Daisan Harumi is a small sushi shop helmed by Kazuo Nagayama. Like many other top sushi shops, the entrance is discreet and is in the middle of an alley. However, unlike top sushi shops which often have a Michelin star to their name, Daisan Harumi has none. However if you were to compare its popularity on Tabelog, it is easily one of the most popular sushi counters in town and occupies the 12th spot on the list at the time of writing. Nagayama-san also has written books about sushi and his bilingual book is a must-have for sushi fans. His knowledge of fish is said to strike fear even into fish suppliers.
One of the things that you are given upon sitting down at the counter is a copy of the handwritten menu (shinagaki) which details the fish for the day in great detail: where it was fished, how it was fished (net or line caught), its weight, how it was killed (ikijime or not). If you love sushi, you will love this shinagaki.
On to the sushi, Nagayama-san’s sushi rice is seasoned with komezu (white rice vinegar) and is on the sweet side. The seasoning is more restrained, perhaps the most restrained of this trip. However this does not mean that the sushi is “bland”, it just means that the rice is not as sour or salty as other top-end places. If I have to compare, the seasoning strength would be akin to Mizutani-san’s rice, although Nagayama-san’s rice is more firm.
The fish used at Daisan Harumi is pretty much high quality. You start with an amazing piece of lean tuna as a gauge of what the lunch course has to offer. You then receive squid, which is frankly one of the best squid nigiri I have ever eaten, possessing both the toothsome bite and creaminess that comes with good squid and a day’s worth of aging. The red snapper which has gone through the kobujime process is also stunning, the flesh soft and permeated with the aroma of kelp.
Marinated Mackerel comes next. Nagayama-san is known for his mackerel and the piece lives up to the hype providing the trademark intense fish and sweet fat taste that a good shime-saba is supposed to have. The following sequence consists of very interesting fish and combinations. For my visit the unique pieces was the himo which is the mantle of the ark shell clam and the bonito with sake lees wasabi. Both pieces were eye-openers because I did not expect them to work so well. Seasonal items such as Tairagai (Pen Shell Clam) also make an appearance. In between those pieces you will receive another Daisan Harumi specialty: the Ebi-Senbei, which is crispy prawn shell that is insanely crunchy and full of prawn flavour. Think of it as prawn crackers on steroids.
And then comes the best piece which is Nagayama-san’s calling card: the Kuruma-Ebi (Japanese Imperial Prawn). It was so big that I had trouble eating it in one go. Cooked to order and bursting with juices and topped with the head innards, it was simply magnificent. Murasaki Uni and Anago followed next and was generally very good, the Anago being soft and velvety while the uni was rich and creamy with a nice hint of brine. You will end with a piece of tamagoyaki and a tuna roll.
Throughout the course I was chatting with Nagayama-san about his fish and about his seaweed and he was very hospitable and engaging. He tried to convey the details in limited English and where he failed he spoke very slowly in Japanese for me, all without any sign of frustration. I also loved his jokes, but I think that it may not work so well with sensitive people.
For the price and the quality of the sushi and the experience, I would definitely return to Daisan Harumi whenever possible.
Date of Visit: April 2015
Daisan Harumizushi
Tabelog: http://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1301/A130103/13002140/
finding resonance 