Sushi Matsumoto
Sushi is one of the most iconic foods to come out of Japan. Unfortunately, for most of the western world, sushi has been somewhat bastardized by the heavy reliance on sauces and non-seafood ingredients. Thankfully in Japan you can find sushi chefs who focus on letting the best quality ingredients speak for themselves. With nothing more than a perfectly seasoned rice and a light touch of tare, these masterful chefs can create some of the most sublime single-bites.
Even at the Michelin-star level of sushi, a meal at an omakase restaurant is quite fast. In the omakase format, you trust the chef to serve a series of bites based on what they found to be the best ingredients that day. Meals like this typically last no more than an hour (with the famous Sukiyabashi Jiro reportedly taking just 20 minutes) and so are perfect to squeeze in as a lunch for the hungry traveling gourmand. Since my wife and I touring around Gion and felt in the mood for some delicious sushi, lunch at Sushi Matsumoto was in order.
Here are the omakase courses I had on my visit to Sushi Matsumoto on September 9, 2017:
Chef Matsumoto was warm and hospitable, despite speaking very little English. The care he takes to prepare each course and to ensure proper timing for his various customers, all of whom sat at the counter at different times, is commendable. I could definitely tell the quality of the ingredients used, particularly the uni and the different cuts of ahi (maguro, chutoro, and toro). Chef Matsumoto had a very light touch with any seasoning or tare he might use, which allowed each piece’s unique flavor to emerge.
Sushi Matsumoto
570-123 Giommachi Minamigawa
Kyoto, Japan
+81 75-531-2031
