あてるい
One week ago, I visited Asakusa Shinoda Sushi with high hopes of completing my Tokyo Shinoda Sushi tour, only to be rejected. Determined not to repeat the same mistake, I called at the beginning of the week to confirm their operating hours. The lady who answered the phone informed me that they had been closed on Tuesdays in addition to their regular Wednesday closure due to the state of emergency. Regardless, I avoided Tuesdays and Wednesdays for my visit this time. After enjoying a fantastic triple curry at Budoshu in Kanda-kaji-cho, I took the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line to Asakusa and first stopped at Kameju. With few customers and no wait, I was able to quickly make my way to Asakusa Shinoda Sushi. As I passed by the long line at the Chinese hand-pulled noodle restaurant Maza across the street, an elderly lady customer entered the shop before me. Since the shop was small, I waited outside until she finished ordering and then entered. The man behind the counter, who appeared to be the shop owner in his forties, greeted me with a warm "Welcome." There was also a woman who I assumed was his wife in the back. I ordered a 10-piece mixed set for 950 yen (tax included), which included 6 pieces of Shinoda (Inari sushi) and 4 pieces of kampyo maki. The shop owner told me to wait as he prepared my order. After a few minutes, he quickly handed me the completed set. As I paid, I mentioned that I had come last Tuesday only to find the shop closed, to which the shop owner apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, we've been closed on Tuesdays recently due to Corona." Their kind and humble customer service towards first-time visitors is definitely a charm of this shop. I took the set home and immediately tried it. First, the Shinoda. I was surprised by how much sauce was at the bottom of the box, as I had heard in advance. This is definitely unique to Asakusa Shinoda Sushi. The seasoning was a bit sweet for my taste, but the vinegar in the rice balanced it out nicely. Next, the kampyo maki. One noticeable difference was that the seaweed was slightly green instead of black like the other three shops. The flavor was very good when I tasted it. Similar to Shinoda, the vinegar in the rice was not as strong as in Ningyocho Shinoda Sushi, but it blended well with the seaweed's flavor. Lastly, the pickled ginger. The pickled ginger here was vinegar-based like what you would typically find in a sushi restaurant, unlike the salt-based pickled ginger from Ningyocho and Yotsuya. This type of pickled ginger suits my taste the best. In terms of quantity and price, Ningyocho Shinoda Sushi offers the best value, but when considering taste as well, Asakusa Shinoda Sushi takes the lead. In terms of atmosphere, Ningyocho Shinoda Sushi is the best, followed by Asakusa and then Yotsuya. Customer service is almost equal among Ningyocho, Asakusa, and Yotsuya. With this, my tour of Tokyo Shinoda Sushi comes to a close. My personal ranking of the four shops is as follows. What do you think of these rankings? ☆ Overall Evaluation (Taste, Service, Atmosphere, etc.) 1st place: Asakusa Shinoda Sushi 2nd place: Ningyocho Shinoda Sushi 3rd place: Yotsuya Shinoda Sushi Honorable mention: Kanda Shinoda Sushi ◉ Taste Evaluation 1st place: Asakusa Shinoda Sushi 2nd place: Ningyocho Shinoda Sushi 2nd place: Yotsuya Shinoda Sushi 4th place: Kanda Shinoda Sushi In any case, Asakusa lives up to its reputation. Both Kameju and Asakusa Shinoda Sushi are must-visit places when in Asakusa.