I’ll start by saying that the shari here is handily my favorite in my limited experience with high-end sushi. It was not as mild and transparent as Sushi Harasho, yet avoided the sharper, more jarring profile I experienced at Sushi Kisen.
I was pleasantly surprised by how thoughtfully temperature control was incorporated throughout the nigiri. It became one of the defining elements behind my three favorite pieces of the night: akami, uni, and anago.
The akami was served over slightly warm shari and ended up being the most soothing nigiri of the evening. To this point, it’s the best akami I’ve had.
My favorite bite, however, was the uni. The shari here leaned almost chilled, which elevated both the freshness and sweetness of the uni. It was the second true “wow” moment of the meal.
I may be remembering the anago with more fondness than it objectively deserves relative to the akami and uni, but it still left a lasting impression. Served over nearly hot shari, the heat accentuated the anago’s flakiness and created a wonderful contrast with the Uni that preceded it.
Highlights for the Otsumami included the Abalone, Octopus, grilled squid and fish. My favorite was the perfectly cooked octopus.
Chef Ikuya Kobayashi trained at Sushi Saito before leading both Sushi Saito Hong Kong and 3110NZ, the latter a unique art gallery and sushi counter hybrid. He earned two Michelin stars at both establishments before opening Sushi Kobayashi in October 2025.
He earned two Michelin stars at both establishments before opening Sushi Kobayashi in October 2025.
The staff consisted of just three people: Chef Kobayashi, his wife, who handled front-of-house duties, and an apprentice. Service was warm throughout the evening. His wife spoke excellent English, and my party was pleasantly surprised to learn that the apprentice also had some basic conversational Cantonese.
The booking was made via Instagram in December 2025. The meal came out to roughly ¥29,000 per person, with the omakase priced around ¥26,000 before drinks. Most of my party shared sake, while I opted for a few pours of Balvenie and Glenfiddich. The whisky pours were very reasonably priced at around ¥1,000 each, with a solid selection to choose from. Chef Kobayashi and his wife later generously offered me a shot of Suntory Yamazaki on the house, which was a delightful gift 🤗.
I believe there's now the option to book via Tableall but I'm seeing a much higher price at ￥42,500 PP.
The eight-seat counter was mostly filled with foreign guests, though the one regular stood out as a long-time patron of Chef Kobayashi, having followed him all the way from Sushi Saito. The corner seat was self-selected; an older couple in my party of five was seated right in front of Chef Kobayashi for their first omakase in Japan 😊. The hinoki counter felt luxurious, and I was seated next to a beautiful slab of wood from the chef’s hometown. You’ve got to love a place that respects wood.
This was the best sushi-ya I’ve visited so far. I've been dreaming of the Akami and Uni. Above all else, the shari here was unforgettable.
Course description:
Otsumami:
- Dashi Broth (not pictured)
- Abalone
- Kyoto-style handroll?
- Octopus
- Grilled Squid
- Grilled Saba
Nigiri:
- Kasugodai
- Tai
- Kohada
- Akami
- Chutoro
- Ootoro
- Ika
- Ebi
- Aji (First Picture)
- Hokkigai
- Uni
- Anago
- Tamago/ Futomaki
by silvaliningplaymaker