Japan trip-うまい鮨勘(Umai Sushi Kan)

A sashimi lover, one of the must-go tourist spots is the Tsukiji Market. We went there in the afternoon and were planning to have lunch there. However, when we arrived, almost all the restaurants we saw were already packed with people! Disappointed enough, we then decided to go to somewhere else for lunch. While we were planning to leave, a small but quiet restaurant appeared in a aisle that nobody had noticed yet.

Without thinking, we entered this small restaurant and could not wait to try some fresh fish! (Sorry dad!) :P

(Picture from gourmet.livedoor.com)

うまい鮨勘(Umai Sushi Kan)
〒104-0045 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market (in the No.4)
〒104-0045東京都中央區築地5-2-1　築地市場内4號館
Tel: 03-3541-2458

Ratings
1:Yucks! 2:Improvement needed 3:So-So~ 4:Good 5:Very good 6:Heavenly

Food: 5
Price: 4.5
Service: 6
Ambiance: 3.5
Overall: 5

• Mon-Sat 6am-3pm 5pm-9pm
  Closed on Sundays
• They don't have quite a lot of seatings, about 20 seats in total (?)
• Each table has a set of menu, but you can also look at their posters to see which kind of fish is fresh and in-season.
• Customers can choose to order in pieces or in sets. Apart from sushis, they also have tapas, salad, desserts, and miso soups.
• Don't underestimate the miso soups here! They have about 6 kinds of miso soups with different ingredients, including fish, lobster, minced fish, clams, prawns, and seaweed. (We didn't order this time but I saw they give a generous amount to every order!)

ほたて磯邊握り(Seared Scallop Nigiri Sushi)

• Forgot the price; it should be around ¥140-230 (about $2-3CAD $13-21HKD)
• It came with a piece of seaweed that you can wrap around the sushi.
• My mom ordered this and she liked it a lot.
• It actually came in two pieces; my dad ate the other one :D

うに三昧(3 Concentrations of Uni)

• ¥840 (about $10CAD $77HKD)
• My mom is a fan of uni! She ordered this right away after spotting its promotion of the wall.

Marinated Uni

Fresh and Seared Uni

• So...were they good? I did not try them because I don't eat uni. My mom's reaction? She said this is the best uni she has ever had ;)

さば棒すし(Saba Battera Sushi)-6/6

• ¥1050 (about $13CAD $96HKD)
• This is another must-order when I go to a Japanese restaurant. My sister and I literally fell in love with saba after having the Grilled Saba Shima Sushi in Guu Garden (posts here and here).

• This came in 8pcs with a thin layer of pickled sheet (ginger?) on top.

• These were so good. Even though it was early in the morning, I could not help but to stuff myself with this saba sushi!
• Apparently, there were extra ginger and green onions in the rice. And the rice itself also had that typical vinegar flavour.

鮨勘太卷(Sushi Kan Futomaki)-6/6

• ¥810 (about $10CAD $74HKD)
• Another one of my favourite sushis :) My favourite futomaki so far is the one from Torarenbo.

• Also came in 8pcs but were cheaper than the Saba Battera, of course.
• Like other typical futomakis, this also had cucumber, mushroom, crabmeat, tamago, and some plum powder (the pink one).
• The proportion of the rice and ingredient was 50/50. Perfect to eat and see :D

穴子つまみ(Grilled Conger Eel)-5.5/6

• ¥695 (about $9CAD $64HKD)
• Eel may be the most popular fish in my family. Since we already ordered some sushis previously, my sister decided to go for Grilled Eel instead of Eel sushi. By the way, I don't know what conger eel is :/

• The eel was soft, but definitely was not as soft as the normal ones I had before. Now looking at the pictures, I can still recall the texture of this eel...the soft bones in the flesh...yummm!
• Another bonus point for Sushi Kan: They did not drench the eel with the sauce; instead, they put most of the sauce on the side.

厚燒たまご(Fried Egg)-3/6

• Forgot the price; it should be around ¥140-230 (about $2-3CAD $13-21HKD)
• Japanese fried egg is my all-time favourite! I ordered this right away after spotting it on the menu :P

• However, this was somewhat dried...not the one I expected to be :(
• FYI: Apart from fresh seafood/fish, fried tamago is also one of the popular products in Tsukiji Fish Market.

Tsukiji Fish Market is quite far from, say, Shinjuku. But honestly, it really worth the visit. If you are lucky, you can see some Japanese chefs showing how to cut a fish on the street (which I did)! You can also find fresh, local products there as souvenirs :DD
It is/can be a tough trip, especially in Summer. But no matter what, next time when you go to Tokyo, make sure to go there once!