High-end sushi without the high-end price tag

Last weekend I was out in Umegaoka, an area two stops from where I live on the Odakyu line. I was meeting some mates at the park to have a few beers at the Plum Festival, but beforehand I decided to go check out Sushi no Midori which I had read about multiple times but never actually got round to trying.

The store opens at 11am, but they allow you to come earlier to get a ticket with a number on it. Once you have your ticket you can go away and come back at roughly the designated time. (Be warned though, once your number has been called you only have 30 minutes to show yourself before your spot gets cancelled.) I got there at 10:30am and was #54 in the queue. I was seated by 11:30am and then waited a further 30 minutes inside the shop. None of this was a big deal. I pottered about the streets for an hour before getting in, and then once you are actually in the restaurant it’s kinda fun watching the chefs in action while you wait.

Now, I said in the subhead of this piece that the sushi is high-end. Well, that’s not exactly true. It’s very, very good for the price but of course it’s not on par with the Michelin Star places of Tokyo. At those places you can pay over £200 for a lunch that lasts 15 minutes. But in terms of value-for-money versus quality, this place can’t be beat. It’s a total bargain, and I foresee it being an addition to my growing list of places I eat at regularly. My lunch set cost just £10.

Calling out numbers. Which one will you get? Some people are prepared to wait over two hours.

Seated and waiting

Watching the chefs

Preparing set lunches

Part 1 of the set

Part 2. Also came with soup (miso and salmon stock on my day) and green tea. Total price: £10

IKIMASHO!

Sushi no Midori has eight stores in Tokyo, with the shop in Umegaoka being its main branch. Shop list and contact info here. Map for the Umegaoka shop below.

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