Takagaki No Sushi in Ningyocho, Tokyo
This new shop in the Ningyocho area of Tokyo was opened in September 2018 by a former Shimizu employee. The restaurant is very small, with only six counter seats in a rustic building located in this classic Shitamashi neighborhood.
I visited at lunch with my friend Yukari Sakamoto, the author of the great “Food Sake Tokyo” book. We had a wonderful time. Chef Takagaki is young and obviously talented. At this point he has not developed much originality to his food, his sushi mostly just emulates Shimizu-san’s. But hey, when you consider how good Shimizu sushi is, that’s not necessarily a bad thing! He does a good job of it, although obviously he doesn’t yet have the same set of skills as the Shimbashi legend.
So, we know what to expect from the sushi: big, rustic pieces of nigiri, good kai (shellfish), good kohada, and nicely sour akasu (sake lees vinegar) rice, with a hint of umesu thrown in for good measure. I found the shari (sushi rice) to be enjoyable, with good flavor, temperature, and consistency.
The bill came to around Y15,000 for two, with a few servings of excellent nihonshu. A solid bargain lunch! It will be interesting to see if the young chef develops his own style in the future. For now, Takagaki No Sushi is a really great option for affordable sushi, and it is easy to book. It should be noted that very little English is spoken here, so be prepared and plan accordingly.
Below you will find images of most of the pieces that were served to us, along with some additional comments.
The kohada was a highlight of our lunch.
Aoyagi season was nearly over when we visited, but this piece was still excellent.
Shellfish neta are excellently prepared at this shop. The hamaguri was cooked perfectly and served with a tasty nitsume.
The in-season female shako (right) was fantastic.
Pretty good kanpyo maki, but the last piece, which was almost fudge-like in appearance and consistency, was not my favorite.
Takagaki No Sushi
1-chome-30-2 Nihonbashikakigaracho, Tokyo