u/silvaliningplaymaker

Sushi Kobayashi. Ebisu, Tokyo. April 2026.

I’ll start by saying that the shari here is handily my favorite in my limited experience with high-end sushi. It was not as mild and transparent as Sushi Harasho, yet avoided the sharper, more jarring profile I experienced at Sushi Kisen.

I was pleasantly surprised by how thoughtfully temperature control was incorporated throughout the nigiri. It became one of the defining elements behind my three favorite pieces of the night: akami, uni, and anago.

The akami was served over slightly warm shari and ended up being the most soothing nigiri of the evening. To this point, it’s the best akami I’ve had.

My favorite bite, however, was the uni. The shari here came almost chilled, which elevated both the freshness and sweetness of the uni. It was the second true “wow” moment of the meal.

I may be remembering the anago with more fondness than it objectively deserves relative to the akami and uni, but it still left a lasting impression. Served over nearly hot shari, the heat accentuated the anago’s flakiness and created a wonderful contrast with the Uni that preceded it.

Highlights for the Otsumami included the Abalone, Octopus, grilled squid and fish. My favorite was the tender octopus.

Chef Ikuya Kobayashi trained at Sushi Saito before leading both Sushi Saito Hong Kong and 3110NZ, the latter a unique art gallery and sushi counter hybrid. He earned two Michelin stars at both establishments before opening Sushi Kobayashi in October 2025.

He earned two Michelin stars at both establishments before opening Sushi Kobayashi in October 2025.

The staff consisted of just three people: Chef Kobayashi, his wife, who handled front-of-house duties, and an apprentice. Service was warm throughout the evening. His wife spoke excellent English, and my party was pleasantly surprised to learn that the apprentice also had some basic conversational Cantonese.

The booking was made via Instagram in December 2025. The meal came out to roughly ¥29,000 per person, with the omakase priced around ¥26,000 before drinks. Most of my party shared sake, while I opted for a few pours of Balvenie and Glenfiddich. The whisky pours were very reasonably priced at around ¥1,000 each, with a solid selection to choose from. Chef Kobayashi and his wife later generously offered me a pour of Suntory Yamazaki on the house, which was a delightful gift 🤗.

I believe there's now the option to book via Tableall but I'm seeing a much higher price at 42,500 PP.

The eight-seat counter was mostly filled with foreign guests, though the one regular stood out as a long-time patron of Chef Kobayashi, having followed him all the way from Sushi Saito. The corner seat was self-selected; an older couple in my party of five was seated right in front of Chef Kobayashi for their first omakase in Japan 😊. The hinoki counter felt luxurious, and I was seated next to a beautiful slab of wood from the chef’s hometown. You’ve got to love a place that respects wood.

This was the best sushi-ya I’ve visited so far. I've been dreaming of the Akami and Uni. Above all else, the shari here was unforgettable.

Course description:

Otsumami:

1. White fish bone broth (not pictured)
2. Steamed Abalone
3. Simmered octopus
4. Pressed Mackerel Sushi. "Kyoto style"? Chef Kobayashi specifically made this comment when handing it off to us.
5. Grilled firefly squid
6. Seared Sawara with plum, salt, and wasabi

Nigiri:

1. Kasugodai
2. Tai
3. Kohada
4. Akami (First Picture)
5. Ootoro
6. Chutoro
7. Ika
8. Ebi
9. Shima-Aji
10. Akagai
11. Uni
12. Anago
13. Tamago/ Futomaki

Sushi Kobayashi in Ebisu, Tokyo.

I’ll start by saying that the shari here is handily my favorite in my limited experience with high-end sushi. It was not as mild and transparent as Sushi Harasho, yet avoided the sharper, more jarring profile I experienced at Sushi Kisen.

I was pleasantly surprised by how thoughtfully temperature control was incorporated throughout the nigiri. It became one of the defining elements behind my three favorite pieces of the night: akami, uni, and anago.

The akami was served over slightly warm shari and ended up being the most soothing nigiri of the evening. To this point, it’s the best akami I’ve had.

My favorite bite, however, was the uni. The shari here came almost chilled, which elevated both the freshness and sweetness of the uni. It was the second true “wow” moment of the meal.

I may be remembering the anago with more fondness than it objectively deserves relative to the akami and uni, but it still left a lasting impression. Served over nearly hot shari, the heat accentuated the anago’s flakiness and created a wonderful contrast with the Uni that preceded it.

Highlights for the Otsumami included the Abalone, Octopus, grilled squid and fish. My favorite was the tender octopus.

Chef Ikuya Kobayashi trained at Sushi Saito before leading both Sushi Saito Hong Kong and 3110NZ, the latter a unique art gallery and sushi counter hybrid. He earned two Michelin stars at both establishments before opening Sushi Kobayashi in October 2025.

He earned two Michelin stars at both establishments before opening Sushi Kobayashi in October 2025.

The staff consisted of just three people: Chef Kobayashi, his wife, who handled front-of-house duties, and an apprentice. Service was warm throughout the evening. His wife spoke excellent English, and my party was pleasantly surprised to learn that the apprentice also had some basic conversational Cantonese.

The booking was made via Instagram in December 2025. The meal came out to roughly ¥29,000 per person, with the omakase priced around ¥26,000 before drinks. Most of my party shared sake, while I opted for a few pours of Balvenie and Glenfiddich. The whisky pours were very reasonably priced at around ¥1,000 each, with a solid selection to choose from. Chef Kobayashi and his wife later generously offered me a pour of Suntory Yamazaki on the house, which was a delightful gift 🤗.

I believe there's now the option to book via Tableall but I'm seeing a much higher price at 42,500 PP.

The eight-seat counter was mostly filled with foreign guests, though the one regular stood out as a long-time patron of Chef Kobayashi, having followed him all the way from Sushi Saito. The corner seat was self-selected; an older couple in my party of five was seated right in front of Chef Kobayashi for their first omakase in Japan 😊. The hinoki counter felt luxurious, and I was seated next to a beautiful slab of wood from the chef’s hometown. You’ve got to love a place that respects wood.

This was the best sushi-ya I’ve visited so far. I've been dreaming of the Akami and Uni. Above all else, the shari here was unforgettable.

Course description:

Otsumami:

1. White fish bone broth (not pictured)
2. Steamed Abalone
3. Simmered octopus
4. Pressed Mackerel Sushi. "Kyoto style"? Chef Kobayashi specifically made this comment when handing it off to us.
5. Grilled firefly squid
6. Seared Sawara with plum, salt, and wasabi

Nigiri:

1. Kasugodai
2. Tai
3. Kohada
4. Akami
5. Ootoro
6. Chutoro
7. Ika
8. Ebi
9. Shima-Aji (First Picture)
10. Akagai
11. Uni
12. Anago
13. Tamago/ Futomaki

I had my first bowl of Shio ramen recently from a fantastic spot in Tokyo and I can’t stop thinking about it. Is there a place in LA that does a decent bowl of Shio ramen? Most of the places I’ve seen focus on Tonkatsu/Miso.

Shoyu and Shio broths from that spot for attention. Men Mitsui near Asakusa.

Ship Ramen from Men Mitsui. My favorite bowl from my last trip to Japan.

This was only my second omakase in Japan, but compared to my previous experience at Sushi Harasho, it was on another level. The difference really came down to two things: the shari was perfect, and the temperature control elevated the entire meal. Easily my best omakase so far.

The meal began with a series of excellent otsumami, with the abalone and octopus as clear highlights. The octopus was the most tender I’ve ever had.

There were three pieces where the interplay between shari and temperature control was particularly memorable: akami, uni, and anago.

The akami was the most visually striking I’ve seen to date. The acidity, a precise touch of wasabi, and the gentle warmth of the shari came together to create the best akami I’ve had to date.

My favorite bite of the night was the uni. The slightly chilled shari amplified the uni’s freshness and sweetness. Uni can be hit or miss, but this was peak. Easily the best uni I’ve had, and a lot of it came down to how it was framed by the shari and the temperature contrast.

The anago closed things out beautifully. Served with nearly hot shari, it enhanced the fish’s natural flakiness and created a comforting, almost cozy contrast to the uni that preceded it.

Sushi Kobayashi is run by a husband-and-wife team alongside one apprentice. Chef Kobayashi previously led Sushi Saito Hong Kong and 3110NZ, earning two Michelin stars at both before opening his own restaurant in October 2025. That lineage is evident throughout the experience.

Service was warm and attentive throughout. I was seated in the corner, but another couple in my party was seated directly in front of the chef at our discretion since it was their first omakase. Even from my corner seat, I had a fantastic experience. The hinoki counter was beautiful, and beside me was an impressive slab of aged wood sourced from a 500-year-old shrine tree in the chef’s hometown.

Throughout the meal, I enjoyed several pours of Glenfiddich and Balvenie 14. The FOH noticed and generously gifted me a pour of Yamazaki 12 🤗**😋.**

The eight-seat counter was mostly filled with international guests, aside from one regular who had been following Chef Kobayashi since his Sushi Saito days in the early 2010s.

I booked via Instagram in December 2025 after seeing u/smorreboard’s highly regarded tier list, and the meal came out to just over ¥29,000 per person including my whiskey and sake for the rest of my party. This stands as my best omakase experience so far, driven largely by the shari and the thoughtful use of temperature.

I’d love to return, though I suspect it may become more difficult especially now that the restaurant has been recently listed on Tableall and may soon move away from IG reservations.

An eclectic set of food pictures from a recently concluded trip to Japan.

1: Kamatoro Sashimi and Torotaku from Maguroya Kurogin Kuromon in Osaka. First time ever having Kamatoro and it was oh so melt-in-your-mouth buttery.

2-5: Uni, Aji, Akami nigiri and Octopus Otsumami from Sushi Kobayashi in Ebisu. The shari here was perfect and I loved the varied temperature control across these pieces with colder rice for the Uni and the warmer rice for the Akami highlighting the quality for both. The octopus was so tender and my favorite otsumami of the omakase.

6: PJ from Pizza Marumo. The clam-based pizza was the clear favorite for my party and we ordered two of these :P. The Tokyo Neopolitan style pizza here handily beats the ones I've had stateside like Pizzeria Sei.

7-9: Hokkaido Crab, Kinmedai and dessert cart from L'OISER in Ginza, Tokyo. The Kinmedai was the best fish fine-dining fish course I've had in recent memory and the service was immaculate.

10: Curry and Tempura Koisus in Kyoto Japan. Not just a looker, also the best curry we had in Japan. The set just meshes well together and the added tempura set and beef tendon were delectable as well.

11-12: Gion Duck Ramen and Gion Duck Rice at the Gion Duck Ramen Arashiyama branch.

13: Cold Udon set from Omen Ginkaku-ji in Kyoto.

14: Premium Oyster Set from Kakiya on Miyajima Island.

15: Anago rice set from Anagomeshi Ueno near Miyajimaguchi station. First time having Anago and appreciated the lightness and flakiness compared to Unagi :)

16: Crab Croquette Omurice from EDW in Shibuya. Preferred this over the demi-glace and cheese hamburg omurice.

17: Sirloin steak from Steak and Wine in Nishiki Market. The Chateautbrand was my #1 over this but I didn't get any good pictures of the Chateaubrand haha.

18: Shoyu ramen from Men Mitsui. The Chasu and thicker noodles were wonderful here though I found out I prefer Shio over Shoyu broth here. Don't have a good picture of the Shio so the Shoyu will have to do.

19: The best matcha we had from Matcha Passport in Shimokitazawa. The Komainu Matcha Latte was divine here and I got it twice during my short time here.

20: Thick-cut beef tongue and Sukiyaki set from Gyutan no Lemon Asakusa. Both cuts were delicious separately but a bit too rich together. I would just do the thick-cut beef tongue set next time which is what Gyutan no Lemon is known for.

From Maguroya Kurogin Kuromon. So buttery 🤤

Greatly prefer the Osaka branch over their more well-known branch at Tsukiji Market as the sushi and sashimi was freshly prepared as opposed to pre-packaged. I don't remember Kamatoro being offered at their Tsukiji branch as well but I may be mistaken.

Assorted highlights from a recent trip to Japan. Itsukushima Shrine, Koko-en, Nanzen-Ji and Kinkaku-ji were my favorite places during this trip.