Itadori Hanare Unitora 虎杖 離れ うに虎 @ Tsukiji

We came to Tsujiki market for lunch. It would need a tiger’s appetite to eat so much fresh sea urchin for lunch.

Even though the main wholesale centre for seafood in Tokyo has moved to Toyosu, Tsukiji remains a favourite among the tourists because of the outer market shops and restaurants. Even though it is now mainly chain restaurants that you can get it elsewhere in Tokyo, the atmosphere of dining in Tsukiji can never be replaced, not even in Toyosu.

Itadori is a lesser known chain of premium sushi/sashimi in Tokyo. I have been to their すし虎杖 別館 Sushi Itadori Bekkan for sushi one late evening before the pandemic. But their reputation was built on their gigantic own of uni don, separately branded as Unitora (literally “sea urchin tiger”). And they have three shops that sell the same things in Tsukiji market, and this one in the west end of the Outer Market is the least crowded.

Murasaki uni is the most common type available in Japan. It comes from a dark purple (“Murasaki” in Japanese, hence the name) sea urchin with long pointed spines. Inside, it is a mustard-like yellow color. The flavour and aroma are not overly pungent but delicately mild and sweet, which suits sushi and sashimi best.

Bafun uni can be found in deep ocean territory. This results in a smaller and more complex flavours sea urchin. They have a bolder taste and are full of umami, with a more of orange colour (they are often referred to as red or “aka” sea urchin).

Uni in Japan is best enjoyed from early summer to the end of August. During this period, the gonads grow in size to prepare for the mating season, which is also when they are most flavourful. Shakotan Peninsula, Yoichi town (Hamanaka), and Rishiri Island are some of the main spots to enjoy Japanese uni.

Narabi 並び means “straight-line” in Japanese. When it comes to Uni, it’s a type of arrangement that refers to a consistent size and perfectly shaped portions of Uni being hand-picked rather than the random and odd pieces you see in Bara Uni. Thus, Narabi Uni is commonly graded as a “premium” . Today’s uni were from the following places

• Miyagi Ishinomaki 宮城 石巻 – Murasaki
• Hokkaido Hamanaka 北海道 滨中 – Murasaki (farmed)
• Hokkaido Nemuro 北海道 根室 – Bafun
• Hokkaido Rishiri 北海道 利尻 – Bafun
• Miyagi Sanriku 宮城 三陸 – Murasaki

Today’s lunch

うに食べ比べ刺し厳選5種

Quality 5 varieties sea urchin taste comparison sashimi

The ultimate selection was the 5 varieties premium quality sea urchin. Each spoon was around 20g of sea urchin.

I could taste the different textures and slightly different levels of sweetness in the different types of uni. The Murasaki uni from Sanriku, which feeds on wakame (seaweed) rather than kombu, had a lighter, saltier flavour then other breeds of Murasaki uni.  

うに食べ比べ刺し 奏 ～かなで

Quality 3 varieties sea urchin, salmon roe & chopped tuna taste comparison sashimi

If you can’t stomach five types, there’s the three types selection that came with ikura (salmon roe) and negitoro (chopped tuna belly).

One good way to enjoy this selection was to put everything in a nori (seaweed) wrap and enjoy it like a maki.

うに食べ比べ丼 雅 ～みやび～厳選5種

Quality 5 varieties sea urchin taste comparison don (rice bowl)

What if the rich flavour of sea urchin is combined with the mellowness of the egg yolk? That’s the super luxurious “Egg Miyabi Rice”. It came with the five types of sea urchin and uncooked egg yolk. We were recommended to enjoy the sea urchin and then finish the rice with the egg yolk.

うにのせ穴子炙り丼

Sea urchin, seared conger eel rice bowl

Finally something that was cooked – the anago was combined with a little sea urchin and served with a sweet and savoury sauce.

This was a meal by itself, and we shared among everyone.

That’s not a cheap meal by any standard, but fresh uni of A/AA grades is almost always expensive. Their prices were in line with other establishments in Ginza, so it was not necessary to just come here for a bowl of fresh uni.

However the atmosphere of eating at the counter with all the market shoppers walking all around us was wonderful which the new Toyosu will need some time (a lot of time) to catch up.

Itadori Hanare Unitora 虎杖 離れ うに虎 (西通り店)
〒104-0045 東京都中央区築地4-9-7 中富水産第一ビル1F
Tel : +81 03-6264-2141

Visited Jul 2023

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