most of all....there's a porter who will tag all your luggage bag before giving you your tag copy...and he will load all of it underneath the bus's storage. When u arrive at ur destination, just surrender ur tag and he will unload all ur bags again.....so basically this is as good as a cab!!!!

Thanks to J&J Jelina we can have more pieces of premium sushi. WAHAHAHAHAHA. Savings on transport will surely go to food and wines.

So after checking into Peninsula and them into Mandarin Oriental...the 4 of us congregated at Tsukiji market, thinking of slurping down some bowls of noodles or beef rice. But the queue and the influx of PRC tourists....oh my gawd....why is there so many of them?

True enuff, the ladies agreed let's shoot over to Hashida Sushi!!!! and we were so eppy that Mr. JS allowed that to happen for he's a man who will stick by schedule. Afterall we were already at Tsukiji why not Tsukiji??? anyway Hashida sushi is just nearby, we can alwiz come back to show for his cooking ingredients. Definitely not for food for now, as the food quality no doubt is good here at the market, but there won't be any ambience to enjoy everything in a rush plus JS hates to queue!!! He gets priority lane all the time from banking to customer service and even immigrations. So how do u make a man like that to queue???

We arrived really really early and Hashida Sushi won't be open till 11.30am....the four of us stood outside at 10.30am staring at each other if we should start queue-ing up!!!! LOL Singaporeans and Msians love to queue up!!! but we definitely can't beat the Japanese in this. They are the Master!!! the Sensei for the Art of calm and zen undisrupted queue-ing technique. *haiyeak karate chop chop chop*

Since they don't take reservations for lunch so it's kinda first come first served basis. We then decided to explore the neighbourhood.

Yes I have to agree, women lurve shopping.....they won't let the one and only stall that was opened for business at that hour off. But summer fruits such as peaches were all looking good and irresistible and so we bought some.

"JS can we have some cute bear buns???"
JS: "No....don't spoil ur appetite."

"But....but...it's an hour away and I am hungry~~~~~"
JS: "No. and that's final."
Monkey :(((((
Sayonara Bear Bun....JS read me too well. I wasn't hungry. I just wanna have a bite of something as adorable as u. And he knew that after one bite, I will pass u back to him, and he will end up finish u up. This hungry trick doesn't work anymore, I gotta think of something new soon.

It started to drizzle again and after 40 minutes, the ladies said we should all get back to the restaurant!!!! and Joanna was carrying her Hermes bag...I would have wrapped it with plastic bag!!!

J&J Jelina, Monkey and Joanna

U must be wondering wat happened to the rest of the group? They were still cycling in Hokkaido.

When we arrived, there's another 15 more minutes to opening....seeing that it's drizzling the owner opened the door for us to be seated inside. Woohoooo~~~~~

Master Sushi Chef Tokio Hashida....Hatch's beloved daddy. If u are familiar with Kenjiro Hashida who helmed Hashida sushi in Singapore...this is his dad whom he has apprenticed with.

so good to see the old man, whom was hospitalised just a few weeks earlier. But he's now all back at work looking serious as alwiz!!!

our brunch of awesome sushi.....as fresh as u could get when the restaurant has got such good supplier whom supplied the best cuts to the restaurant.

the cuts are really thick with not too much of vinaigrette rice. U don't wanna fill ur stomach with too much of rice. Sushis has got many school of thoughts in Japan, here it's the Tokyo style with no sauce on top - unlike Osakan, they lurve their sweet sauce on top of every piece of sushi.

Not a matter of which is more superior, but of preference. Just how do u like ur sushi :)))

Me want more toro and toro maki here u come...come to momma!!!!
I'm a simple gal :))) I lurve it simple and not extremely fancy...but then sometimes I like my food fancy. How contradicting *JS rolled his eyes*

JS: "U r definitely not simple ok?"
Monkey: "Yes JS u have got good taste, that's why u chose me!!!!"
further eyes rolling action by JS

Monkey: "If u continue to do that, it's gonna get stucked in that eye sockets of yours."
JS GAH!!! "This woman is impossible!!!"

the best part of abalone - which also happened to be the ugliest. Its prized liver for that bitterness.

paired really well with Sake. I can't remember how many bottles we had :P

 JS called this "Death by Uni"!!!
The boys called it the Uni Tower!!!
Wah can I just skip the prawn and tamago and have 3 pieces of Uni Tower?

tee hee hee

Then we were handed a mobile phone by the daughter of Master Sushi chef. it was Hatch/Chef Kenjiro Hashida all the way from Singapore. He was surprised that we were in Tokyo and did not notify him, for he could have arranged some form of "reservation" at his daddy's restaurant. :)))))

oh yums....
the style of sushi here is really rustic and authentic. If u are looking for something modern then please go somewhere else. Even the long wooden counter was shipped here all the way from Hokkaido for the Hashida family has their roots back in Hokkaido.

No menu here, just go omakase or special for the day. Soon as we were stuffing and popping pieces of sushi into our mouth, by 12pm there were no more seats and already a queue formed outside. The crowd here is really locals for it's such a hole in the wall!!!

Look at all the eppy eppy faces after our first meal fix. Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh

JS: "Ok now no more taxi, all walk to Tsukiji Market with me to burn off those calories."
The ladies -__-"

We crossed over the steel bridge and Tsukiji market can be seen on the right side. This is the dock where ships come and go...loading and unloading million tonnes of tuna and freshly caught produce from the sea.

despite the numerous visits to Tsukiji market, one can never get bored...

Monkey outside the toilets!!! LOL

the famous and yet dangerous vehicle moving boxes and crates of fish around. These drivers are ferocious and they hate tourists so please stay away from them for we were regarded as obstacles and put their productivity 30% lower as they beep beep their way through the market in this.

Read bout our previous visit to Hashida Sushi *here*

Hashida Sushi
3-8-11, Kachidoki, Chuo-ku,
Tokyo, Japan.
Tel: +81 3 3533 0341

Revelation of world's greatest sushi - Otomezushi, Kanazawa

Tucked at the end of an alley, with no signboard. the main entrance is so narrow, only hobbits like us and my tour group of fluffy hobbits *if u know them by now* could walk into this narrow path.

Why is it that good things must always be tucked away, unknown, with no signboard like some Yakuza joint *the famed Japanese gangster triad*? Maybe it's really some Yakuza joint hahahaha.

Monkey got to know this restaurant through Relais & Chateaux group of luxury hotels and resorts, reckon that it should be in our list. My oh my....it's really difficult to book but nevermind....the hotel concierge is known to be efficient and 1.5 months before our arrival....all details and information has been confirmed. Including filling up the no-show charges form. They are that serious!!! We were serious too!!! NO one and I mean nothing can stop us from coming or taking away my reservations!!! It's mine mine MINE!!!!!! 

Our taxi driver dropped us hesitantly bcoz he himself wasn't sure if it's the right place, in such darkness and cold. We assured him that we will be alright and that's the right place we are heading to - some Yakuza joint. After all Mr. JS do look like one. BAHAHAHAHAHAHA doesn't he?

a beautiful quaint little zen garden greeted us in the winter chill, and we breathed a sigh of relief that this is really Otomezushi.....crchefs around the world including Masterchefs and Chefs from different parts of Japan made their pilgrimage here to learn and taste the very best from Sushi Master Chef Kazuhiko Tsurumi.

That's the man.....who holds the secret to perfect sushi. He is the 3rd generation/line of sushi master in the 50 years old history of Otomezushi. We couldn't believe it that we were here!!! and again being the only Gaijin *tourists* we had to use our minimal japanese and sign language to communicate.

However the staffs here were so friendly, enthusiastic and cute!!! They did their outmost to ensure our comfort level and that we are one and together with the rest of the diners...in such zen-ness I say :))) ohhmmmmm ohhhmmmm ohmmmmm

There was even a brass pot of hot charcoal behind me to warm my back. It was really freezing cold out there, if it rains...it's definitely snowing!!!! Aaahhhh so comfortable...

Beautiful chopsticks holder. Kanazawa is a city of arts, from making gold leaf, to painting and handicrafts. But most of all it is also the main city for the prefecture of Ishikawa, rich in rice, sake and sea produce.

Fish is really big deal here in the prefecture of Ishikawa. Japanese attest that the best fish in the country comes from Ishikawa. And bcoz of that statement, we made our way to this area with so few tourists, you will stand out like a sore thumb being Gaijins *tourists*

the waitress brought out a tray of beautiful hand crafted sake glasses for us to choose. Being me, I chose the prettiest looking one on the tray, while JS took his fav color blue/green.

Actually u are supposed to choose according to the sake variants that u r drinking!!! oh gosh!!! why didn't anyone tell us that? Now I felt like I drank coffee in chinese tea cups!!! GRRRRRrrrrrRRRRR


Otomezushi serves nothing else but sushis and sashimis only...
The beautiful cypress wood table seats less than 10, so that explains why reservations are so hard to come by. He's fully booked in advance round the calendar year.

On top of the cypress wood, is a long piece of dark lacquer wood...so beautiful that u won't wanna land any chopsticks nor table ware on top. Well which we found out that we shouldn't. All sushis are to be eaten by hands.


the stark contrast of the black lacquer wood further enhanced the usually lighter colored sushis including this heap of Gari *ginger*

the yellow vs the pink ginger...now there's alwiz the debate. Some ppl like them hot, some like the vinegar's pungent taste, some prefer it more mellow and subtle...oh well it's all very subjective and I guess the Chef select the kind of gari served to complement their sushis. Same goes to rice, whether to use red or white vinegar....oh well this will be another long topic.


Our very first of sushis was already this stunning....
sweet prawns with its roe...If u do visit any seafood markets in Japan, u'll see these prized prawns with its roe intact on its outer shell....so sweet so rich it gave such ecstatic sensation and palate plus dizziness....almost like alcohol richness.


Sashimi of sea bream with just a hit of freshly grated wasabi.
So u gotta be really attentive in listening to instruction. When chef said no soyu means no soyu. Do not disobey. Actually he will not brand you with his sharp sashimi knives, just that I suppose diners will need to obey the beauty and palate of the fish instead of dunking it into the soyu.


such beautifully prepared fresh squid, almost like a sailing yacht. Topped with delicate toasted Japanese sesame, laid sparingly to complement the richness of the squid.

We could not imagine why the seafood here was so darn good. The geographical location of Ishikawa between the flourishing Sea of Japan and mount Hakusan gave its sea a thriving spot for marine life. Hence they are really fat and extremely sweet. The current in the sea during winter also contributed to the fattiness of the seafood. Sooooo....we came here at the right time, during winter :))))


the japanese couple next to us were so mesmerised by the quality of the fishes presented to them too. Each bite, each piece....silence ensued the dining room.....followed by gasps and praises in amazement to the chef.

While chef received compliments in grace with a bow, before continuing on to his passion. Watching him work is like magic, we were so hypnotized. Hahahahaha


the much anticipated Buri fish - Japanese yellowtail.

It is said that the best yellowtail in the country comes from Ishikawa. We conquered that!!!! There was also a slice of fatty clam with japanese lime on its side. Once we have tasted buri, no more turning back. It's as delicate as the fatty torro with more bite and flavours.


an interlude of small bites of marinated ika. Very deep in flavors but nothing could prepare me for the next dish.

Fugu no shirako

this is the most prized part of a Fugu fish....-__-"
seriously....when it was served I knew wat's coming. Plus chef took the effort to slightly grilled its outer sac until has harden slightly to firmly enveloped its content....some really fine sea salt served on the side.

JS was giggling like a high school gal when 2 healthy dollop of fugu no shirako were served in front of Monkey. And to respect the local culture, plus all the hardwork being put to prepare all these and to share with YOU my readers the experience of eating Fugu sperm sacs.

Yes u read that right.....I've eaten quite a bit of sperm sacs but nothing can be compared to such huge ones from fugu fish!!!!! Bigger than my eye balls!!!! Prollie eating cow testicles should be in my next to do list.

so to eat this, u need to pop the whole piece into your mouth for it's really creamie and delicate on the inside. Rich and milky, it has got the briny-ness from the sea. Overall it wasn't a bad experience but not something that I yearn for :P


After that, our first piece of carefully crafted sushi soon danced its grace to the lacquer table top in front of us. So juicy, creamie and sweet prawns. The texture of the rice was amazingly perfect and it came in really tiny piece so that the rice won't fill us up. If u noticed, there's 2 pieces of the sweet prawns :))))


and 2 pieces of tuna on top rice. This was perfect. I'm not the one who would go for the normal part of tuna, but this one was rather succulent and melts in the mouth. Always thought only the belly part will give u such intensity in terms of flavour and texture.

again Ishikawa managed to prove that there's still so much to be learn when it comes to sushis and sashihmis. I like it the way that some of the pieces have been carefully brushed with extremely high quality of soyu.

Why would I say that? Again back to its geographical location, Apparently Ishikawa poroduces one of the top range of soyu in Japan. All thanks to its beautiful grains, rice and water from Mount Hakusan. So it just complements each other isn't it? Ishikawa has already been made naturally a sushi heaven right?

Now think the beautiful Koshihikari rice produced here, the fatty juicy succulent fish, wonderful malty soyu, and top notch sake. Bcoz of all these elements, none of the sushi establishments here will disappoint you.



have u ever seen such a pristine looking sardines? almost like a Top Model!!! gosh!!! it's so pretty looking and immaculate. You can never find fault with it at all!!

The format here is, Chef usually served 2 pieces of fish per serving on top of small portion of rice. Just the right formula :))))

And also his capability of anticipating each diners as his observation skills are highly regarded. Not all diners get the same omakase for he reads and anticipates your emotion feelings of the day, your selection of sake/beverages, and how you pick your sushis also matters. If you pick it up with chopsticks then he will need to prepare it firmer. Also the speed that you are consuming your sushis.

So his capability to anticipate also makes each dining experience with him unique and tailor made I would say. All these were happening without you realising.

I was served a really hot cup of tea and impatient me lifted it up and almost burnt my fingers. I quickly settled it down and as I was transferring the burnt to my earlobes, chef came with another clay tea cup and "pulled" my tea for me so it will be at a drinkable temperature. AWWWWWwwww even JS never do that for me :P JS please learn!!!


the special crab from this region...topped with its creamie bitter sweet ROEs!!! it's the bomb the bomb the bomb the bomb!!!

Again we came at the right timing. Winter would be the best months to visit this prefecture. 

can't run away from fresh sea urchin in deep orange color......with lightly toasted crispy seaweed. The slight heat somehow "refresh" the flavor of the seaweed. I can have the whole tub of sea urchin to myself. gimme gimme gimme~~~~

Finally Torro was served to us. The cut was really good, thick enough to savor its delicate taste as the fat melts as soon as it touches the tongue. I am so glad that Chef prepare the rice in such small portion. Hence we could eat more and more and more and more.....just bring it on!!!

Why oh why didn't we discover the prefecture of Ishikawa much much earlier???? The capital city Kanazawa is so lovely too, with almost no foreign tourists, it's much more calmer. Plus I love the art museum there :)))

At this juncture I surprised myself that we could pop in more sushis. The above was Sea Eel grilled in homemade sauce with a tiny dollop of grated horseradish aka wasabi.

Chef sensed that we were about there....he asked if there's anymore special request.

Monkey gave her widest cheshire cat grin...."I want a maki!!"

JS >.< this tiny notti monkey can really eat!!!

So as our "makis" were being prepared, we were served a white mison soup with a piece of seafood eggwhite tofu. Light and foamy with juiciness from the sea.

AaaaAAAAaaaaa comfort food. You guys really do need to roll me outta here, my tummy looked like a barrel~~~~

and the beautiful maki arrived with finely hand-cut crunchy cucumber, heavenly grilled in sweet sauce eel with amazingly crispy skin...and even crispier seaweed.

The eel was so fat it's almost like pork!!!! its skin was really crunchy like roast pork. I should have "tapao" these to go back to my hotel coz it's succulently good I could have more but then at the restaurant, my tummy was almost on the verge of exploding.

Monkey and JS toasted to each other.....what a gastronomical experience to dine here at Otomezushi. Would you just focus on the crackling of the eels??? What kind of eel could give such crispy crunchy fatty texture??? only sea eel from Ishikawa I suppose :)))

If you would really want to dine here, I recommend that your hotel assist you in your booking or get a Japanese speaking person to help you. Details as follows:

Otomezushi
4-10 Kiguramachi,
Kanazawa 920-0988,
Ishikawa Perfecture,
Japan.
Tel +81 7 6231 7447

Otaru Masazushi Honten

The famous Otaru fried chicken.....*crunch*

we hopped off our train from Yoichi in Otaru, still feeling all excited from the whisky tour, but our stomachs were drumming away......hungry~~~~~~

While waiting for Papa Bear to get a map of this town - Otaru, Ellen could not resist the fried chicken and bought everyone some. When he returned, everyone was holding a piece and bz wolfing it down to his horror.

Papa Bear: "What are you all doing? we are goin to the best sushi in town!!! and some say in Hokkaido!!!!"

Soon Papa Bear join in. Oh well if you can beat them, join them!!!

Apart from amazing sushis, Otaru is also famous for their crispy moist fried chicken, but that famous store was closed on Monday, so we made do with the stall at the train station. It was Oh-my-freaking-orgasmic good. Marinated with ginger juice and fried with some certain spices. This was god sent!!!!

Follow the captain!!!

We arrived on the dot, bcoz reservation was made at 1pm. When Papa Bear said this restaurant was just being featured on the television the nite before, please expect that the reservation list gonna be long and we may even be turned down. But Papa Bear never fails, he charmed his way and got the counter seating for 7 of us :))))

SEE I told you Consultants are damn good and smooth. But my own papa alwiz tells me consultants are CON-sultant, as in conman. LOL. That's a joke :P bcoz I am a consultant myself.

aaaa and behind the blinds we saw Masterchef himself....

Due to its popularity and expansion plans, there are a few outlets by now. But this one is the mother of all. One can find many good sushi restaurants in Otaru town bcoz its' a harbor city. There's a 2 michelin starred sushi restaurant down the road....and we told ourselves ok next time...next time...we are definitely coming back to Otaru :)))

The beautiful and skilled hands of a sushi master. Slicing and cutting effortlessly with moves so suave you thought he's performing a ritual. 

 
Homemade daikon pickles.....but the star was the rich and creamy orangie fish roe, to be eaten together. The soft fish roe meets the crunchy daikon. The rich flavor paired with the acid from the pickles....such beautiful marriage :)))

Chef prepared all the fresh seafood, and leave it to a certain temperature. U never eat your sushi cold, bcoz then the flavor and sweetness of the sea produce will never be unveil. It has to be at the right temperature so that when it touches your warm tongue, the fats melt and tantalize your tastebud before you sink into the meatiness of sweetness from the sea with a soft crunch.

followed by the sounds of happy, satisfied, orgasmic murmurs from fellow diners...
hhhhHHHHHHMmmmmmmmmmm~~~~~

All sushis here have already being prepared with a small dab of finely grated fresh wasabi so you don't really need to add anything anymore, not even the soy. And the correct way to eat is with your hands not chopsticks.

the rice must not be compact at all, not too warm and definitely not cold!!! it should just crumbles in your mouth with the sensational feeling of the round fluffy firm grains.

Freshly burst in ur mouth ikura. I'm not an ikura fan but only in Japan it's so obnoxiously awesomely good that one can never resist. 

 

Such beautiful trout fish...ever cut was so perfect and pretty.

Okie sorry bout that single grain that I left on my plate from the previous piece of sushi. I'm a messy diner!!!

Watching chef preparing piece by piece and presenting it on the individual plate is such a joy to behold. I guess it's also a sight for the chef to see the satisfied murmurs from his diners. I almost had to perpetually close my eyes all the time as I savor every piece of sushi. So so so so so so so good~~~~

 

a light tempura of onions and shiso leaves. Simple, sweet and hit the spot!!!!

 

just look at the grains will you??? as I've already mentioned, each piece has been lightly season so you don't really need the soya sauce.

Papa Bear mentioned that we can only have a light lunch to prepare ourselves for a BIG BIG dinner later. However he was the Devil and asked if we would like anything else!!! soon orders were top up esp the fresh produce of the day.

Chef Takashi who did not join us on this wonderful day sent a text message reminding us that dinner would be at 6pm and we will need to meet at 5.30pm. Added onto his message "What's for lunch?"

Soon pics were blastered in to his horror

"What are you all doing? Stop eating so much. Tonite's dinner is kappo so don't eat so much!!!"

oh well sorry chef, we can't resist this one....
 

Beautiful piece of fatty tuna. So yummmmsss~~~~~

 

Sea Urchin!!!! madness!!!

Hello peek-a-boo!!!!
I am gonna eat ya!!!

After our last order....we still defied instructions not to have too much of food over lunch and had another last last order. Only greedy buggers last us could have so many times of last order. Kekekekeke.

JS had his last order of a beautiful creamie prawn....its eggs/roe were removed off its legs and placed on top....slurp!!!!

 

its briny saltiness sweetness of the sea was so intense. The "brains" or head of the prawns were removed carefully and placed on top of rice and wrapped with lightly toasted fragrant crispy seaweed. OMG. This was so sinful. Every part of the prawns were consumed, this is how a good chef respect his ingredients. You pay tribute to it by not wasting any parts of it.

After lunch we needed to burn off some of the calories before heading back to Sapporo to prepare ourselves for dinner. In fact all of us were kinda guilty, it's like lil kids waiting to be lectured and spanked for not listening to instructions!!

Sakaimachi Street is a beautiful old preserved merchant street. So much to see, so much to buy....and guess wat? So much to EAT!!!!!

the famed Hokkaido White Sweet Corns. To be eaten chilled on its own....raw....There's also the golden yellow type. The sweetness innit was unbelievable!!!

Yeah I know we couldn't resist food. And more food here we come!!!
Hokkaido MELONS!!!
Melons everywhere and we ate and ate and ate and ate.

Beautiful glasses lined the wall of this ship. There's many glass shops and glass-related souvenirs shops along Sakaimachi Street. When the Herring Fish industry declined back in 1950s, the makers of glass buoys turned into production of glasswares instead.

Here you could purchase anything from jewelries, tableware, glassware, ornaments all made from beautiful and colorful glasses. If you have time, try ur hands in glass blowing classes. Obviously our group wasn't interested in any classes nor those glass ornaments. All went into WINE GLASSES shop.

-_-" it's like a disease u know? everywhere we go, it's either have to be food or WINES related. It's unconscious and we couldn't help it. It's like there's a magnet in us....hahahaha

Monkey & Ellen
We were so intrigued by all the pastries shops along this street. ARGHHH but we were not allowed to buy anymore food to stuff our faces. Dr. Epicurean meanwhile was busy browsing every single wine shop along this street -_-"

The beautiful canal with the original warehouse still intact. If you have time, you could take a short cruise down this river. Most of the warehouses are no longer in used, and have been turned into museums, shops and restaurants.

Notice the 2 birds??? hahahaha

Hurry hurry time to go back to Sapporo!!! we gotta get ready for dinner!!! After all the short walk, stomach is hungry again :D

Soon everyone was trailing behind

Thank you to Papa Bear for being such a wonderful guide for the day. We had an amazing day!!!! and did so much in a short few hours....Nikka Distillery, great sushis, strolled along this romantic canal, visited Otaru town :)))))))))))

As we traced the shadows of a late afternoon, we follow each other's foot step towards the train station, reminiscence on our wonderful afternoon...wishing time didn't past by so fast. Especially when you are on vacation!!!

hahahah but our tummy were drumming loud again. It's time for dinner. Hehehehehe.

For more information on Masazushi Restaurant:
http://www.masazushi.co.jp/shop_zenan_en.html