Sushi Miki

In a tiled-floor store at the periphery of Kyoto’s urban Shimogyo, the team behind Sushi Miki is as vigilant about the local and seasonal as it is on the delicious. Sushi Miki is special in the city’s restaurant scene for several reasons — starting with the fact that it doesn’t require a deep pocket to score its 10-piece omakase nigiri set. The second drawcard of Sushi Miki is that it's swimming against the current of the omakase sushi brief. Here, sushi is designed to be enjoyed casually and, following the channel, reasonably. The entire menu is ably assisted by concise, fresh seafood and precise knife skills. The name of the game is its bluefin tuna, ranging from fatty, medium fatty called chutoro and lean meat, turned into either sashimi for appetizers or sushi. Two-piece nigiri plates of scallops, horse mackerel, gizzard and boiled conger eel aren’t skipped lightly, either. The store also dabbles in a tight list of Japanese shochu. At just 16 seats, Sushi Miki is a class act of a stellar micro-locale. Take a counter seat if there's space, so you can watch the chefs prepare your course by hand.