Sushi Lunch @ Sushida, Haneda Airport, Tokyo

 

I love sushi a lot. Like really, really love sushi. And being in Japan definitely gives me the opportunity in trying this amazing representative of Japanese food in various places. But in an airport? Now that is a new experience. 

Not the welcome I expected, but it could have been worse

Every once in a while I would have to come down to the capital city for either personal or work commitments. And during one of those trips, I arrived specifically during lunch time. Knowing that a trip to the city proper from Haneda airport would take a while and my stomach would probably not like that, I went to wander around to see what would be a nice weekend treat after an almost 2 hour flight. 

The price!

And then while wandering around I found the promo board outside this quaint sushi place named Sushida that was highlighting their lunch specials. 1870 yen for everything? Now that sounds a like a good deal and it was very obvious that was my order for the day. The food came in relatively quickly as well and it was a sight for sore eyes, or at least a tired and hungry domestic traveler. 

Sleeper hit

First was the chawanmushi starter that I really enjoyed. The soft and salty egg custard was a great salve for the moment and was able to attend to my appetite before the main part of the meal. it was slightly salty, with hints of the seafood dashi that was most likely used in making this. The texture was velvety smooth and very enjoyable. The bottom also had some pieces of seafood which made it pretty interesting as well. A great start.

Looked like a painting with all those colours. 

A sushi platter which consists 11 pieces of finely crafted nigiri soon arrived. Each piece was glimmering with freshness and all looked dainty and perfect. This platter for less than 2000 yen? Now that was a serious steal. Each piece was just great and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The main star was actually the rice, which is after all the base of every sushi. It was soft and springy but not too chewy or sticky. The seasoning was also perfect, with the right amount of salt and vinegar to provide a tang without making everything just taste like a salty brick. 

So dainty

Be that as it may, there were a few pieces that stood out for me. The shrimp was incredibly fresh and had a nice hint of sweetness which I always enjoyed. The punch afterglow of wasabi help temper the sweet flavour but at the same time added a savoury element to it. This was easily enjoyable. 

Stunner

Not to be outdone, the kanpachi nigiri, also known as amberjack in English, was also a treat. It had a firmness to it which I liked and the mild fish sweetness which helps everything to go down easily. The fattiness of the fish was also on point, where it just melts into your mouth after every chew.  The wasabi also gave it a nice kick. This was also another very fresh specimen. Having said that, everything here was fresh and delicious. 

A nice finish to the meal

And of course to clean it all down, there was a bowl of miso soup. The soup was also pretty nice, as there was a mellow seafood aroma to it. I would not be surprised if the shop used all the remainder fish bones they have for their sushi to make the stock to make the foundation of this. It was comforting, but at the same time, a delicious take to the usual staple which little thought is put into. 

Front of the house

This is probably the first time I had such a great time eating food from the airport. Most of my travels bring me to many airports which always somehow lead to mediocre or very disappointing meals that are overpriced. So having this was a pleasant surprise, specially with this quality. So if you have a flight to wait for and you are hungry, I cannot recommend this place enough. Fancy a go? Then the address is as follows: 

〒144-0041 Tokyo, Ota City, Hanedakuko, 3 Chome−3−2 Terminal 1 5F Marketplace 23