Sushizen

While gathering information in search of “sushi unique to Kyoto,” I came across a restaurant that has won a Michelin Bib Gourmand award for its chirashizushi. That is the restaurant I would like to introduce to you this time, Sushizen. I was so eager to try their chirashi-zushi that I headed to the restaurant on a weekday afternoon. Wouldn’t you be interested in finding out what Michelin-recognized chirashi-zushi in Kyoto is like?

Established in 1939, the second and third generations are now in the kitchen together… Sushizen is a restaurant like this…

First, let me give you a quick overview of the restaurant. Sushizen is located on Sanjo Dori, walking west from the Kamo River side, and a short walk after crossing Karasuma Dori. Originally, it started as a fish shop, and in 1939, it became a sushi restaurant, so it has been in business for 86 years this year. The restaurant’s retro-looking exterior, which seems to tell the story of its long history, must be very attractive to those who love it. On the other hand, the old-fashioned exterior also conveys a kind of dignity that is different from that of a high-end sushi restaurant, and I felt that even without Michelin, the restaurant looked like something out of the ordinary.

When I opened the sliding door, I found a space that looked just as old as the exterior, but was not filthy in any way and gave off a vintage feel. The restaurant has a total of 18 seats, including 6 counter seats and a small tatami room. In the kitchen on the other side of the counter, what appeared to be a second- and third-generation couple were hard at work, dividing the workload between them. Seeing this made me feel relaxed as well. It is always nice to see parents and children working together, isn’t it?

A lot of seafood stuffed under a large amount of broiled egg… How was the Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning Sushizen’s signature dish, Chirashi?

Let me introduce the Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning signature dish, Chirashi (price: 1,850 yen including tax) that I ordered at Sushizen this time. After about 5 minutes of waiting for my order, the chirashi arrived in front of me… 

With the broiled egg filling up the sushi tub, at first glance, you may wonder if this is really chirashi sushi. However, under the broiled egg… 

There is more than enough seafood to completely cover the vinegared rice. There were 5-6 kinds of ingredients in total, such as red tuna, sea bream, squid, octopus, etc. …… The ingredients are served with a thickened sweet sauce like boiled-down sauce, so you can eat it all without seasoning with soy sauce, etc.

One of the great pleasures of chirashi sushi is the marriage of multiple seafood items in your mouth at once, but Sushizen‘s chirashi has a different volume of seafood items, so you can enjoy it more often. Typical chirashi sushi includes shiitake mushrooms and cucumbers, but this chirashi is all seafood, except for the broiled egg. If this much seafood is available, the price of 1,850 yen is totally acceptable…in fact, I feel that it is rather inexpensive. Yes, the rice was not the same as kishizushi, which has a broth-like flavor, but rather normal sushi rice, and the sweet, thick sauce goes well with the sushi rice, although it is hard to describe. The dish was finished in less than five minutes.

Examples of Sushizen’s other menu items (prices include tax) 

• Assortment: 1,850 yen
• Upper course nigiri: 3,400 yen 
• Upper course assortment: 2,800 yen 
• Nigiri: 2,400 yen 
• Anago Chirashi: 2,200 yen 

Chirashi sushi, the signature dish, is also available for take-out…To get to Sushizen, a 4-minute walk from Karasuma-Oike Station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line (Tozai Line), the nearest station. 

Now, Sushizen‘s signature dish, chirashi sushi, introduced here, is also available for take-out. The restaurant is within walking distance from major hotels in the downtown area, so not only locals but also tourists are welcome to try it out and buy one for snacking at their hotels. Incidentally, an upgraded version of chirashi sushi (priced at 3,300 yen including tax) is also available for take-out. The volume of seafood is said to be even larger, so if you want to enjoy seafood to your heart’s content, I recommend ordering the premium chirashi.

Now, here are the details of the restaurant…