Sushisai Wakichi (2*, Tabelog 4.30)

– Date of visit: 9 January 2024
– Price: 32,400 yen before drinks.

Reservation was for 20.30 seating but only entered around 21.00. The waiter mentioned that a group of tourists arrived 15 minutes late to the first seating which caused a domino effect as the chef had to double-prep Unlike in major cities where sushiyas are often located inside buildings, here we had to wait outside in the freezing snowstorm of Hokkaido winter!

Despite all that, the food was pleasant buoyed by Hokkaido seafood bounty. The taisho also imprinted his own style. For instance, only one kind of tuna (chutoro) was served instead of the usual tuna trilogy. Chawanmushi normally relegated to a mere side dish, received a star treatment containing a generous amount of hairy crab and its roe. Tamago, normally a simple rolled egg or castella cake, came in pudding form.

Little English was spoken. For those who are not familiar with Japanese fish names, they provided ‘flash cards’ with pictures and English translation.

Menu:

1. Hairy Crab & Oyster Chawanmushi
2. Flounder Kobujime
3. Octopus from Hakodate
4. Monkfish Liver with Narazuke Sauce
5. Coral Rockfish with Hanaho Shiso Ponzu Sauce
6. Shirako Surinagashi
7. Black Skipjack
8. Cuttlass Fish
9. Barfin Flounder
10, Chutoro from Oma
11. Gizzard Shad
12. Mackerel Pressed Sushi
13. Ubagai Clam
14. Botan Shrimp with its caviar
15. Scallop
16. Botan tail
17. Ezo Abalone with liver sauce
18, Sea Urchin
19. Sea Eel
20. Egg (pudding style)

by BocaTaberu