By LaPtiteLu

Tsukiji, the fish market and Dai Sushi

The Tsukiji Fish Market is the largest fish and seafood market in the world. See it was of course at the top of our list of things to do. Attend to the auction for tuna is not allowed anymore but from 9:00 am the market is open to the public. We did not know that and arrived at 6am. A guard politely ask us to fuck off come back later. We decided to have a look on the sushi restaurants and small shops around.

We had 3 hours to wait… TH wanted to go to the famous sushi restaurant Dai Sushi and there was already a long line. We had to hang around for 2:30 to eat a dozen of sushis. Have I told you that we arecrazy about food? I can tell you that the wait was well worth it! But before to talk about these fantastic sushis, I want to show you the fish market.

The market is huge ; small motorized cars roam the aisles at full speed, some men cut large pieces of fish, a young man cleans some eels, there are polystyrene boxes filled with ice piled everywhere, there are huge tuna in freezer compartment. A man sharpens his impressive blade, some are cleaning tub, filling them, weighed the goods, they laugh, they talk loud, they negotiate. An old man asked me where I come from, he replied with a smile “Bonjour!” in French …

We’were trying to be discrete among these audio and visual mess. There were other tourists strolling slowly. We, the tourists were the only ones to walk slowly. We tried to see everything, took picture of everything: people, fishes, shellfishes, crustaceans … all these wonderful treasures snatched from the sea waiting to be devoured.

There was something sad and cruel in this market. It may be to realize that the same thing happens every day, to imagine the huge quantities of goods that leave the market and that natural resources are not endless …

Now let me tell you about the sushi we ate for breakfast. They are worth the 2:30 hours waiting. The Dai Sushi restaurant is well known …
When this long wait ended we can finally get into the tiny restaurant which only have a dozen of sit,  they asked us to select a menu. The choice is simple: 2500 yen (20 euros) or 3900 yen (30 euros). So a tip, if you find yourself over there: Take the 3900 one. I did not know why we took the cheapest – probably because the evening was expected to dine in a 2 Michelin stars (I will talk about it soon) – but now we regret. Not that our sushi were not good … but the 3900 menu looked even better!

We’were finally seated! We were warmly welcomed. Arigatô gozaimAsh’Ta take out of sound all sides. The chef who served us is cheerful. He dropped ginger in front of each person and began to make sushi.

We start with the best sushi fish ever: the fatty Tuna. To me. The fish is soft and melting. No need to chew, it melts in your mouth. It’s very promising …

Followed by the Striped Jack. Excellent too. Not quite the same texture as the faty tyna but very tender.

A miso soup with pieces of fish. Excellent.

The king of sushi: tuna, a very strong taste and very strong which is long in the mouth.

A wonderful little sushi squilla (Kind of shrimp which looks like to a little alien). A delight! The squilla was creamy and slightly sweet. A touch of wasabi on top enhances the taste.

This beautiful sushi with 2 babies squid was awesome. We had never seen something like that. It was beautiful. We tasted and it was fabulous! The taste of the sea flows on the tongue. Small squid were tender and not chewy at all as sometimes. The small seaweed sheet was crispy… this was perfect!

The Tamago omelet arrived at the same time as the baby squid. It was delicious. It was impossible to describe the taste of this little thing. For me it was so good that it tasted like an fine dessert. A cupcake that I would like to eat again and again.

We go on with some tuna rolls…

It ended beautifully with the Unagi, eel sushi which melts in the mouth. This sushi is definitely one of my favorites: a creamy texture and a sweet taste.

After the sushi tasting session, we left happily with a smile. We would like to think that eat fresh and good sushi.. somewhere other than Tokyo but it is impossible. This is one of the best breakfast I’ve ever had in my life and I will remember for a long time. I already know that if I have the chance to return to Tokyo, I will go for Dai Sushi and its menu at 30 euros!

Sushi Dai, 6-21-2 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku; +81 (0) 3 3541 3738; Monday-Saturday 10:30 a.m.-5 a.m. the next morning; Sunday and holidays 11 a.m.-10 p.m.