I kid you not; our group was totally indecisive when it comes to dinner at Otaru as there were way too many choices yet the popular ones were either commanding a long queue or closing for the day.
We eventually came to this standalone restaurant with a big plastic fish plastered on its signboard. Menu looked pretty extensive, just like Japanese restaurants (e.g. Sushi Tei) in Singapore and exhaustion had rendered us pretty much resistant to walk any further.
This cut-out of a man with a tuna seemed quite familiar although i couldn't quite recall where i had seen him before. It didn't take me long to realise this is the same man who has been winning the top bid for a blue fin tuna at the annual New Year auction in Tokyo's Tsukiji market!
So this is his restaurant! Not that it matters to me since publicity stunt can only do so much to help the restaurant if the food were to turn out less than favourable.
Good thing for English speakers - the menu provided English translation and the summer special for bluefin tuna five nigiri shall be my meal! Otaru is known for its fresh seafood and i guess there's no better location than in Otaru to get the best quality!
Soup - this was passed to us for free and even though it was just filled with prawn heads, the broth was insanely rich and flavourful yet noticeably thin on the texture.
Chawanmushi - surprisingly, the taste didn't wow us despite the hefty price tag of more than S$6; you get your normal ingredients in the smooth egg custard, topped with fish roes.
Clam Miso Soup - the colder weather that evening made one crave for hot, soupy stuff and this was ordered as i remember how good the mini pack of instant clam soup sold at Daiso Singapore was.
This was obviously much better and the clams (six of them) were so meaty! It tasted hearty and i loved the addition of shredded spring onion which added a layer of freshness!
California Roll - Alex's key order in any Japanese restaurant would be the California roll and it's no exception even though we were in the country of sushi.
Simple, nice and in a smaller 4-piece portion. From Alex's expression, i know he was thinking of the fusion sushi roll from Singapore's rollie olie!
Bluefin Tuna Five Nigiri - it would be a big disrespect if i don't even attempt one piece of sushi in my first visit to Japan and i have been hearing from the Great Kon that i die die must try the fatty tuna!
Tuna has never been my favourite choice when it comes to sushi and the set i got totally blew me away! Every piece tasted so fresh and yummy; i almost wanted to go for seconds....
Fatty tuna, in particular, was a literal melt in the mouth. It's amazing, especially given the fact that Sushi Zammai wasn't even the best sushi restaurant in Otaru.
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Location
1-3 Sakaimachi,
Otaru 047-0027,
Hokkaido, Japan
Location Map
Check out my google map here.
Pricing
Soup - Complimentary
Chawanmushi - 500 yen
Clam Miso Soup - 400 yen
California Roll - 580yen
Bluefin Tuna Five Nigiri - 1,280 yen
(Subject to 8% Tax)
