Originally Posted by
cardesigner2000
Yes it's hard to distinguish between all the sushi places between mass market to high end. We tried Zanmai and found it just ok. Any recommendations in central or western suburbs of Tokyo for something between the chain places and the michelin star places? We had a nice lunch special for 2500 yen at a place in Hiroo and looking for something similar with lunch in the 2000-5000yen range and dinner maybe in the 4000-10000yen range.
Well said. "High-end" and "mass market" are, with hindsight, not the perfect descriptors.
IMO there are two types of sushi experience:
First is the true hand-crafted sushi meal that typically involves a chef's omakase offerings in a Michelin-starred venue.
The second - and equally compelling - is the non-omakase, a-la-carte meal where one can freely order as many rounds of excellent, top-quality Otoro, Uni and other ultra-fresh delicacies with (a) breaking the bank, and (b) being looked at like an uncouth gaijin.
Finding the best second experience is the objective of this thread.