Jukusei Sushi Yorozu

Impressive chef and master of his craft. Booked this reservation on omakaseje.com about a month out. Only six are seated a night so book early. Location is on the third floor of a seemingly residential part of town. The interior is beautifully designed and tight on space. The staff of two are very attentive given the ratio, and one has good English. The drink menu was partially omakase style (eg the sake is chosen by the staff but craft beer was listed). The chef prepares the rice, fillets the whole fish, and crushes the wasabi in front of the guests. Most or all of the fish is aged from 8-68 days. Explanations of the food and process are given in both Japanese and English. Great experience and flavorful, unique dishes!

# Aged Sushi Experience: Disappointing and Overrated I recently had the opportunity to dine at a sushi restaurant in Tokyo that specializes in aged sushi. Recommended by friends who had dined there multiple times, I was eager to try something new, especially after enjoying top-notch Edo Mae sushi at places like Sushi Sugita, Sushi Saito, and Sushi Arai. ### Ambiance First, let me mention the ambiance: it was nice and set a pleasant mood for the evening. However, that’s where the positives end. ### Aged Sushi Concept The concept of aging fish is intriguing, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was more gimmick than gourmet. The chef aged the fish for a minimum of 10 days, with some pieces aged up to 63 days. My question is: why age all types of fish? Surely, some are better enjoyed fresh. The aging process seemed to dull the natural flavors, rather than enhance them. ### Overly Sauced Each piece of sushi was brushed with a sauce repeatedly, which completely masked the original taste of the fish. The more sauce applied, the more I felt like the chef was trying to hide the flaws of the aged fish. Sushi should allow the quality of the fish to shine, not be drowned in sauce. ### Rice Issues The rice, or shari, was hard and sticky. I was told this was intentional to balance the aged fish, but I found it difficult to accept that dry, hard rice could be considered good sushi rice. It detracted from the experience entirely. ### Wasabi Disappointment The chef showcased three types of wasabi using different graters, but the taste difference was negligible. Each piece had so little wasabi that I could barely taste it. If premium wasabi is a highlight, it should be more prominent. ### The Bill After sampling 5-6 types of sake and a few pieces of sushi, the bill came to a staggering JPY 51,000. For that price, I expected exquisite ingredients like sea urchin or abalone, but there were none. It felt like a rip-off for what we received. ### Conclusion I typically avoid giving negative reviews, but this experience was disappointing. Aged sushi might appeal to those unfamiliar with high-end traditional sushi, but for anyone seeking the fresh, vibrant flavors of Edo Mae sushi, this restaurant is not the place to go. It perhaps deserves a new classification—"New Age Sushi" for those willing to pay a premium for an experience that strays far from authentic sushi traditions.

😐/🥹 I visited in April 2025 and didn’t have a good experience at Yorozu. This was somewhere I’d wanted to try for many years, and I gotta say that the chef is very friendly and hospitable. The food to me fell short. Shari was too vinegary, which covered any flavors he may have tried to highlight. In Singapore we’ve aged sushi chefs that alter between two Sharis to avoid being vinegared out. I wonder why this wasn’t done at this esteemed place. Again, service was really really good, but the price to product ratio was flat. Good to try once, but no return for me. Apparently the uni was weird smelling which I don’t actually remember anymore.

Dined here 4/5 times in the last two years. If you’re curious about aged fish sushi, I feel Chef Shirayama’s outpost in Tokyo should be the place for your first experience. Fish aging isn’t new to Edomae sushi. Traditionally, Hirame, Madai and most white fishes are aged a few days to develop flavor and texture. They’re often accentuated through various methods of curing using kombu, salt, vinegar, sugar, miso, sakekasu, etc. Hon Maguro, of bluefin tuna, is also aged from the brokers to the sushi chef. At Yorozu, fish aging is elevated to a science. It’s not about the number of days; it’s about flavor. Texture. How aged fish complements chef’s al dente Nagano Koshihikari rice, cooked in bespoked cast iron/ enamel cookware, with a dose of bracing red vinegar. His deeply rich umami brushing shoyu (and slightly sweet) is also developed to pair with aged fish tane. There is no funkiness associated with aged fish, but specific scents and textures which an aged fish - like a Shiro Amadai, or a well-aged Kanpachi - should emanate. Every season, the lineup changes. This is in line with all reputable, high quality sushiya. Here, not only the sushi tane is aged. The cooked dishes go through aging too. I recall eating aged Monkfish liver and Botan Ebi. And his Clam Dashi which is made with nothing other than water, sake and the clam that’s been kept to an inch of its life, literally tastes like clam essence. Unlike more tourist friendly sushiya, Chef Shirayama’s English isn’t perfect. And he doesn’t take the Route One approach to bombard the night’s menu with the usual - and expensive - crowd pleasers like Uni and Awabi (which really is a summer season special, and not that remarkable outside the summer months). Service can be a bit awkward as he tries his best to explain what the guests are eating. But these days, with all sorts of translation apps, one gets by. The sake pairing here is always on point - the list features seasonal sake, less heralded breweries. Not your usual big guns like Juyondai, Isojiman, Zaku etc. Over the years, the restaurant Has raised its prices. But that’s pretty much what happened in Tokyo post covid. My meal came up to about 51,000¥, including several sakes. Is it the cheapest? No. Neither is it the priciest. I think it is a fair price to pay for an aged fish master at the top of his game. As a foodie, I’m glad that sushi has evolved so much in the past few years. There’re many sushi restaurants in Tokyo, most adhering to more classical Edomae styles. It is definitely worth taking a detour to experience those who are working with aged fish. And you can’t go wrong with Yorozu.

Absolutely perfect experience in any way possible, wonderful staff and the chef was very helpful with the explaining each course. Highly recommended!