Visited Sushi Kotan in Fukuoka in October 2024. The chef trained at Mizutani and Hashimoto before opening his own shop in Fukuoka. Within 14 months of opening, the shop was awarded Tabelog Bronze.
The dinner started with 7 otsumami – highlights being the barracuda, bonito, white tilefish (heard it is a rare catch) & matsutake chawanmushi. All came in small portions just sufficient to whet the appetite in advance of the nigiri flight ahead.
Neta were large and generous. Rice was very grainy, which I found to be enjoyable as it provided textural contrast against the softer fish, while the seasoning more on the mellow side (I prefer punchier shari). Haven’t been to Hashimoto, so not sure if the style is the same as his old taisho.
The edomae modus operandi is clear and overall, a solid meal. Not to say I loved every piece, for instance, that day’s maguro came from Shimame and it tasted like summer tuna.
Paid 26,400 yen for 7 otsumami and 13 nigiri. Noting this is a 20% increase from the previous month price of 22,000 yen which was probably under-valued and overdue for a hike.
Booked via omakase. The website initially froze as people flocked to make reservations when the window opened. But around 20 minutes later, the storm seemed to pass and I booked a leftover seat that nicely aligned to my visit date.
Menu (Oct-24):
Otsumami: kamasu, katsuo, shirakawa, hamo, ankimo, itoyoridai,matsutake chawanmushi.
Nigiri: kohada, mahata, hamaguri, chutoro, tekka, akami, shima aji, buri, ikura, kuruma ebi, aka uni, anago, tamago.
by BocaTaberu