Sushi Dai Honten & Japanese Sushi @ The Tsukiji Fish Market

Sushi Dai is one of the most sought after sushi seats at the Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, Japan.  People gather at 4 AM to be able to have a seat at the restaurant.

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However, this isn’t the same Sushi Dai.  My hangry ass navigated to this Sushi Dai and I thought it was the same Sushi Dai everyone talks about.  It was a bone head move for any starving foodie who had a must-eat list before he arrived in Tokyo.  It was one of the most devastating moments of my life; it’s only second to Domino’s announcing they would no longer offer the 30 minutes or less or it’s free.  Unfortunately, I have seen many disappointing things occur in life.

After sitting down, I realized it was a different Sushi Dai.  It was too late to get up and walk out cause I was given the menu; Plus, I made eye contact with the sushi chef and he gave me the head nod.  If I left, I would have looked like a complete douche.  There was no way I was going to do that when I’m hangry.  Not today.  Not tomorrow.  Not ever.

The little modest shop was two floors.  The ground floor had a few tables and a small sushi bar; the basement had a sushi bar with 10 seats.  It’s not surprising since Tokyo has space limitation; it was pretty crammed.   I felt like Santa Clause trying to fit into skinny jeans.  It didn’t look promising.

The service was fantastic.  It’s something the Japanese have down to the T.  The two other countries’ service that might surpass Japan would be Turkey and the Philippines.  The sushi chef to the wait staff were all accommodating and they made sure the dining experience was satisfying for every patron. They even made a hangry person like myself smile.  It was rare but it occurred.

Sushi Dai Honten serves all the typical nigiri.  They offer set menus, which were decently price.  The only difference between the set menus were the total amount of nigiri.  The sushi weren’t served one at a time like high-end sushi restaurants.  It was prepared then served together at once.  Now, this would be a good sign of shitty sushi.  However, I didn’t mind because I wanted to stuff my face as fast as I could.  My favorites:

• Tamago – The soft tamago was cold.  It still was nice and soft.  It had a sweetness to it like a husband after he did something wrong.  Yes, it was that sweet.
• Toro – Toro’s buttery texture makes it one of the most popular nigiri pieces in the world.  The fatty content gave it a lot of depth.  The toro’s natural flavor really made the nigiri better than the other pieces.  The rice temperature lacked any warmth like having to sleep on the couch after a fight with a lover.
• Eel – Eel isn’t hard to do right.  The eel was cooked then brushed with soy sauce.  The sweet soy sauce added to the soft texture.  It was tasty even though the rice temperature was cold like a woman’s wrath after being cheated on.

  

  

Overall, Sushi Dai Honten was a decent sushi restaurant.  It wasn’t the greatest I’ve had, but it was enough to satisfy my cravings.  The little shop does its best with the limited resources and the location does bring it business.  However, I wouldn’t consider it to be my first choice for quality sushi.  My first in Tokyo would be Hatsunezushi.

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