朱伯駿
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Second Visit to Korin: Tokyo’s Bib Gourmand Sushi
In 2022, my wife and I had a delightful dining experience at the sushi restaurant Korin. This year, we decided to revisit it to see if the quality remained as high as before.
Korin has been selected for the Michelin Bib Gourmand from 2021 to 2025. As usual, it operates on an online reservation system, and we were directly shown to our seats upon arrival. However, after sitting down, the staff only asked for our drink orders and forgot to provide us with towels. I felt a bit uneasy, possibly due to the restaurant being busy. After waiting a while, I reminded them, and the meal began.
The order of the sushi was consistent with Jiro Ono’s philosophy—gradually increasing the intensity of flavors from light to rich.
This time, there were no deep-fried items, and I paired everything with green tea:
1. Squid: The cuts were changed from crosshatch to diagonal. The squid had a chewy texture, and its powdery flavor was more pronounced due to its long shape.
2. Yellowtail: The freshness was there, but the sweetness was slightly weaker than before, still maintaining a refreshing taste.
3. Tuna (Akami): The start of the tuna trilogy. The chewiness was great, but compared to last time, the seasoning was more acidic, and the oiliness was reduced.
4. Tuna (Chutoro): Korin’s chutoro never disappoints. I love the flavor—rich, with a burst of fragrance as the oil breaks down in your mouth.
5. Tuna (Otoro): The otoro was still well-prepared, though this time the oiliness wasn’t as pronounced, yet it was still smooth and easy to eat.
6. Roasted Fish Milt (Grilled Shirako): A great experience, cooked evenly and with a fragrance like pudding. It tasted like a rich, deep seafood broth.
7. Pickled Skipjack Tuna: The acidity was well-balanced, but since the otoro’s oil wasn’t as abundant, it served to balance the creamy texture of the monkfish liver.
8. Whale: A first-time experience. The texture was soft and tender, without the strong gamey taste you might expect. It had a higher sweetness and required more chewing than the tuna.
9. Aji (Horse Mackerel): The subtle sweetness of the aji was brought out with sauce, ginger, and scallions. The sea flavor filled my mouth—Korin’s choice of fish is really commendable.
10. Tiger Shrimp: The shrimp was smaller than before, but the texture was firm and juicy, with a longer chew compared to last time.
11. Smoked Bonito: This was only served as sashimi this time. The seasoning and fragrance were not as strong as before, and it lacked the sweetness I remembered.
12. Sweet Shrimp: The shrimp’s natural bitter, egg-like flavor, paired with a thick sweet soy sauce, provided an excellent balance with the cooked shrimp texture.
13. Needlefish: The silver skin of this fish looked beautiful, almost too good to eat. The flesh was very rich, with a good amount of chew and fat similar to tuna. Unfortunately, the skin wasn’t well-prepared, leaving some chewy bits.
14. Sea Urchin: The amount of sea urchin was impressive, concentrated on the sushi rice, but the richness and the round, egg-like fragrance were not as strong as before.
15. Grilled Eel (Anago): After being brushed with sauce, the eel was served directly on the table, unlike last time when it was placed on my hand, offering a unique tactile experience. Though the sweet fragrance was present, something felt missing.
16. Tamago (Egg Omelet): The tamago was sweet and simple, made with sugar, providing a calming, peaceful conclusion to the meal.
This time, I felt that the staff was perhaps too busy, as they didn’t attend to the finer details. After finishing, they quickly began clearing the plates, and the counter wasn’t cleaned promptly.
Compared to two years ago, the selection of ingredients and the overall quality seemed to have dropped by about 20%, which was somewhat disappointing. I might return in the future after the chef has had more time to focus on ingredient presentation, as the experience wasn’t quite as stellar as before.
