Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongi すきやばし次郎 六本木ヒルズ店 @ Roppongi Hills, Tokyo (4th Visit)

I don't think this 2 michelin starred sushi ya needs any introduction. This is my 4th time here and ya know what, it's just as fantastic as ever. As of the first quarter of 2018, I have eaten in more than 10 upmarket / premium sushi restaurants multiple times and if you're comparing just purely based on nigiri sushi, Sukiyabashi Jiro is still the best. I haven't got the chance to go to the Ginza main shop and quite frankly, I have no desire to. Who wants to pay more than 30,000 yen for a less than half an hour meal? I think that's rather ridiculous. Here's my thoughts regarding the Roppongi branch. According to the DVD, it's stated that the Roppongi branch serves the same if not, extremely close quality to that of the Ginza main shop. Yet you're paying nearly half the price for lunch and knowing Japanese food culture, if the father gives this particular son, Takashi Ono, his blessings to set up his own shop and use the father's name, isn't that a clear sign that Takashi-san is almost as good as his father? Now that's something to think about huh?

Flounder, Squid, Sayori, Gizzard Shad, Ark Shell Clam, Horse Mackerel

Fattiest Tuna, Medium Fatty Tuna, Lean Tuna

Amazing Sea Urchin

Salmon Roe, Boiled Shrimp, Mackerel, Octopus, Conger Eel, Homemade Egg

 If the pictures seem very ordinary, well that's correct. So what makes the experience at Jiro so amazing and so different from many of the sushi restaurants? Here are 3 main points to consider:

1) He serves ordinary sushi but at SUPER high quality standard:

I kid you not, these pictures do not do justice to the taste and flavour from his sushi. This is something that cannot really be described. His lean Tuna alone can taste better than many of the medium and fatty tunas in other sushi places. His conger eel literally melts in your mouth but yet retains its outer firmness.

2) His sushi is a lot bigger than the Tokyo average

Takashi-san believes that in order for you to taste and experience the full flavour of the sushi he serves, it has to be of a certain size. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but his cuts are bigger and very well proportionate to the rice.

3) He treats you like how a Japanese chef would treat his Japanese customers:

Takashi-san is extremely friendly and very chatty with foreign customers. I get this vibe that he particularly prefers Asian foreigners because he began learning fish names in Mandarin and even Cantonese. He says that most of his foreign customers are mainly Chinese i.e. China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia; which is why he tries to learn words related to our mother tongue.

I still remember when I went for the very first time, he spoke very little English but yet made the effort to connect with me. It was really surprising given how I had the initial impression that he was stern, strict and intimidating, but it turns out he's a really nice person. Unlike his father's place where you leave within 30 mins, Takashi is more relaxed and gives us an hour to enjoy his food; it may still seem rather rushed but trust me, it's more than enough time to finish your meal at a comfortable pace and yet still have time to interact with Takashi-san.

PS: You may not appreciate Sukiyabashi Jiro Sushi if this is your first time eating at a premium sushi bar. But the more you eat at such places, the more you'd come to realise that if you're focusing purely on nigiri sushi, Sukiybashi Jiro stands out from everyone else. Pure flavour and no after taste. Nuff said. 

Website: http://www.roppongihills.com.e.nt.hp.transer.com/shops_restaurants/restaurants/00138.html
Address:  6-12-2 Roppongi | Roppongi Hills Keyakizaka-dori 3F, Minato, Tokyo Prefecture
Budget (Lunch): 18000+
My rating: 5/5