Takashima -Sushi@Numazu- Izu Gourmet Guide

Takashima is near Numazu port amoung many other sushi restaurants.
From the outside it doesn't look very impressive but it has a nice atmosphere inside.
We went at 2:00pm to avoid the crowds and managed to get a seat at the counter.
We asked for the days specials and were told they were written on the whiteboard.
They offer set menus ranging in price from 1,000 yen and sushi menus starting at 1,500 yen which is very reasonable.
There were no prices written for the toro or fatty tuna and tamago yaki but we felt they would be reasonable as well.

We ordered vinegared chub mackeral, amberjack cutlass fish and tuna at first.
The mackeral was nice but could have had a stronger vinegar flavour.
My companion doesn't usually like this dish but when I suggested they try it they were pleasantly suprised.

The cutless fish was suprisingly thick with an excellent texture.Our next sushi was horse mackeral, sea urchin and deep sea shrimp.
The horse mackeral tasted like it was swiming only minutes before and was my favorite so far and made me think that it was the reason why we came to Takashima that day.
The seaurchin was sweet condensed and without any fishy smell.
It was excellent.

We ordered both boiled and raw shrimp.
The boiled shrimp was very large and you couldn't see the rice under it. The raw shrimp was also very large and delicious and made me feel happy to be able to eat such nice fresh food.
The last sushi we had was conga sushi.
I had read on the internet that if you go to Takashima you must have the conga so I decided to eat it last.
After trying it I think that people's opinion of it would probably be divided.
The sauce is very rich and strong which some might think overpowers the flavour of the fish whereas others would probably love it.
In conclusion Takashima sushi is probably most suited for women who can enjoy many pieces of sushi without getting full up due to the small rice size.
It offers excellent value for money even though ordering the sushi individually is more expensive than having a set menu.
The interior decor is quite old so it's probably not the best place for a first date but the sushi itself is excellent.

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Takashima
Address:115-3, Senbon-minato-cho,Numazu
Tel:+81-55-951-5105
http://www.at-s.com/bin/guru/guru0040.asp?yid=E715935004
Budget:3,000 yen
Open:6：30am～9：00am,11：30am～2：00pm,4：30pm～8：00pm
Closed:Tue.
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Sushian Saito -Sushi@Numazu- Izu Gourmet Guide

Sushian Saito is a small restaurant with only one room and 8 counter seats.
It is situated among the many sushi restaurants in and around Numazu Port and is in the mid-range of price.
The sushi chef looks like a pro wrestler tough guy but displays remarkable finesse in his creations.
His appearance is somewhat intimidating and made me sit up straight and made it hard to relax.

The signature dish is a squid tube filled with sushi rice, seaweed and sea urchin which was my first dish.
The textures of the slightly chewy squid, soft creamy sea urchin, rice and seaweed really complemented each other and made this dish delicious.
Next was abalone steak served in a soy sauce and sweet rice wine sauce. It was presented in the shell and was suprisingly tender and soft unlike most abalone I have tried.
It left me wanting more but I knew that I had many more dishes to come.

After that was a very artistic "shellfish" sushi that looked so good I didn't want to eat it.
I had been looking forward to trying this for a long time and it was very fresh and delicious.
Next was horse mackerel sushi almost in the shape of a ball so that you could not see the rice.
The fish pieces were quite big and fat and tasted fresh and like the sea.
After that was "Kinmedai" sushi that had the skin roasted so that it was hot and crispy and contrasted with the cold and delicate flesh.
It tasted superb and we were in raptures about it but this didn't get a comment or even a sushi from the stern faced sushi chef.
Next was "O toro" which is the fatty belly meat of tuna.
It was pastically cooked and tasted suprisingly like beaf steak and was nowhere near as good as the previous dish partially.

After that we had some very large cooked shrimp sushi and the rice was larger to match.
It was very good and made up for the slightly disappointing "o toro" dish before.
The last dish was egg sushi that was about 3 times the normal size.
It was a little too sweet for my liking.

This shop's sushi is very artistic so the presentation is excellent.
It also tastes great and is excellent value for money so I would highly recommend it.

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Sushian Saito
Address:47-2,Kasuga-cho, Numazu
Tel:+81-55-963-1234
http://gourmet.gyao.jp/0003009101/
Budget: 5,000 yen
Open:11:30am～9:00pm
Closed:Thu.
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Futaba sushi -Sushi@Numazu- Izu Gourmet Guide

Futaba sushi is near Numazu fish market and is a very traditional style sushi restaurant where long queues of people always eagerly wait for the 11:00 am opening time.

The outside of the building looks like an old style Japanese shop and is an indication of how long this famous restaurant has operated for.
My point in going to Futaba sushi was to find out exactly why it has been so successful for so long.
We went after 1:00 pm and the counter seats were all full so we had to sit at a table.

I ordered the top of the range sushi course which was a very reasonably priced 2,310. Before the sushi I was served tea which I have found to be good at just about every sushi restaurant I've been to.

My sushi was served very quickly after I ordered which was good as I was hungry.
The first sushi I tried was the "toro" or fatty tuna which was delicious and melted in my mouth.
Next, I ate the amberjack sushi which I don't usually like but it was so fresh I enjoyed it.
I followed this with the cooked shrimp, tuna and squid sushi.
The shrimp was big, sweet and had a firm fresh texture that was excellent.

Next I had the conga sushi which had a roasted outer layer which was quite crispy and a delicious tender and sweet interior.

It is often said that a sushi restaurants worth is measured by the quality of its tamago yaki.

Futaba sushi tamago yaki was so large that I couldn't see the rice under it and was so soft sweet and delicious that I don't think I could ever make it so well myself.

After the egg sushi I had salmon egg sushi which was wrapped in dried seaweed.

The contrast between the crispy seaweed and the soft salmon eggs made it very enjoyable.

I finished my first sushi course with tuna and cucumber sushi rolls which were also good but I found that i was still hungry.

I then ordered another course but this time the middle of the range which doesn't include fatty tuna but has all the other sushi that I just had.

It was also very reasonably priced at 1,575 yen.
I think that most people would need to eat more than just one course to have enough for lunch.


The pickled ginger is made fresh every day and is worth mentioning.

The chef told me the recipe which is to first slice the ginger very thinly and then in winter you pour hot water over the ginger to soften it.

After that you squeeze all the water from the ginger and you pour sweet vonegar over the ginger. It's simple.

After eating at Futaba Sushi the reason for its long term success seemed quite clear.It's tradition of always serving the highest quality fresh fish combined with friendly service, and not changing the recipes or price means that it's likely that it will continue to be successful for many years to come.

Other restaurants let fame go to their heads but Futaba sushi's attention to detail and traditional approach make it an excellent value for money sushi restaurant.

It's worth noting that this restaurant closes when the fish sells out so it can be difficult to know when to go if you want to avoid the crowds.

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Futaba sushi
Address:121-8, Senbonminato-cho, Numazu
Tel:+81-55-962-0885
http://gourmet.yahoo.co.jp/0004834209/
Budget:Lunch:3,000 yen Dinner:6,000 yen
Open:Weekday:11：00am～8：00pm
Closed:Tue.
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Tim and Karen's report Sushi Bun -sushi@Numazu-

I am an Australian who has been lucky enough to live in Mishima and Numazu for nearly 4 years.
I was given the chance to sample some of the areas first restaurants and would like to share my experiences with you. I went to only Japanese style restaurants in the hope to introduce this unique, traditional and delicious style of restaurant to people from all over the world.
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It was on a fine Sunday afternoon when it seemed that just about everyone was in their rice field planting this year’s crop that we ventured to Numazu Port and entered the world of ‘Sushi Bun’.

Being right next to a fish market, you would expect very good sushi, and I have enjoyed some great sushi in Tokyo’s Tsukiji area, but Sushi Bun is truly in a class of its own. What makes great sushi is hard to say. Obviously fresh quality fish, nicely cooked and vinegared rice, subtle touches of flavour from wasabi or soy sauce and excellent presentation are the key to good sushi – but the secret to great sushi is probably intangible and adds to the mystery of this famous Japanese dish.

We decided against ordering one of the set menus as we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to try.
Our first dish was ‘chutoro’, or medium fat level tuna belly. To say it was excellent is an understatement and it took the meaning of the phrase ‘melt in your mouth’ to new heights. One minute you have this light, almost creamy fish in your mouth and then it vanishes – leaving a sweet richness and subtle taste of the sea.
Next we ordered the ‘tamagoyaki’ which again was like nothing I have ever eaten before. It was fluffy yet juicy with a delicate flavour that my companion described as ‘Asian scrambled eggs’.
Our next sushi was ‘suzuki’, or sea bass, and was served in two ways; one with sea salt and the other with soy sauce. After the chutoro it seemed a little chewy but was still excellent, and I preferred it with soy sauce rather than with the salt. In between dishes we enjoyed the delicious pickled ginger and wakame (sea kelp) dipped in a red looking sauce that was probably miso.

The chef was very friendly and spoke a little English, and when we asked him for his recommendation he suggested ‘aji’, or horse mackeral. When we had it we realised why he did so as it had a soft buttery texture and delicious and delicate taste.

Sea urchin and raw shrimp are often described as the ‘final frontier’ for foreign sushi eaters, and I was determined to try them both at Sushi Bun. The sea urchin (uni) was quite mild in flavour and could best be described as ‘seafood butter’. The after taste was the big surprise, with an intense taste of ‘a day at the beach’, so much so that I could almost hear the waves and seagulls and feel the sand between my toes!

The raw shrimp sushi was incredibly sweet and not at all mushy or gooey like other times I have tried it. I dipped the second piece in soy sauce before eating it, but found it was a little overpowering and masked the subtle flavour of the shrimp. Our last dish was raw scallop sushi. I would have to say that it was the best scallop I have ever eaten. I don’t say that lightly as I am a big fan of scallops cooked in many ways, but the delicate flavour and texture of the scallop sushi surpassed anything I have had before.

In conclusion, Sushi Bun is a definite must for anyone who is interested in sushi. But beware that if you go there with an empty stomach you will leave with an empty wallet as high class sushi as good as this does not come cheaply.

Sushi Bun
Address:109,Senbon-minato-cho,Numazu
Tel:+81-55-962-5651
http://www.at-s.com/bin/GURU/GURU0040.asp?yid=B291279136
Budget:5,000 yen
Open:11:30am～9:00pm
Closed:Wed.


Tim and Karen's review


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