Sushi Ishiyama 鮨いしやま @ Ginza, Tokyo (Feb 2019)

If you're reading this post, chances are you've already been to Sushi Ya when Chef Ishiyama Takao was the main chef of that establishment. Over the years he seems to have built a strong international following especially among Hong Kong and Chinese tourists which I suppose was a really smart move considering now that he has opened his own sushi restaurant, he's going to need to continue building his customer base as well as maintain his current existing one. Anyway, I'm not going to explain the history of this restaurant or how good he was in Sushi Ya, so let's cut the long story short. Here are the pictures of my lunch in Sushi Ishiyama:

Fried Tofu starter

1.Hirame

2. Sakura Masu

3. Shirasu

4. Akami Zuke

5. Chutoro

6. Otoro

7. Meiji Maguro

8. Ika

9. Kuruma Ebi

10. Kohada

11. Kawahagi

12. Aburi Kinmedai

13. Saba Bozushi

14. Murasaki Uni

15. Bafun Uni

16. Akagai

17. Miso Soup

18. Anago

19. Negitoro maki

 

20. Kanpyo maki

21. Tamago

This is his most expensive lunch course at 15,000 yen for 21 items altogether. He also offers his dinner course during lunch but that's going to cost 25,000 yen fyi. For those of you who have been to Sushi Ya, I think the most obvious observation is that he has nearly doubled his price. But I suppose that is justifiable since his shop is in the Ginza district and for 21 items, I guess that's fair. In terms of taste, no doubt I had an enjoyable meal here and while his sushi was as good as I remembered it to be, I felt he hasn't taken steps to improve yet; he played it safe by sticking to his old formula. While there is nothing wrong with sticking to a formula that works, I feel that he has the potential to become even better than he is now. Then again, it has only been less than a year since he started his own shop, and I'm pretty certain that he will eventually start experimenting and improving overtime. Keep an eye on him, it's only a matter of time before he gets a Michelin Star, but whether he can get two...let's give him some time, couple of years maybe. In any case, I had a wonderful lunch here and will be happy to return in the future.

Tabelog Website: https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1301/A130101/13225073/

Address:Ginza Morita Building 4F

Budget (Lunch / Dinner): 10000, 15000 / 25000 yen

My rating: 4/5