A note on the words: nigiri is hand-pressed sushi formed from vinegared rice and raw fish. Ara refers to the bony trimmings, collar, and head remaining after a fish is filleted, and buri ara-ni is yellowtail trimmings simmered in a sweet, savory soy broth. Kabuto-ni specifically refers to simmering the fish head, prized for the rich, gelatinous meat around the cheeks and skull, which is what turned up here when the trimmings were ordered. Teishoku is a set meal centered on a main dish served with rice, miso soup, and side dishes.
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Sushi Kai Masa on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. Now, for this lunch, when it comes to reasonable sushi in Roppongi, you think of “Sushi Kai Masa” behind Roppongi Hills! I used to go there often, but had not been able to visit much lately. Despite saying just the other day that that might be my last sushi of the year, here I am heading to a sushi restaurant again.
Kai Masa after such a long time! Has not changed one bit, ha.
A standard order of nigiri — 1,200 yen
An order and a half of nigiri — 1,500 yen
The special nigiri — 3,000 yen
Buri ara-ni — 1,100 yen
Kinme (splendid alfonsino) kabuto-ni — 1,200 yen
Normally from the menu written here, or rather, I had never ordered anything other than the order and a half of nigiri, but having eaten sushi just recently, I decided to check out the back side!
They have teishoku set meals too, ha. Though it is my first time having it here, I chose the buri ara-ni.
As always, the taisho (the chef at the counter) looked busy, ha. Probably partly because everybody orders the sushi 1.5, I imagine.
Sure enough, the very first thing to arrive was this set meal! First, the salad came out, and then…
Buri ara-ni!
Or rather, this is kabuto-ni (the head simmered), ha. Quite a graphic, lifelike part of the fish showed up, ha.
Resting modestly underneath is tofu. Taking a bite: sweet! And delicious.
The cheek and the top of the head are packed with meat, so while picking through it is a bit of work, the flavors are deeply infused and match rice wonderfully. I feel the seasoning is slightly on the strong side, but eaten with rice, it is just about right.
Incidentally, it comes with two slices of sashimi! When I had assumed it was just simmered fish, this was a pleasant surprise!
The miso soup has a rich flavor from the fish trimmings dashi too, giving it the comforting feel of a classic Japanese lunch. Things other than sushi are great here too, aren’t they!
So, considering that it is quite substantial and, if anything, came out way faster than the sushi, I felt that set meals at Kai Masa are completely worth it! Sometimes you just find yourself craving fish! In times like that, a simmered fish lunch for 1,100 yen comes highly recommended!
Sushi Kai Masa (Sushi / Roppongi Station, Azabu-juban Station, Roppongi Itchome Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.0
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
