My first sushi of 2025 was at Sushidai (寿司大) in Toyosu Market (I also visited at the end of last year, so it had only been a week). Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Sushidai has adopted a system where you check in at the storefront and return at the designated time instead of waiting in line. The entrance to the building opens at 5 AM, and customers are guided to the storefront in order. No running allowed!
Sushidai has recently started offering a selection of local sake, but of course, Ozeki (大関) is still available. At Sushidai, Ozeki just feels right. The appetizer of the day was filefish (kawahagi).
I had been excited to try the filefish liver roll, as the restaurant mentioned it on X that morning. However, the liver was out of stock, so they served just the meat as an appetizer instead. Even without the liver, it was delicious—perfect with ginger soy sauce.
Sushi Dai offers a 5,000-yen omakase set, but I opted for a la carte this time. I started with a few appetizers:
Spearfish squid – So glossy! I could eat an entire plate of it.
Grilled clams (yakihamaguri) – I initially thought it was a giant surf clam, but it turned out to be an enormous clam. The flavor was so rich and satisfying!
Monkfish liver (ankimo) – The perfect sake companion. When I visited in December, I had it as sushi, but as an appetizer, the portion is bigger—so satisfying!
During my visit before last, I discovered that Sushidai serves highballs! Since then, I’ve been ordering them. On this day, they even offered three different whiskey options. I chose Suntory’s blended whisky, Ao. The aroma was amazing.
Then, moving on to the nigiri. First up, sayori (halfbeak). It’s coming into season.
Then, one of the chef excitedly asked me, “We have the belly of meji! Do you want to try it?” Meji is young tuna. At first, I thought, “Meji, huh… I’m not really interested,” but I decided to go with their recommendation. And I was absolutely blown away—it had the perfect amount of fat and an incredible texture. I could totally understand why they were so excited! This meji maguro was the best piece of the day. It made me realize that I should always trust the staff’s passionate recommendation, at least, at Sushidai.
Horse mackerel is something I always order at Sushidai. Not once has it ever disappointed me! No wonder it’s always included in the omakase set.
Surf clam. Sushidai’s shellfish selection is always top-notch, so I struggle to decide which one to get every time. But in the end, surf clam is my favorite.
Tamagoyaki.
Fish soup with miso.
I wanted another shellfish, so I ordered ark shell. It has a stronger briny aroma compared to hokkigai, which might not be for everyone, but I personally love it.
For the final piece, I went with a toro maki (fatty tuna roll). I’m usually not drawn to toro since I don’t handle fatty fish well, but it was glistening in the showcase, looking irresistible. So I had them roll it up for me. At first, they suggested a toro-taku (toro with pickled daikon ‘takuan’), but I wasn’t in the mood for takuan, so I had it plain. In hindsight, I should’ve asked for some green onions. Still, the simple toro maki was absolutely delicious!
On this visit, I happened to run into another friend, and we ended up sitting next to each other, making for an even more enjoyable sushi lunch. I’m starting to think it might be time to return to the omakase set. I visited on January 5th, and I had heard that there wouldn’t be as much good fish available right after the New Year. Indeed, the selection seemed a bit smaller than usual, but even so, everything in the showcase at this restaurant is always top quality. There’s never a miss!
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Name Sushidai (寿司大)
Open Morning through noon
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