Excellent video on tsukiji market and high-end sushi. @JeetKuneBao, fans of Mark wiens, and sushi lovers this is worth a watch.
Warning if you eat sushi in Japan, it will ruin you for life.
And holy shit, that tuna roll at the end.
What are your favorite sushi videos?
UOh dear Sushi Arai.
I went the evening before they earned their first Michelin star. I wish I didnāt go as it was the worst sushi meal in Tokyo during the trip. I even sat at the main counter, and while I had Araiās sous chef serve us appetizers, Arai also served most of the nigiri. While the appetizers were excellent, the nigiri took a bad downward spiral trip.
Fast forward to the Michelin era present
Most recent trip back to Tokyo I consumed bluefin at other restaurants who use the same supplier (and different ones). I can honestly say that luckily top grade wild bluefin tastes brilliant at other places, but what I was given at the main counter at Arai that evening was completely flat and no profile.
The sushi rice at Arai that night was overly super sour and salty, which he was trying to do Shimizu style. However it threw the balance off of every piece he served. Only overpowering items like uni and anago could kind of mask the overwhelming flavors in the rice. He didnāt do any aging of fish at the time, and for items like kurumaebi, his sous chef cut off the head of the prawn and Arai tossed it away without extracting any of the miso (the delicious juice and stuff in the head). I was shocked.
Sake pours were made into these cups that were better used for iced coffee and very large at that. Looking back the sake were tasty by themselves, but were not solid pairings.
Iām not going to discount the experience of others. But there is just too much hype and some of it unwarranted of this place. In some ways this place is like Sushi Saito. There is also a back room with another chef but the experience is different. If a restaurant gives you differing quality and you as a non regular pay the same price as VIPs but get something completely different, that is wrong, regardless of whether the excuse is the chef not being able to communicate with customers or doesnāt want to deal with customers who donāt know the culture etc.
Sorry end of rant.
Arai sounds awful.
Back to topic, sushi related pr0n. Looks like only available on Blue ray, could not find streaming options
Great free find! I bought the Blu-ray in Tokyo and itās region A (playable in North America) and has English subtitles. Itās not marked for Stateside release and is beautifully shot. Not a lot of footage of nigiri but more focuses on the wholesalers middle men and the culture that surrounds that community and the way they think and do business. The Blu-ray does come with another DVD of extras and you could special order it via Amazon though $80 something. It has tremendous replay value, and is a fantastic archive, considering the inevitable relocation of the market to Toyosu.
And if you donāt mind dates clips from low res VHS or TV rips this Japanese uploader has a ton of clips
Ripped from Japanese TV in a weird way but legendary in depth footage of the dining reviewers eating at the following in order:
Tenzushi Kyomachi (Fukuoka) extremely talked about and raved about these days, āKyushu-maeā sushi (interesting lots of citrus over seafood which Mr Jiro Ono frowned upon in the Gelb documentary)
Sushi Ikkou (Hokkaido, Michelin star)
Sushi Masuda (Tokyo, 2 Michelin stars) - a disciple of Jiro Ono and apparently he opened up a branch (Kyoto?) and is planning another one in SE Asia.
Awesome find @PorkyBelly thanks!!!
@beefnoguy looks like Iām going to cave in and spring for the blu-ray, thanks for the info. I love fish markets. Part of my vacation early morning routine.
Hate to admit how uncool I am, this video is where I first learned about Saitoā¦ 
. Well filmedā¦ enough to overlook the hosts.
This is a great thread!
Ahh yes Simon and Martha. Iām not a huge fan of v-loggers especially when they promote themselves over the food. But I do value the fact they put that footage out there. One of their more recent kaiseki meal videos was far more well shot and documented (and focused much less on themselves) that was better done.
I have to say though, Japanese TV and media sourced videos are the shit. Unfortunately you have to kind of figure out what is being said. There are more options if you search in Japanese though you have to sift through the crud to find the gems also.
You will see bits of Saito-san in Tsukiji Wonderland. That fighter stance he does making nigiri makes Yasuda seem less refined. However despite that, Saitoās seafood lineup doesnāt really change much but you get dead on consistency sometimes. There are mixed reviews even with the purists over whether he is the best or not. Though itās so super tiring to see the VIP instagrammers brag about how often they go. For us really even the not so famous but solid places are good enough.
A friend who lives in Tokyo and is the most hard-to-please diner I know is a fan of Arai. Then again, he is probably a regular.
