One of Japan’s sushi chain kingpins, Kura Sushi (Kura Revolving Sushi Bar), opened its most updated restaurant in Japan’s tourist mecca, Kyoto City.
The Netflix documentary about the legendary sushi restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro.
Sushi in Japan is like tacos in the US. It’s that popular. But I, as a Japanese Japanese, feel the need to mention that there is a range of sushi restaurants in Japan. On one end, there is the legendary Michelin 3-star sushi restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro. And on the other, there is a way down-to-earth sushi restaurant chain, Kura Sushi.
Kura Sushi
Kura Sushi / Kura Revolving Sushi Bar.
Kura Sushi, also known as Kura Revolving Sushi Bar in the US (yes, there are 30 locations on the mainland as of June 2022), is one of the sushi chain kingpins – among them are Sushiro and Hamazushi – in Japan.
“Kura Sushi” in Japanese almost sounds like “Taco Bell” in English (if I stick to my sushi=tacos theory). Say, Kura Sushi is Taco Bell which doesn’t offer Tex-Mex options just yet. It’s the type of restaurant that everybody knows in Japan. At least, I don’t mind if someone explains so.
Kura Sushi Plus
The exterior of Kura Sushi Plus.
The entrance leading to the downstairs occupies “Banzuke Wall” with sushi items written like a sumo banzuke chart explaining sumo wrestlers.
The waiting room on the B1 level displays Hiroshige Utagawa’s famous ukiyo-e, Touto Meisho Takanawa Nijurokuyamachi Yukyonozu. It depicts food vendors – among them is a sushi vendor – at a beach party in Tokyo circa 1841.
Kura Sushi Plus is the upscale and uber-contemporary version of Kura Sushi. They are essentially the same except for the restaurant design and the price. Waiters at Kura Sushi Plus might be bi/multi-lingual. But I couldn’t prove it since the restaurant had installed its self-check-in/out system and tabletop ordering system, and on top of that, all dishes arrived on a conveyer belt by themselves.
A ticket vending machine to receive a ticket to use a self-check-in kiosk at Kura Sushi Urban.
“Aiming at international tourists, instagrammable, and the modern-Japanese interior design (wamodan in Japanese),” Kura Sushi Plus touts. In may 2022, Kura Sushi Plus, the first branch of its kind by Kura Sushi, was opened next to the iconic movie theater, MOVIX Kyoto (I call it “Times Square of Kyoto City”).
The impact of Kura Sushi Plus could be like Taco Bell’s “Cantina.” But I would argue that it’s more like Chipotle with the price of Taco Bell con the hassle-free ordering system (tabletop ordering system). Plus, the Smithsonian-level Japanese ukiyo-e (although it was not the original piece) was a sheer bonus.
Rows of booths partitioned by immaculate white Japanese noren curtains.
Scent of the rice vinegar with a hint of the ocean, you know how I feel? You may or may not, but my Japanese nose does know. The air at the B1 level of Kura Sushi Plus was unequivocally a sushi restaurant. I was half-joking (by myself) before diving into this sleek property that this place might as well showcase cool urban outfits. But as soon as I hit the downstairs, my Japanese olfactory nerve signals me to wake up and read the air right: buddy, you’re in da sushi restaurant, not in a club, or at a Uniqlo. Now, you know what I mean, don’t you know?
My table. Order on a tablet on the left. Dump empty dishes into a slot on the right.
Underneath the table hides chopsticks and condiments. Both slots can be covered away when not used.
The surface of the table.
The menu at Kura Sushi Plus covers a wide range. Nigiri sushi (literally translated as hand-pressed sushi, but they’re all perfected by machines), sushi rolls, donburi (rice bowl dish), all kinds of Japanese noodle dishes, and universal side dishes such as fries and tempura.
The fatty salmon belly (toro salmon in Japanese) sushi is probably the richest among 8 of the salmon sushi dishes here. The fresh pale pink meat had pleasant resilience. The meticulously executed sushi rice was flawless. Yes, I was eating sushi. It is near impossible for me to claim any complaint about a dish of such quality for just ¥125/$0.96. A sushi dish like this would easily cost triple in the US or some other fancy foreign city.
The marinated sea bream sushi was also incredible. But the flavor of the soy sauce-based marinade tasted a little too light for me. It provoked my inner dissident against the salt reduction argued by The Japanese Society of Hypertension. In other words, it was delicate. Nothing was wrong wrong but right.
Even better was the marinated mackerel sushi known as “saba sushi” in Japanese (“Vinegared Thick Fatty Mackerel” on Kura Sushi Plus’s menu). Fish meat on saba sushi is called “shime saba,” essentially the pickled mackerel. Now it sounds like Russian pickled mackerel, minus its wild creature-ish exoticness. Who knows what I was missing.
A genius-level home cook figured out some formula and put mackerel into his homemade pickle juice, and everything came out so right. Kura Sushi Plus’s marinated mackerel sushi tasted just like that. For a creation like this, a donation of a humble ¥125/$0.96 is not a question at all. I would even bring a pair of ¥1250/$9.61 sake bottles (like the pair of sushi) if it were a home party.
FYI: Saba sushi is one of Kyoto’s local specialties, so I might as well recommend it when in Kyoto…
The noodlefish sushi (“Wasabi-marinated Japanese Icefish Gunkan” on Kura Sushi Plus’s menu) was slick and leeky overall. I wasn’t sure if I recognized any remarkably incredible flavor from the dish. Nothing tasted bad at all.
Seared Pork with Cheese and Curry Sauce (on Kura Sushi plus’s menu). The menu didn’t say “from the land” or “Indian British Japanese Western food.” This dish just proved the diverse range of items at Kura Sushi Plus. I might enjoy this better with a slice of baguette instead of rice, but I won’t go hardcore about this matter since Kura Sushi Plus is not a Spanish pincho bar. The sweet onion jam underpinning the flavor of the curry sauce was a little too present for playing second fiddle on the rice, but as a sweet trade-off, it rightly proved the identity of Japanese curry rice. It was a comforting dish.
This precious sweet Japanese pork curry rice with the dairy product was, after all, the Japanese comfort food in one bite: minimalism. No one has to wail at this *con*fusion dish unless one solemnly desires to identify oneself as a Sephardi of Spain, which doesn’t happen so often in Japan. But if you were, this pincho-size bacon cheese curry rice might not be your best option. Th-th-th-that’s all, folks!
French fries.
Firefly squid tempura.
Fried pike eel sushi.
Besides the dishes from the land, the sea, and beyond the sea, the phenomenal were the fried foods. I had the french fries, the firefly squid tempura, and the fried pike eel sushi. Sometimes I encounter a side of exceptionally good french fries that outweighs a main dish. Kura Sushi Urban’s french fries were that good. And that’s how I remember my “that restaurant.” Kura Sushi Urban’s fries were that good.
The firefly squid tempura (I don’t mind calling it Japanese fried calamari or fried whole baby squids) was also great. It was literally the bomb. Each bit of the tempura held a tiny whole firefly squid and exploded with seafood umami jus in my mouth as I bit. It tasted like a richer and saltier version of soft-shell crab.
I also have to mention that the sheet of nori seaweed tempura that came with the firefly squid tempura was flawlessly crispy, and it proved the quality here. Nori seaweed tempura is one of those Japanese dishes that seem so simple to cook but require a set of skills. I would like a bag of them.
The fried pike eel sushi deconstructed for observation purposes.
The fried pike eel (hamo in Japanese) sushi stole the show. This thinly battered meat was ethereally fluffy and satisfying. Pike eel is supposed to be an expensive summer delicacy in Kyoto, but the dish was bye-bye-ing such stereotype (and I hi-fived that).
¥125/$0.96 for this is like eating a mini lobster roll for the same price. If Kura Sushi Plus starts selling fish and chips with its fries and fried pike eel, I’ll consider moving to this neighborhood.
Especially good was the wasabi (Japanese horseradish). It brought me the equal sensation as when I encountered authentic guacamole at a random restaurant in the US.
Most sushi dishes at Kura Sushi Plus are ¥125/$0.96 each, which is slightly more expensive than the other non-Urban locations. But is ¥125/$0.96 expensive? The answer is no.
Kura Sushi Plus is like Chipotle with the Taco Bell price, plus the Smithsonian-level visual design standard (maybe I was too entertained w). And again, an “expensive” sushi dish is just ¥125/$0.96.
Muy bien. I’m definitely gon’ sip Bacardi, and I’ll be feeling good (if the restaurant offers one).
P.S. At night looks more fun at Kura Sushi Plus.
“KURA nightclub” might even make sense (I believe the company is financially capable of making it happen).
Kura Sushi Plus | 415 Sakuranocho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 〒604-8035, Japan
Fatty salmon belly sushi: ¥125 / $0.96 / £0.78 / €0.89
Marinated sea bream sushi: ¥250 / $1.92 / £1.56 / €1.78
Marinated mackerel sushi: ¥125 / $0.96 / £0.78 / €0.89
Noodlefish sushi: ¥125 / $0.96 / £0.78 / €0.89
Bacon cheese curry sushi: ¥125 / $0.96 / £0.78 / €0.89
French fries: ¥350 / $2.69 / £2.18 / €2.50
Firefly squid tempura: ¥350 / $2.69 / £2.18 / €2.50
Fried pike eel sushi: ¥125 / $0.96 / £0.78 / €0.89
Website | Menu
Kura Sushi Plus | 415 Sakuranocho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 〒604-8035, Japan
