We picked Sushi Muto in Nihonbashi for lunch purely because they are one of the few sushi-ya that opened on Sundays and the location worked well for our tight itinerary (we made a reservation to go visit Shibuya Sky right after and need to be on time). And with the restaurant located in a commercial building right behind the famous Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store we managed to have a quick shopping session before we went up for our meal.
Have to admit I didn’t know much about Chef Keiji Muto, except he worked in the Michelin-starred Sushi Ao in Omotensando for a number of years before going independent at this new place a few months ago. The place was cozy, up on high floor of the building with a contemporary design and a 8-seater counter. We kicked in on high gear right from the start, with the bowl of sliced abalone and sea urchins served with baby potatoes. Interesting combination from a sushi chef but I loved the umami flavor.
Some for the milder pieces were paired with slightly milder shari which worked very well – Hirame (flatfish), sumi-ika (cuttlefish), Kiji-hata (red spotted grouper), Isaki (chicken grunt) and Shimaji. The Kiji-hata and Isaki were my favorite of the series, especially the latter with nice fatty texture. Tuna was the chef’s specialty here with his relationship with the famous tuna buyer at Toyosu Market. It’s served in the classic order – first the akame, followed by two cuts of chu-toro (medium fatty tuna), one from the back side, one from the belly side. All three pieces were great, well-prepared and with the perfect balance of fattiness, texture and flavor.
A couple of shellfish were served, first Akagai then Hokkigai with Kohada (gizzard shad) and Shime-Saba served alternatively in between. The hokkigai was served upside down so the more tender part reached the mouth first for better overall texture, and the Shime-saba was beautiful and delicious, to the extent that I totally forgot to take a photo before taking it in. Kuruma-ebi was another well-cooked piece that I enjoyed too and came in nice decent size.
Definitely felt like we have more than a fair share of sushi in of lunch courses with a few more coming, including Aji, Shiroebi, Hamaguri, Ikura and Uni (both served gunkan style) The hamaguri was amazing, served with just a simple brush of sauce on top, and the uni came in huge portion too.
Then there’s a maki (with more tuna of course), soup, anago (love the soft texture!), and a tamago-yaki with more a yokan pudding texture served with grated sesame on top. Slightly different than the conventional castella cake style dessert with a softer, chewier texture but nonetheless tasty.
When? November 26 2023
Where? Sushi Muto, Ordin Nihonbashi Building 9F, 2-10-11 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Menu Highlights? Isaki, Chutoro, Hokkigai, Kuruma-ebi, Habaguri
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