Nishiazabu Sushi Shin

The key to making good sushi? An eye for detail. And Chef Shintaro Suzuki certainly has one. He personally inspects—by hand—every catch of the day at the market each morning, rejecting any that fail to meet his lofty standards. “Only fish that have been treated with care are flavorful enough,” he says, testing the texture of each fish by hand. So exacting is he that his staff even use different brushes to apply soy sauce to various nigiri, depending on the fish. For instance, tuna belly contains pungent oils that would otherwise overpower the taste of a more neutral fish. To use the same brush to apply sauce to both would be tantamount to contamination. Similarly, depending on the fish used, the balance of the sweetness and savoriness of the rice in each individual nigiri is adjusted accordingly. To the average diner, this may seem excessive. But it’s this eye for detail that has cemented Sushi Shin in the annals of Japanese culinary history: when the Michelin Guide first expanded to Japan, it was one of the first sushi restaurants to be awarded a Michelin star — and has continuously held it for over 10 years.