Takumi Shingo was the first ever restaurant I visited in Japan on Day 1 of our 10-day whirlwind trip. Recommended by a Japanese friend, this 8-person restaurant specialises in omakase-style sushi (i.e. no a la carte menu and you eat whatever the chef serves you). Priced at c. £200pp, the decision to make the booking was not taken lightly. After all, how good can uncooked fish be, right?
The answer: Very good. Incredibly good. Yes, £200-good. Chef Shingo Takahashi along with his 2-man army did wonders with an already delectable array of the freshest seafood available in Tokyo. Be warned: This experience will ruin you forever.
Tips
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Takumi Shingo sign For a first-timer in Japan not used to high-end restaurants being tucked away in a dark alley with no windows, it wasn’t easy finding this place. It’s 5 minutes walk from the tube Aoyamaitchome but make sure you take a photo of the sign as that’s the only bit of the restaurant exterior that will be illuminated in the evening.
- Taking photos of food in a high-end restaurant seems totally acceptable in Japan (although anybody who has more experience there, please do correct me). I noticed how every diner had their camera (i.e. proper camera and not just a smartphone camera, see first photo) ready at hand whenever each course is served. I even got the sense that the chef may have even been disappointed if I didn’t take photos (could it be?).
- On a less serious note, this YouTube video by The Japan Culture Lab provides great entertainment but, needless to say, may not be an accurate depiction of how to behave at a sushiya.
22 dishes that will take you to a journey under the sea
My Japanese is very limited and so was the English of the Takumi Shingo team. Hence, why Miss Never Full’s incredibly helpful post deserves a shout out as it served as our guide through the non-existent menu for the evening. Thank you, Miss Never Full! I would not have known what I was eating half the time were it not for your blog!!
I wanted to return the favour and be as helpful to any future sushiya-goers as possible so I took as many photos as I could. However, being the greedy, hungry bunny that I am, I actually forgot to take photos of some of the courses (being 2. Hamare, 8. Kinmedai (fresh) and 16. Botan Ebi | Prawn) before eating them, hence why some are missing from the list below. Again, I point you to Miss Never Full’s post where there are photos of these dishes – she was obviously more restrained and disciplined than I am.
My favourites were the oily but zesty iwashi (dish 12), the torched red snapper (dish 19), the melt-in-your-mouth fatty tuna (dish 18) and the simple yet very tasty baby squid (dish 5). Paired with the house sake, I was in heaven…although the bill did bring me swiftly back to reality. 😛
Domo arigatou gosaimasu, Takahashi-san! Until next time!!
Alternative sushiyas
Didn’t get a booking or want to try somewhere else? Why not try another sushiya in the Sushi Sho series or Jiro’s? Those are next on my list but I’ll need to save up for the next couple of months. In the meantime, let me know how it goes!
moodyprawn 
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