April 24: Tokyo

Luke woke us up at about 6:30 this morning, climbing all over us. We packed up and fed him some food that we got at the Family Mart last night. Auntie Kanako was meeting us in the lobby at 9 am so we had some time to kill. I journaled some more and edited some pictures while look played around the room and Christal studied/watched Luke.

Peek-A-Boo

Just when Luke was getting antsy it was time to go meet Auntie Kanako so we headed downstairs and checked out. She was waiting for us when we went down so we left our luggage with the front desk and grabbed a taxi to Tsukiji Market. By the time we got to Sushi Zanmai there was already a line outside. We waited about 20-30 minutes before we were seated at the counter. While we were waiting the host outside who was keeping track of the line informed us that there was a brand new menu that had been implemented about 2 hours before and it was the first menu update in years. Apparently they added more maki like California roll to cater to tourists. Once we were seated Auntie Kanako told the sushi chef we would eat whatever was best today. We started with otoro, which just melted like butter. It was rich and light at the same time with a slightly minerally tuna flavor.

Otoro

We were given aburi toro next, which is seared toro. It was just as good as the otoro, with a slightly smoky flavor from the blowtorch.

Aburi Toro

A huge piece of anago came out next. It was so big it took about 4-5 bites just to eat it. It had been seared to render some of the fat under the skin so that it would have a lighter flavor. The tare on it complemented the seared flesh well.

Anago

Next was hirame no kobu, which was basically halibut. It was very mild and had a nice tender, firm texture and clean flavor.

Hirame No Kobu

After that came kinmedai no aburi, so it was seared kinmedai. Again, the blowtorch lent a slightly smoky flavor which did not overpower the subtlety of the kinmedai.

Kinmedai No Aburi

Aji with a little ginger and green onion was given to us next. Usually aji has a fairly strong, oily fish flavor, but this one had an extremely neutral flavor. I could have eaten it without the ginger and green onion, it was that mild.

Aji

Next came nodoguri no aburi, which is blackthroat seaperch that was seared. It was excellent as well and had a similar mild flavor to most white fish.

Nodoguri No Aburi

Then the torigai no name came out, which is a Japanese cockle. Right before he served it the chef gave it a little slap, which caused the muscle to move, giving it the appearance that it was alive. It didn't have too much flavor, but the texture was amazing. It was buttery soft, yet it didn't break down too easily when you chewed it. It was different from anything I've had.

Torigai

After that was kani miso, which is crab innards. It has a very funky flavor that can be pretty strong and is a bit of an acquired taste. I think it is pretty good, but it is far from my favorite thing, and Christal isn't a fan of it at all, but she put on a brave face and ate it with a smile.

Kani Miso

Next was namadako, or fresh octopus. The outer skin had been removed and it was snow white. The chef had made tenderizing cuts into it, but it was so white my camera didn't even pick them up. He also seasoned it with salt, which helped bring out some of the sweetness. It was more tender than I was expecting, which was nice.

Namadako

Ikura was the next nigiri to come out. This ikura was slightly saltier than the one we ate at Budounoki and I liked both. This one seemed like each individual egg popped more for some reason.

Ikura

After the ikura was uni. Like Budounoki this was consisted of a lot of small tongues of urchin roe rather than a couple of large ones. This one had a little more of the coppery mineral flavor that I'm used to, but it was also more intensely sweet that the one in Fukutsu.

Uni

Then katsuo came out. The chef made lots of small checkerboard cuts in the fish which he said was a style used before the edo era of sushi and it helped to tenderize the fish. It had a milder, less fishy flavor than I was expecting, which was helped by the ginger and green onion on top.

Katsuo

Shima aji was the next piece than came out. It had a very firm, crunchy texture to it that made it unique. It had a mild flavor, but the texture is really what stood out and made it enjoyable.

Shima Aji

Next was akadai, also known as ark shell or red clam. The chef also slapped this one right before serving to make it move as it was set on our plates. It had a slightly chewy texture that I was expecting from a clam and the flavor was nice and mild.

Akadai

Shiro ika, or white squid, came next. It had a light sprinkling of yuzu zest on top that added a nice citrusy zing to it.

Shiro Ika

Then we had another piece of anago, but this time it was the typical nigiri size.

Anago

Maguro no hoppeta, or tuna cheek was next. It was seared slightly, which helped release some of the fat and juices. We had it this way last October when we came to Sushi Zanmai and it was just as good this time around. It had a very tender texture and the flavor reminded me of very juicy filet mignon.

Maguro No Hoppeta

Next came aka ebi. It was seasoned with salt, which brought out the sweetness of the shrimp and it had a tender, silky smooth texture.

Aka Ebi

The last sushi we had was toro to takuan no maki zushi, which was a toro and takuan roll. We each received two pieces, one topped with ikura and the other topped with uni. It was very good, but for me the taste and texture of the toro was slightly overshadowed by the takuan. Once again though I came away from Sushi Zanmai stuffed with amazing sushi.

Toro To Takuan No Maki Zushi

We walked around outer Tsukiji for a little while and then walked over to Ginza, which was only a few blocks away. I wanted to go to Dominique Ansel bakery again so we went to the Mitsukoshi department store again and Auntie Kanako did some shopping of her own.

Buckwheat Soba Croissant

We met back up with her at 1, about an hour later, after we had gotten a violet lychee cronut and a buckwheat soba croissant and her husband, Uncle Kenji, came to meet us too.

Violet Lychee Cronut

We took a taxi back to our hotel where we retrieved our luggage and then they accompanied us to Haneda airport. The route that they took us was much more efficient than the way we went to the hotel last night. Once we got to Haneda we checked in and then said goodbye to Uncle Kenji and Auntie Kanako. We walked around outside of security for a while and grabbed some soft serve at one of the stores. Somehow while neither Christal or I was looking Luke managed to take a bite from the bottom of Christal's cone so she ended up having to eat hers quicker than I've ever seen her eat soft serve, it was pretty amusing.

Oops

After wandering for a little more we went through security and headed in to the ANA Lounge since our seats for the flight were premium economy. The lounge was nice, they had some mini sandwiches, namban chicken, potato wedges, potato salad, salad, onigiri, chicken curry, stir fried udon, and a noodle bar with udon and ramen. It was a relaxing end to our trip.

Sansai Udon