Takezushi

Ate here last Time I was visiting Atsugi. My friends said, «you must try this sushi place!» They were right. It is some of the best sushi I’ve ever had, and Kaz San is an awesome host. At one point he was showing my friend how to make sushi behind the bar. It was a very good night and an awesome experience. I recommend anyone looking for good sushi come to this spot. I can’t wait to return and try it again.

We were introduced to Takezushi and Kaz-​sama and Chihiro-​sama by our good friends who were living in Ebina.
Takezushi is in a residential area of Sagamihara, off the OdakyuSagamihara train station. It is a small sushi bar with the main area seating around 20, but larger parties can be accommodated by booking the tatami mat room early. There is an aquarium at one end with pet fish and a bench full of patron’s booze. Takezushi is BYOB. Kaz-​sama writes the customer’s name on the bottle so that they can enjoy it on later visit.
Kaz-​sama inherited, I guess would be the right term, the restaurant from his father. This generational legacy is definitely evident in everything from the quality of the fish served to the hospitality provided by Kaz-​sama and Chihiro-​sama.
We have eaten there several times — once for dinner at the bar, once for a large party (~20 people) in the tatami mat room, once for dinner at a table, and once for lunch. This is important because once, in the early days of our relationship, sushi gave my husband such bad food poisoning I had to bring him to the ER. He swore off sushi, but Kaz-​sama changed him. 3 out of the 4 times we visited Takezushi were at my husband’s request.
Kaz-​sama shops for his fish and shellfish at the local Sagamihara market, which sources its fish from Yokohama. For larger events where he needs more fish, he will go up to Tsukiji. The exception to this is his salmon, which he gets from Norway. An English menu is available and Kaz-​sama and Chihiro-​sama do speak English.
For the dinner at the bar, my husband and I and our two friends were the only customers in the restaurant. Kaz-​sama shared many glasses of sochu with my husband and our friend and even taught us how to make salmon nigiri. I’m generally not a fan of sake (salmon), but the sake at Takezushi was melt in your mouth. Normally I’m not even a fan of saba (mackerel), but Kaz-sama’s saba is almost sweet in its richness and butteryness. Saba is his personal favorite, and he is absolutely right when he says that the best saba rivals chu-​toro. He even introduced us to wasabi rolls — fresh grated wasabi and sushi rice is amazing and a must have here. Another recommendation I can make is for the monkfish liver. I am normally NOT a fan of monkfish liver. I find it. .. upsetting is really the only term I can think of to describe my reaction to the texture and flavor of monkfish liver. Unless it is Kaz-sama’s monkfish liver. Here you can see how his own mastery as well as the skills available only to someone who has inherited a business shine. The monkfish liver is buttery, smooth, and luxurious. Like the best foie gras, Kaz-sama’s monkfish liver is just rich and delicious, without any unpleasantness normally associated with organs.
For the large-​tatami room dinner, the dinner was a set course that opened up with a small octopus-​garlic in mayo appetizer, followed by a bento box of about 15 pieces of nigiri (incluring maguro, chu-​toro, and o-​toro, as well as 6 pieces of maki), crab tempura, and soup. Crab tempura is always on the menu (along with shrimp tempura) and the miso is made fresh every day using homemade dashi that Chihiro-​sama makes. Chihiro-​sama is responsible for all the delicious food that comes out of the back — so if Kaz-​sama isn’t making it, she is. Because two members of our party didn’t eat seafood, Kaz-​sama and Chihiro-​sama went the extra mile and made them fries and chicken-​karaage so that we could all eat together.
The next two meals we had at Takezushi were fairly similar to the first. I should take a moment to mention that there is a set menu for lunch that is quite affordable at $ 15−25US. However, you can also order a-​la-​carte which is what we did when we went for lunch. We ordered aji (horse mackerel), chu-​toro (the tuna between o-​toro and maguro), uni, wasabi roll, anago (sea eel) two ways — salt w/​yuzu and with the traditional eel sauce (which was perfectly balanced), garlic-​octopus mayo nigiri, and lots of sake (salmon) for the husband. Each meal is finished off with some of Chihiro-sama’s red miso soup made with her made-​from-​scratch dashi and a cup of green tea. There is also a seasonal dessert made from scratch by Chihiro-​sama. For a massive meal for two, we paid about $ 100US. For the top of the line sushi.
To be honest, I didn’t even bother with eating or looking for sushi up in Tokyo after visiting Takezushi. I just feel like they offer this amazing quality at affordable prices. It doesn’t hurt that Kaz-​sama and Chihiro-​sama are fun and very hospitable.
This is a must visit every time we are in the Tokyo area.