(This post was edited on 20 August 2018. Chef Sato Hiroyuki has left Tokami and set up Hakkoku, which we visited sometime earlier this year (2018, I mean). I didn't post about it because, shrug, I just didn't...life just got the better on me. Tokami is now helmed by Chef Oda Shouta.)
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| The maguro tossaki no temakizushi, Sushi Tokami. |
The final sushiya we dined at during
our autumn Tokyo trip was
Sushi Tokami (鮨とかみ) in Ginza. Sushi Tokami
is was headed by Chef Sato Hiroyuki, who is known for specialising in local
maguro and for his
shari. Chef Sato sources his
maguro from renowned Tsukiji wholesaler, Yamayuki. (Have you seen
Tsukiji Wonderland and NHK's
The Incredible Hands) Chef Sato's
shari has a distinctive reddish-brown hue from the red vinegar that he uses. As for the rice, he uses rice grown in the
rice terraces (棚田米; tanada-mai) of the mountainous Niigata prefecture.
We were the only foreign diners that afternoon. Not that it mattered - the atmosphere was quite relaxed and Chef Sato was very friendly. However, I was intensely aware that some of our fellow diners were somewhat uncomfortable yet also wildly curious about where we were from. They relaxed quite a bit when they learned that we were from Singapore. Now that sparked some conversation among us and our fellow diners (moderated / translated by Chef Sato, who speaks fluent English) about Singapore. Why the Japanese are so effusive in their great admiration for the efficiency of Singapore, I do not know. I suppose, they respect the economic progress Singapore made following her independence from the British and Malaysia, and her
ruthless swift implementation of government policies. The latter possibly in comparison to their own government, which some view as bureaucratic, unable to accept criticism, lacking in transparency and accountability, and unable to progress with the times. (The irony, because the same criticisms have been levied on Singapore's government.) Oh well, to the other side, the grass is always greener I suppose.
Anyway, Chef Sato told us that around 6 years ago, he worked in a sushiya in Singapore, and that he missed some of the places and local foods in Singapore. We had a chat about places that he considered "beautiful" (
kirei) in Singapore, and I found that he is quite the adventurous and exploratory sort. Never did ask him which sushiya he worked at - Hubby thinks it may have been Shinji by Chef Kanesaka. I guess we will have to ask next time we dine at Tokami - and there will be a next time.
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| Mackerel (鯖, saba) |
First is slices of
saba, mackerel or chub mackerel, a favourite oily silver-skinned fish (
hikari-mono) among the Japanese. Chef Sato served it lightly seared on the skin, and sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds. Interesting contrast between the warm seared skin and the chilled raw flesh.
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| Olive flounder (平目, hirame) |
Next was
hirame, said to be the king of white fish (
shiromi-dane) in autumn and winter.
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| Baby snapper/seabream (春子鯛, kasugodai) |
Chef Sato announced that next was
kasugodai that has been marinated with
konbu (kelp) and sprinkled with finely grated ginger. Okay, I'm a little confused because
kasugodai, i.e. young seabream, is a spring season fish.
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| Can't remember. Possibly Japanese clam (蛤, hamaguri) |
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| Sillago (鱚, kisu), marinated with konbu |
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| Pen shell clam (平貝, tairagai) |
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| Lean tuna (赤身, akami) |
Now comes the first of the
maguro... a marinated
akami.
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| Medium fatty tuna (中とろ, chūtoro) |
My favourite part of the
maguro...
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| Fatty tuna (大とろ, ōtoro) |
To complete the Holy
Maguro Trinity is the
ōtoro, this one from the underbelly (蛇腹,
jabara), the clear layers of flesh and sinew beautifully displayed. I rather like the combination between the
maguro and use of red vinegar
shari. The flavour profile is probably more pronounced in when eaten with the
ōtoro.
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| Gizzard shad (小鰭, kohada) |
And then
kohada... When Chef Sato placed it in front of me, I probably looked horrified when I said "Eeeh,
kohada desune..." He looked somewhat bemused, and told me it's delicious and to try it - ためして、おいしいですよ。(⌒
▽⌒)☆
Yeah well, I have to eat it anyway, since it is already on my plate. The texture was much softer than
Harutaka's and
Jiro Roppongi's (both of which had a dense texture), and the red vinegar
shari does match really well with the oily
kohada. But ultimately, I really can't appreciate
kohada after all. As I said to Chef Sato: すみませんね。。。やっぱり、無理ですよ。。。(；
△；)
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| Tiger prawn (車海老, kuruma ebi) |
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| Can't remember this one. Darn. Because it was so good. |
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| Japanese clam (蛤, hamaguri) |
A lighter touch with the
tare, compared to
the one at Sushi Masuda. Quite delicate, especially with the red vinegar, but overall I prefer the one at Sushi Masuda with the indulgence sticky sweet sauce.
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| Bonito, or skipjack tuna (鰹, katsuo) |
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| Purple sea urchin (紫海胆, murasaki uni) from Hokkaido |
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| Black-throat sea perch (赤鯥, akamutsu, aka 喉黒, nodoguro) |
Next is the black-throat sea perch (called
akamutsu or
nodoguro), a fatty white fish that is best in autumn and goes really well with red vinegar
shari. Nice contrast to the one we had
at Sushi Taku, which was grilled.
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| Conger eel (穴子, anago) |
Then the
anago, which was good, but not as creamy-smooth and fluffy as the ones we've had.
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| The signature maguro tossaki no temakizushi (鮪突先の手巻き寿司) |
After the
anago, we were served Chef Sato's specialty
maguro collagen soup (鮪のコラーゲンスープ), which is made by slowly simmering the
tossaki. I was so engaged in savouring the intense soup that I forgot to take a photograph.
According to Chef Sato, the
tossaki (突先) is the meat from the backside near the neck of the tuna, i.e. the base of the head. Like the tail of the tuna, this part of the fish sees a lot of action, and is thus high in flavour.
As we are savouring the
maguro collagen soup, I see Chef Sato rolling out the
maguro tossaki temakizushi (鮪突先手巻き寿司), the signature specialty of Sushi Tokami.
I confess that I was initially not keen on having
temaki as one of the courses. But at the first bite, I literally ate my words.
Delicious. The crispy toasted
nori sheet, the flavoured rice, and the
tossaki... the flavour was beyond words. The flavour of the
tossaki is rich and complex. On the first bite, my eyes popped open at the unexpected intensity of flavour, and the more I chewed, more of its
umami-ness just spread.
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| Tamagoyaki (卵焼き), brûlée style |
As I said before, I am generally not a
tamagoyaki fan. Though I did enjoy the sweet and dense cake-like style of the Jiro school (
Harutaka and
Jiro Roppongi), I was not converted. But I had some samples this trip that have had some effect - the castella-like
tamagoyaki at
Sushi Nakamura was the first, and now the
tamagoyaki at Tokami with its crème brûlée-like top.
*******
More on Elizabeth's Japanese Autumn 2016
Chinatown (Heichinrou, Yokohama Mazu Temple) ● Yamashita Park ● Zou-no-Hana ● Osanbashi Pier ● Yokohama Red Brick Warehouses ● Miho Museum
- IV: Fuji Five Lakes -
Part 1 (Bessho Sasa, revisited) ●
Part 2 (Fuji Subaru 5th Station, Motosuko & Koyodai) ●
Part 3 (Fujisansaku Park, Motosuko, Shojiko, Saiko, Kawaguchiko)
*******
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