Beginning with traditional Edomae sushi leveraging the chef’s years of training before taking you on a playful ride through unique creations, the degustation course of at least twenty items is adjusted to suit each guest’s appetite. Each nigiri sushi morsel contains a smaller amount of rice than is typical, allowing diners to enjoy a wide array of sumptuous ingredients. And the high-quality ingredients ensure purer flavors that sit well in guests’ satiated tummies. He has cultivated relationships with Yamasawa, the leading maguro dealer in Toyosu, and joined forces with bidders to secure the best sea urchin from suppliers. Highlighting those pure flavors is why the chef does not age any of his seafood and proof, he says, of the premium nature of his ingredients.

Chef Yasuda also makes no compromises regarding seaweed and the rice ovals that carry it all. He adores the aroma, flavor, and melt-in-the-mouth goodness of first-harvest seaweed from Ariake Bay in Kyushu and uses a combination of red and white vinegar to season his rice. You will not find any sugar in his seasoning recipe, as he finds it makes the rice too rich. As for rice, precise details are a company secret, but what we do know is that it is a blend of rice varietals selected by a seasoned expert of Sushi Takamitsu to best suit its style. The goal is for the rice and toppings to become one in diners’ mouths and disappear, leaving them with a sense of incredible satisfaction but also lightness.

It is hard to pick a star among Takamitsu’s incredible sushi lineup, but the dishes you will not find anywhere else are especially memorable, like “torotaku caviar” and “sea urchin rice”. The former starts with sumptuous maguro paste combined with crunchy takuan – traditional Japanese daikon pickles – topped with a generous helping of large bead caviar. The latter is a blend of sea urchin and maguro neck meat through rice finished with shavings of white truffles from the premier producing region of Alba in Piedmont, Italy. INGREDIENTS
Yasuda has forged his own supply routes since going independent without relying on connections from his earlier training days. Joining forces with auction bidders and intermediaries, he spares no yen or effort in securing premium sushi toppings daily. A case in point is the sea urchin, on which he spends around 50 million yen yearly. It is a shocking figure but one that results from the search for the best of the best. This is true for all the seafood served at Takamitsu because Yasuda will not allow any variations in quality. All with a view to wowing guests. Staff from sea urchin suppliers visit the restaurant to exchange ideas with Yasuda and auction bidders, and it is this kind of close communication that ensures an ongoing supply of premium products.

Sushi Takamistu in Nakameguro is renowned for its splendid selection of champagne, wine, whisky, tequila, vodka, and many other alcoholic beverages, in a line-up that came to be based on customer requests and affinity for sushi. The drinks are equally exciting on the pleasure boat, including vintage champagnes, Burgundy wines, and Napa whites. And while the numbers are somewhat limited because of the boat’s capacity, Yasuda plans to continue to grow the collection of sake and liquor varieties, answering the desires of his many guests.