After watching the tuna auction, it is time to indulge in fresh sushi breakfast at the many restaurants around the market.
I heard good reviews of Sushi Dai and it is regarded as one of the best sushi restaurants in Japan. So let's go to Sushi Dai!
Queue starts from I dunno what time. I was there at 5am after my failed attempt to queue for the tuna auction and to my surprise, there was like 50+ people already. I guessed they were on the same boat as me. We missed the spot for the tuna auction haha.
I thought since it's still early the queue would move faster so OK la, I joined in.
queue in front of the restaurant
There are breaks in the queue so as not to obstruct other restaurants. Be sure to check where the queue ends cos I saw many people simply joined the queue in front of the restaurant. Excuseeee me?! Luckily they were asked to move away by the restaurant staff, a lovely lady who manages the queue as well as the in-house service.
the queue continued
1 hour passed. Felt like the queue barely moved.
2 hours passed. OK it moved a few metres.
Once in a while, the lady came out from the restaurant and counted the number of people queuing. At about 7.30am, she put this signage after the last person.
The restaurant closes at 2pm, considering the serving time, the lady surely knows how many people can be served daily and put a stop to the queue.
3 hours passed. I've waited this long I couldn't give up now T_T
4 hours passed. Almost there, in front of the restaurant.
The queue was slow moving cos the restaurant can only accommodate 12 people at a time. One group spends about 45 minutes inside the restaurant so you can estimate how long you have to wait. I didn't know about this T_T Had I known, I would queue earlier ok.
The lady came out again and took our orders.
5 hours passed. I finally got in and seated at the sushi counter. Pheww!
There are only 2 menus at Sushi Dai; Omakase course (trust the chef) or Jyou, a standard menu.
The Omakase course costs 4,000 yen and comprises of 10 pieces of nigiri sushi which are the chef's selection of the best fish of the day plus one piece of whatever is desired from the menu. Sushi rolls, rolled egg and miso soup are also included.
The standard selection includes 6 pieces of nigiri sushi, sushi rolls, rolled egg and miso soup and costs 2,600 yen.
At 4,000 yen, the Omakase course is rather expensive but heck I've queued for 5 hours let's go all out and splurge. Credit cards are not accepted at Sushi Dai so remember to bring enough cash for the bill.
The a la carte menu from which we choose our final piece of sushi.
I heard good reviews of Sushi Dai and it is regarded as one of the best sushi restaurants in Japan. So let's go to Sushi Dai!
Queue starts from I dunno what time. I was there at 5am after my failed attempt to queue for the tuna auction and to my surprise, there was like 50+ people already. I guessed they were on the same boat as me. We missed the spot for the tuna auction haha.
I thought since it's still early the queue would move faster so OK la, I joined in.
queue in front of the restaurant
There are breaks in the queue so as not to obstruct other restaurants. Be sure to check where the queue ends cos I saw many people simply joined the queue in front of the restaurant. Excuseeee me?! Luckily they were asked to move away by the restaurant staff, a lovely lady who manages the queue as well as the in-house service.
the queue continued
1 hour passed. Felt like the queue barely moved.
2 hours passed. OK it moved a few metres.
Once in a while, the lady came out from the restaurant and counted the number of people queuing. At about 7.30am, she put this signage after the last person.
The restaurant closes at 2pm, considering the serving time, the lady surely knows how many people can be served daily and put a stop to the queue.
3 hours passed. I've waited this long I couldn't give up now T_T
4 hours passed. Almost there, in front of the restaurant.
The queue was slow moving cos the restaurant can only accommodate 12 people at a time. One group spends about 45 minutes inside the restaurant so you can estimate how long you have to wait. I didn't know about this T_T Had I known, I would queue earlier ok.
The lady came out again and took our orders.
5 hours passed. I finally got in and seated at the sushi counter. Pheww!
There are only 2 menus at Sushi Dai; Omakase course (trust the chef) or Jyou, a standard menu.
The Omakase course costs 4,000 yen and comprises of 10 pieces of nigiri sushi which are the chef's selection of the best fish of the day plus one piece of whatever is desired from the menu. Sushi rolls, rolled egg and miso soup are also included.
The standard selection includes 6 pieces of nigiri sushi, sushi rolls, rolled egg and miso soup and costs 2,600 yen.
At 4,000 yen, the Omakase course is rather expensive but heck I've queued for 5 hours let's go all out and splurge. Credit cards are not accepted at Sushi Dai so remember to bring enough cash for the bill.
The a la carte menu from which we choose our final piece of sushi.
We were served green tea and a bowl of miso soup to start the meal. The chefs then began preparing our sushi. They were really friendly, happily chatting with us in between preparing the sushi.
One of them knew a few Malay words and spoke to me and another guy when he knew we're from Malaysia.
The sushi was sooo good! I can say it was the best sushi I've ever eaten. Totally worth the wait. Maybe there are other equally good sushi restaurants in Japan but overall, I was glad with the experience.
Do I want to queue again? Hmm.. maybe I'll come earlier next time hehe.
Opening hours: 5am ~ 2pm
The restaurant is closed on Sunday, holidays and days when the market is closed
Direction: It is the second shop on the small street within the inner market of Tsukiji Fish Market. Just look for the restaurant with the longest queue!
Ohgaddd I so want to go to Sushidai after watching and reading all about it! Thank you for mentioning about bringing enough cash - I was advised that credit cards aren't that popular other than in big department stores.
ReplyDelete@aud: You should go and try the Omakase course. Yes I was lucky I brought enough cash too. I think most shops in the market area only accepts cash.
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