Hiroo Ishizaka
Tokyo, Japan
⭐1 Star
The Experience
From Michelin Guide
The chef is solid on the basics yet leaves room for a distinctive touch. The meal begins with moderately fatty, sweet flesh of tuna sushi, followed by sea urchin wrapped in nori as a way to compare flavours. Pursuing originality, a single piece of shiitake mushroom sushi follows. Sushi of botan shrimp and thick rolled omelette flavoured with soup stock is also distinctive. In summer, the chef serves rolled cucumber sushi, using cucumbers grown by his parents. The meal ends with soy sauce ice cream, a flavour only a sushi shop could offer.
Unique Things
From Visitor Experiences
Signature Shiitake Nigiri Using Niigata Yairo Mushrooms: Chef Ishizaka’s unique nigiri features thick, umami-rich shiitake mushrooms grown in Yairo, Niigata Prefecture, showcasing an unconventional ingredient rarely highlighted in sushi menus.
Original Soy Sauce Ice Cream Dessert: The meal concludes with an inventive soy sauce ice cream that balances sweet and salty flavors, revealing the complexity of soy sauce in a creamy dessert form, a rare and creative finish for a sushi course.
Intimate Eight-Seat Counter with Warm, Family-Like Atmosphere: The restaurant’s design includes a walnut timber counter with only eight seats arranged to feel like a family dining table, complemented by Korean antique furniture and traditional Japanese plaster walls, creating a cozy and unpretentious ambiance unusual for Michelin-starred sushi establishments.
Ingredient Stars
From Visitor Experiences
The most honored or signature ingredients at the Michelin-starred restaurant Hiroo Ishizaka in Tokyo are:
Chutoro (medium-fatty tuna): A buttery, soft cut of bluefin tuna, often sourced from Toi in southern Hokkaido, prized for its delicate texture and flavor. It is a perennial favorite and typically opens the nigiri course, showcasing the chef's skill in preparing and serving it immediately for optimal taste.
Shiitake mushroom: Thick, umami-rich shiitake mushrooms grown in Yairo, Niigata Prefecture, are a signature ingredient. Chef Ishizaka uses them creatively in nigiri, highlighting their deep flavor and unique texture as a vegetarian highlight.
Botan shrimp: Known for its sweetness and delicate texture, botan shrimp is featured as one of the nigiri options, emphasizing the restaurant’s focus on fresh, high-quality seafood.
Amberjack and Kanazawa yellowtail: These fish are carefully selected for their quality and are featured in the sushi course, reflecting the chef’s commitment to premium seasonal ingredients.
Akashi octopus and Chiba Boso Peninsula abalone: Served as appetizers, these ingredients are prepared simply to highlight their authentic flavors—octopus boiled with just salt and water, and abalone steamed with sake, salt, and kombu.
Additionally, the sushi rice is made from Koshihikari rice from Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture, known for its soft, fatty texture and balance, which is fundamental to the sushi's quality.
These ingredients are used with precise technique and served on elegant ceramic slabs, emphasizing both tradition and creative expression in the omakase experience at Hiroo Ishizaka. The meal often concludes with an original soy sauce ice cream, balancing sweet and salty flavors to showcase the complexity of soy sauce.
Menu & Pricing
Current Offerings & Prices
Tasting Menu
- Omakase Course: ¥39,000
Signature Dishes
- Chef's Selection Course: ¥27,500