Shiraishi is one of our favourite places for sashimi. We don’t need any frills or grand décor to provide illusion to good food. And no, we have never been here on any expense account or with the need to see or be seen.

We simply love the unpretentious no-nonsense little setup. And we enjoy Shinji Shiraishi’s easy and humble presence at the serving counter. His easy exchange with guests is an indication of how at home diners are with him, often sharing a good glass of wine with compliments from the guests.

Food is refine and always excellent here, with a wonderful balance in flavor. On our last visit, we had the Chef’s Choice :

Amuse Bouche - Potato Salad
Appetizer - Topgrade Crab Stick wrapped in Beancurd Skin, Steamed Egg in Sauce, Eel Liver
Sashimi - Hotate, Ama-Ebi, Sake, Tuna, Tuna Belly, Hamachi
Boiled Food - a medley of steamed Ladies Fingers, Golden Mushroom, Eggplant Pumpkin, Beancurd, Radish in an extremely full-bodied reduced stock
Grilled Food - Cod
Tempura - Sardine, Cod, Baby Shrimps
Sushi - Tamago, Ikura, Tekka Maki,
Nigiri Sushi - Saba, Prawn, Bonito, Hamachi, Tuna Belly
Soup - Clam Miso
Dessert – Amize, made from seaweed found in a natural spring from the mountain.

And I have absolutely no qualms about having salmon sashimi. Why not? I asked. Is it due to some unfavourable research reports? Or that it is not so exclusive anymore since they’ve been commercially farmed, rendering them to drop from the top-priced range? High toxicity? What about Fugu and those shell fish? They carry way more toxin!

For whatever reasons, it is still a very much sought after fish, especially wild salmon. Watching them migrate upstream to breed had brought tears to my eyes - all I know is I will stop eating them only if they are endangered.