Chances are your newsfeed was flooded with live feeds from Japan during the recent Songkran break. Thanks to the new (no-)visa policy, it’s now that easy for your globetrotting friends to roam the land of the rising sun, hit all the photogenic food spots and tempt you with all those sensuous live updates. Alas, Tokyo had become one crowded Thai town, at least for a few days.
Unarguably so, Japanese cuisine is the favorite of Thais. Any trip to Japan can easily turn into a serious eating spree. Among the favorite destinations, sushi places are on everyone’s list.
But if the fish is the only thing you’re after, you might as well save your baht, stay on the ground and hit Thonglor instead.
Specifically, try Sushi Kanda, a delicious sushi gem in the area.
Sushi Kanda – located on the second floor of No. 88 between Thonglor Sois 5 and 9 – is only a few months old, but, in my humble opinion, there you’ll find the highest-quality sushi in all Bangkok and surrounding areas.
Unlike the hundreds of dashing sushi bars out there that lure you in with the pretty faces of “innovative” combinations of foie gras, sea urchin, matsusaka beef and whatnots, Sushi Kanda keeps it simple with just fish and rice – the way it’s supposed to be.
The restaurant is polished and clean in the Japanese style. Sushi Kanda feels just like one of those places right outside the famous Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. You sit at the bar and witness all the happenings with the chefs’ stunning knife works (and you don’t wanna miss that!) This way, you also get to see your food in its every step of the way, and get served directly from the chef’s hand to your hand. (Yup! Just like that Uni featured in the photo – that’s really how it came served.)
The dining experience here remind one of scenes from “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” the 2011 documentary about Jiro Ono, the 85-year-old sushi master of Sukiyabashi Jiro. Sushi Kanda will be as close as it’s going to get to that movie without leaving the country. Sushi Kanda offers very similar dishes to those served at Sukiyabashi Jiro, particularly the the Omakase Set – also known as “I will leave it to you (chef)” dish. For that, the price ranges from THB3,000 to THB7,000 per head, with the highest price meal including a box of the final course for your next meal. Other a la carte items (from THB100) and much cheaper set menus (THB400-1000) are also available, but for experience’s sake, I recommend “leave it to the chef.”
What you can anticipate is a nonstop sequence of 10-plus exquisite fish and rare seafood courses – some of which you’ve probably never seen so fresh. Starting with an appetizer, just enough sashimi to get you taste buds working, then in no time, your sushi will be lining up on a single piece of leaf before you. (Instead of a ceramic plate, Sushi Kanda serves stylishly on leaves over the counter.) The list of seafood runs from tuna, kinmedai, aji, saba, uni, Hokkaido scallop, to ikura and the less common kuruma ebi. Everything boasts the best of quality and freshness. The uni (sea urchin) is shipped from the very same vendor that supplies for Sukiyabashi Jiro. It is by far the most enchanting pop of Uni I’ve ever had in my eating career. The ocean tastes very sweet in my mouth. Nom. Nom.
Now forget about the fancy-looking foie-gras-on-toro rolls your friend Instagram’ed about from one of the nearby sushi joints. (There are already three in this tiny building alone.) Those people don’t know what they’re talking about. The best of toro (tuna) is best by itself the secret is how fast you can get that 200-kilogram fish/beast from the ocean to your table.
Sushi Kanda has its seafood delivered almost every day of the week. The chef tells us that’s what the owner is doing now—flying to Tokyo to handpick his fish. Occasionally, the chefs will be happy to present you with unexpected catches of the day, less common imports—weird-looking shrimps, fish, and shellfish. (Check the place’s Facebook page for its regular updates!)
Finding this place is a bit tricky. One can easily miss the entrance of the restaurant. Sushi Kanda keeps its restaurant front very minimal with neither a name board in Thai nor English. Small Japanese characters – which I presume read “Sushi Kanda” – mark the entrance of the restaurant. Step into that seemingly unwelcoming door and you’re in for treat.
P.S. Be a little chatty with the chef, and he will show off his invaluable fish knife he says he wouldn’t sell for a million baht.
FIND IT:
Monday: 5:30pm – 11pm; Wednesday-Sunday: 11:30am – 1:30pm, 5:30pm – 11pm
Second floor, No. 88, between Thonglor Soi 5 and 9
