Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Japan｜Sakae Sushi

Delicious, Taiwan-Japan friendly

I love sushi restaurants and go there over 100 days a year. At some point, I started thinking about conquering the sushi restaurants in all 47 prefectures in Japan. And I was able to meet many delicious sushi restaurants from Hokkaido to Okinawa. It's always fun to have a conversation with the chef behind the counter. However, there is one prefecture where I have never been to a sushi restaurant. That is Tochigi. I'm from Gunma and live in Yokohama, so it's not a far away prefecture. Still, for some reason, I haven't had many opportunities to stay overnight there, and when I do visit, I tend to prioritize gyoza, so I've never been to a sushi restaurant before. Today I decided to stay in Utsunomiya for golfing in Tochigi Prefecture the next day. If you search online, it seems that there are many sushi restaurants that you can only make reservations for six months in advance, and restaurants that are of very high quality. One of the places that caught my eye was Sakae Sushi. This may be because I got the impression that the restaurant was friendly and didn't offer courses, but rather made dishes according to your preference. Sakae Sushi is not far from Tobu Utsunomiya Station, but it would be better to take a taxi from Utsunomiya Station. It's located right across from the Utsunomiya Central Post Office. When we entered, there were 8 counter seats and 2 tables for 4 people. It's a restaurant with a nice atmosphere that seems to be loved by locals. I sat at the far right seat around the corner of the counter. It's an interesting seat with cushions placed on a wide bench. Later, the owner told me that the two seats in the back are the best seats in the restaurant. (lol) Let's have a drink now. Let's start with sake. When I jokingly asked for some cheap and delicious recommendations, I was told that I don't know if they are cheap, but they do have a lot of delicious recommendations. I like this answer 👍 First, let's try the dry ``Fumotoi'' from Sakata Fumotoi Sake Brewery. The appetizer is three types of appetizers (baby hairy crab marinated in tamari soy sauce, dengaku eggplant and daikon radish, smoked edamame) and whale bacon marinated in tamari. *The ridge is the bellows-shaped part of a whale from the lower jaw to the abdomen. It is characterized by its plump texture. Whale bacon is delicious❗️ And this Fumotoi is exactly the kind of sake I like. It is dry, and the alcohol itself is not overpowering, supporting the food well. If this is the case, you can expect good food and sake. It seems like all the appetizers are made at the store with a lot of time and effort. The hair crab marinated in tamari soy sauce has a strong taste, but the sake goes well. It was empty in no time. I feel like I've been defeated. If you eat this tamari pickle, you'll want to eat the large hairy crab that you can see on the counter. I asked for half body. That's right, the plate looks nice from now on. When I asked the owner, he said it was Mashiko ware. It's certainly close to Utsunomiya. It seems that he is ordering it from an acquaintance's kiln. The next drink is Fukui's local sake ``Jouzan.'' And then there's the seared bonito. Apparently they got some good bonito and grilled it outside. It is delicious when eaten with garlic. The garlic is also marinated in tamari soy sauce, making it a bit milder. The best❗️ Delicious guesses continue. Salted squid and fried squid, dashimaki egg, salt-grilled island shrimp, kanpyo, and milt with ponzu sauce. The general seems to be particular about making his own items at the shop rather than buying ready-made items. But for today's salted fish, they didn't have any good squid with liver in it, so they said it was ready-made. I'm also happy to hear you say it correctly. The dashimaki egg was served freshly baked. I like the slight sweetness. I also ate all the island shrimp, shell and all. The balance of saltiness is perfect. Kanpyo is from Tochigi Prefecture, which boasts a 98% market share. It's delicious without any unpleasant synthetic sweetness. The Shirako is a little chunky, but it has a sharp edge and is delicious. This is fresh evidence. I'm already on my third drink. This is ``Ona'' from Tochigi Otawara Kiku no Sato Sake Brewery. Shall we grab it now? What would you like? When I asked the owner, he told me that there are three types of Shinko here: shallow, deep, and super deep. It seems to be in the vinegar stage. It seems that the super deep one is sold out today, but would you like to have two types, the shallow one and the deep one? Next, let's have the medium fatty tuna, sea urchin, and salmon roe. Let's start with Shinko's shallow end. The deliciousness spreads in your mouth as you feel Shinko's unique soft texture. It smells faintly of vinegar. Next is deep closing. I see, that's how it happens. It's true that the vinegar taste is stronger, but the new child has become more mature, which is a nice evolution. I might like this one. The sea urchin is rich but naturally delicious, just like eating saltwater sea urchin. Does it contain any unnecessary additives? The pickled salmon roe in soy sauce is also good. The medium fatty tuna was also delicious with its sweetness. Lastly, we received Shinko and Gari's scrolls. Before I knew it, I had returned to the first well at the foot of the mountain to refill my drink. The sushi restaurant in Tochigi, which ended the tour of 47 prefectures, was a perfect performance. The owner's son also helped out at the store. It seems that he was a high school baseball player until this summer. I'm sure he'll make a great successor. This is a sushi restaurant that I would like to work with for a long time until I can eat my son's nigiri sushi. I finished the bowl of seaweed with roasted seaweed soup stock and left the restaurant. Thank you for the meal.

2018/1/3 It's been a long time since I've been here. delicious! You can really get anything here! It's a pity that there was no conger eel, but the sea urchin, seaweed, and mackerel were delicious. The tamagoyaki is also fluffy! good! !