[Shanghai 上海] Weiliu 味留

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Weiliu 味留

Add: B1/F,158 Julu Lu, near Ruijin Yi Lu
Tel: 6333 5117
Hours: 5~11pm (closed on Sun)
Price: from 1280 RMB
Visited: Apr 2017

Found 158 might be widely known as the “new Yongkang Lu” with its collection of expat-centric bars and restaurants, but the subterranean hub also houses an upscale Japanese restaurant called Weiliu. Tucked away in a quiet corner, Weiliu – opened just a few weeks before my visit – is composed of a very zen pebble garden, one main sushi bar, and a couple of spacious private rooms, all donned with silent sliding doors and minimalist decors.

永康路被整頓後,全上海的外國人似乎都跑到大同坊來了,每逢週末都擠得水洩不通。不過你知道,這裡除了有去不完的酒吧之外,其實還隱藏了一家相當高級日本料理店嗎? 我到訪時才開幕幾週的味留座落在大同坊一個安靜的角落,有個很禪的庭院,一個開放式吧台,還有幾個寬敞的包房。風格簡約,低調的外表讓人很想進去一探究進…

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The restaurant group, with three locations in Taipei already, also imported their chefs from Taiwan.  Omakase sets are priced at 1,280, 1,680, and 1,980 RMB – steep, but not uncommon among the high-end Japanese restaurant scene in Shanghai.

味留來自台灣,在台北已有三家店(咦,可是之前從來沒聽過),上海新店大部分的師父似乎也都是台灣人。Omakase 的價位是 1,280, 1,680, 和 1,980 人民幣 - 貴,但這就是上海高級日本料理的行情。

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[Tokyo 東京] Shinbashi Shimizu 新橋清水

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新橋 清水 Shinbashi Shimizu

Add: 2-15-10 Shinbashi, Minato Ku / 港区新橋 2-15-10
Tel: +81-3-3591-5763
Hours: 12pm~, 5:30~9:30 (L.O.)
Price: [lunch] 8,800+ yen [dinner] 15,000+ yen
Visited: Oct 2016

Among the myriad of high-end sushi restaurants in Tokyo, what foreigners are most familiar with are probably Sushi Jiro and Sushi Saito. Sushi Shimizu, on the other hand, is also highly ranked by the local Japanese (#34 on Tabelog’s top 50 sushi restaurants in Tokyo, just 6 spots after Sushi Jiro), but one can hardly find any non-Japanese information or reviews online. Why?

在東京衆多高級壽司店裡,一般外國人比較熟悉的不外乎是壽司之神すきやばし次郎(Sukiyabashi Jiro)和鮨さいとう(Sushi Saito)。而我這次去的新橋清水,雖然在當地人的圈子內是一座難求的名店,不過在網上卻很難找到非日語的信息和評論。爲什麽?

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Let’s take a look first. The tiny sushi bar is located in a small alley not far from Ginza. It’s a space that fits only 8 customers, and inside the sushi bar is chef owner Kunihiro Shimizu. There are no fancy decors, just a simple bar, and behind it hung wooden boards listing today’s freshest ingredients.

先進來瞧瞧。小店藏身在離銀座不遠的狹小巷子裡,招牌也(不令人意外的)毫不顯眼。入門後是個能容納八個人的壽司吧台,站在裡面的就是主廚清水邦浩先生。沒有華麗的設計,只有簡潔的吧台,以及後方用來示意當日新鮮食材的板子。

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Shimizu-san entered the trade when he was 18, and after 11 years of working at Shimbashi Tsuruhachi, he started out on his own in 1999. In fact, he was awarded one Michelin star in 2012, but as someone who doesn’t want his restaurant to be on any food guides, he complained to Michelin and had his star taken away the next year. Instead of running a sushi bar that’s world-famous and becomes impossible to book, he’d rather have it stay as a casual place where his regulars can come as they wish.

清水先生十八歲入行,于名店 “新橋鶴八” 工作11年後,1999年自立門戶。清水其實曾經在2012年被米其林評爲一星餐廳,不過他並不希望出現于任何餐廳指南上,所以氣憤的向米其林投訴,隔年隨即被撤銷了星星。長年來低調經營的清水先生,希望自己的餐廳不要成爲高高在上,需要好幾個月前就要訂位的拘謹名店,而是他的熟客可以隨意進來享用美味壽司的輕松地方。

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[Shanghai] Sushi Oyama 大山鮨 (2)

Sushi Oyama 大山鮨

Add: 2/F, 20 Donghu Lu, near Huaihai Lu 東湖路20號2樓, 近淮海路
Tel: 5404 7705
Hours: 6:30pm-10:30pm (closed Sunday)
Price: 800 RMB/person, drinks extra
Visited: Jun 2011

Once in a while I eat a meal so perfect that I can’t help but grin from ear to ear until long after the meal has finished. Such was the case after my dinner at Sushi Oyama, an omakase Japanese restaurant with menu that changes nightly. It’s a small but elegant place. The decor is simple, the air is filled with light-hearted jazz, and the focal point of the room is an open sushi bar where Oyama-san and a couple of helpers slice, scorch, press, fold, and roll with determined confidence.

I’m charmed by Sushi Oyama beyond remedy.

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[Shanghai] Sushi Oyama 大山鮨

Sushi Oyama 大山鮨

Add: 2/F, 20 Donghu Lu, near Huaihai Lu / 東湖路20號2樓, 近淮海路
Tel: 5404 7705
Hours: 5:30pm – 10:30pm (closed Sunday)
Price: 800 RMB/set menu, drinks extra
Visited: Aug 2010

The opening of Sushi Oyama, a 14-seat Japanese restaurant upstairs of the popular el Willy, was an exciting affair. As far as I know, it is the first omakase sushi restaurant in Shanghai, where you are at the mercy of the chef to serve you whatever he’s got based on market ingredients. Sushi Oyama works with seafood directly imported from Japan, and the menu changes nightly. You don’t have to worry about what to order because you don’t. Just sit back, relax, and let Oyama-san do his magic.

We started off with sake and were presented with a selection of cups to choose from – a small detail that made the meal feel more personalized. Oyama also offers shochu, plum wine, beer, and wines from Torres and el Willy downstairs.

Tonight’s Menu

1. First shot – clear broth of clams
2. Sashimi plate – sweet shrimp, Hokkaido scallop, medium-fatty tuna, yellowtail, and ???.
3. Vinegared seaweed with yam

4. Sushi: medium fatty tuna, mackerel, sea urchin, grunt with scorched skin
5. Cod fish with pomelo black pepper puree
6. Salad

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