Koyoshi Sushi: The Cosy, Unpretentious Hole in the Wall (Osaka Series Part 6/6)

Hirame (Flounder)

Whenever I go for overseas trips, I always make it a point to do my homework and properly research the various places I can get good grub in the country I am visiting. One of my favourite sources is Anthony Bourdain, whom I see as someone of a "Rock Star" figure in the world of Food and Beverage. He, having been to Japan multiple times, was able to sample the wondrous culinary concoctions of many different places and regions, and one of them is the shop I am featuring today: Koyoshi Sushi.

Imagine walking down a small triangular alleyway, and you come across a sushi shop smaller than your own bedroom with an aged couple inside happily carrying on their work. The counter is full and you hear conversations of laughter, joy and happiness with customers chatting with the chef and his wife like old family friends. This is the spirit of Koyoshi. A cosy, friendly and welcoming environment.

However, a tiny shop space does pose its own problems, especially for a person of my frame. At 190cm, I had to sit at a 45 degree angle because my knees were already flushed against the counter wall, and I was close, way too close for comfort to my neighbours and I had to be constantly mindful of my elbows lest I swing them wildly and hit the other guests. Koyoshi Sushi is THE definition of a tiny shop space. You have been warned. ;)

But personal space issues aside, I was happy to brave an hour of uncomfortable sitting to sample the sushi of Mr and Mrs Yano. Yano-san has been making sushi for nearly all of his life. But instead of choosing to walk the path of owning a full-service restaurant and charging hundreds of dollars for an omakase, he has chosen his own little humble space; serving office workers, old couples and tourists all under one roof.

Starting off with the flounder, the light-tasting fish teased and awakened my tastebuds and heightened my excitement further of what's to come.

Katsuo (Bonito Fish)

Most of us have come across Bonito in the form of flakes that we put on our Takoyaki (Grilled Octopus Balls) and Okonomiyaki. But what about the fish itself? I was curious to taste the Katsuo in sushi/sashimi form. The texture is very much like Tuna (Tuna and Katsuo both belong to the "Akami Dane", or red-flesh fish topping category), but the taste is unmistakably very much like the flakes that we eat as condiments. Strong and full of umami. Personally, I loved the contrast of the taste of the Katsuo with the Shari (sushi rice) and it was a fish with its own taste profile and unique character.

Otoro (Tuna Belly)

One trait of Yano-san is that he loves to make his sushi substantial so he moulds a little more rice when hand-forming the nigiri, and his cuts of fish are thick and luscious. So my excitement when I saw the Otoro, was akin to a child waking up on Christmas morning and opening his presents. Christmas did come early for me that fateful day in Osaka, and Yano-san was my Santa Claus. Taking one look at burly me, he cut the fish extra thick for me, and with a little dab of the very mild wasabi on top of the fish (instead of in between the fish and rice), I closed my eyes and just savoured the wonder of the richness of the Otoro. The pleasure I got here is not typical of the high-end sushi joints, but more of a blue-collar worker style type of ecstasy. For lack of a better description, to use oral sounds, the otoro here is more of like an "Oomph", or in Singaporean terms, "Shiok", instead of the typical "Ahhh..." which is commonly associated with Otoro. Whatever the case, the tuna belly here was so decadent and addictive I asked for one more piece in addition to the pair I was served.

Ishidai ("Stone Perch". A member of the Snapper "Tai" family)

The next piece was a first for me. In the snapper family there are many fishes like the normal Tai (snapper), the Kinmedai (Golden-eyed Snapper) and then there's the Ishidai, which has no real, accurate English Translation. The slice above has many layers, and I'm guessing that's the fish meat and fat stacked nicely in one rectangular piece. Taste wise, it's also typical of a Shiromi Dane (White fish flesh topping), but the texture itself was special, slightly crunchy and meaty, which reminded me heavily of Swordfish.

Saba (Mackerel)

Moving on to the Hikari Mono ("Shiny Matter". Refers to fish with shiny skin like Mackerel, Gizzard Shad and Sardine), I was served a pair of Saba nigiri. Shiny, gleaming skin with a silver sheen, together with that wonderful oily texture, a strong but not overpowering fragrance of the fish having undergone marination, I enjoyed this sushi very much. Chewing for a minute or so, the flavours develop and evolved constantly and my taste buds were working non-stop.

Anago (Conger/Sea Eel) Where's the rice???

Yano-san took out a huge piece (almost one half) of Anago which has been boiled before service, and placed it onto a mini grill. The aroma of the lightly grilled eel started wafting through the tiny space and there were visible "ooohs" and "ahhs" resounding through the shop. He moulded some rice, placed it on the centre of the eel, rolled this monster and placed it on my plate and said to me "Try downing this in one go".

Challenge accepted.

Using two hands, I carefully compacted the sushi making sure no rice fell out, and stretching my jaws as wide as humanly possible, I opened wide and gobbled the whole thing down, with my hand cupping over my mouth in case anything fell out and caused any visual unpleasantness to the other guests. Yano-san gave a wide smile and nodded approvingly, and my fellow guests erupted in rapturous applause at accomplishing this insignificant, but oh-so-entertaining feat.

Risks of almost choking aside, The Anago was meltingly tender but yet maintained its structural integrity at the same time. The sauce was not too cloy or overly sweet, just enough to coat the fish and raise the taste level a notch higher. Coupled with the short grilling process, it was what I envisioned it to be. Smoky, sweet, savoury and in this case, substantial.

Ebi Sushi (Prawn)

By this point my stomach was at about 70% capacity. But Yano-san showed no signs of letting up or cutting me any slack. Taking out 2 large prawns, he butterflied and moulded them into a nigiri for me. The prawns were fresh, succulent and crunchy.

Uni (Sea Urchin)

Uni. Glorious, Wondrous, Creamy, Buttery, Uni. I would not mind having 2 pieces of this anytime. This was just simple, pure indulgence at its finest. 

Bamboo Shoot Sushi

I told Yano-san that my stomach was reaching critical levels and he told me "Okay! But just one more to close your meal." He took out a long, clean hunk of bamboo shoot, sliced out a piece for me, drizzled a little sauce over it and moulded it into sushi. It was crunchy, light and emitted a slight herbal fragrance. This was indeed a wonderful closing to such a heavy but satisfying meal.

Make no mistake. The Sushi here is not elegant or refined. But to say Koyoshi caters to the masses would be doing them a disservice and great injustice. Yano-san may not be using the most luxurious or top quality ingredients or fish, but everything here is made painstakingly from scratch, and done with years of experience and lots of love. If you want waiters eagerly fussing over you and the itamae offering you a slice of the finest otoro with shimofuri marbling that can set you back $80 a piece, this is not the place for you.

However, if you're looking for artisanal, relatively inexpensive sushi that the locals go for, if you want to dine in a cosy environment where in one seating you can see a mixture of international guests from all over the world all squeezed up in a hole-in-the wall, sharing their cultures, this is the place to be. I was seated next to an American couple whom I learned hailed from Florida, and this was their first time in Japan. Likewise, they journeyed here after watching Anthony Bourdain's video. I was only too happy to listen to their life stories, and also helping them translate and explain the various sushi they were eating. 

Mr and Mrs Yano

This is informal dining at its basic form. Mr and Mrs Yano's sushi, together with their affable nature and welcoming smiles are enough to encourage people from Japan and all over the world to sit and enjoy sushi together, putting our differences aside and united by a common love for food.

With Koyoshi Sushi, I conclude the Osaka Series of 2014. It has been one heck of a journey of feasting and enjoyment, and the money and time spent were worth it in comparison to the amount of real-life knowledge I gained about Japanese food, the fond memories of the friendly restaurant owners I have come to know, and the experience I have gained here is more than enough to last me a lifetime.

Koyoshi Sushi
1-3-12, Shibata, Osaka-shi, Japan

Operating Hours:
Mon - Sat
1800 to 0000

Closed on Sundays

How to get there:
The nearest station to Koyoshi Sushi is Umeda Station on the Osaka Subway. When you alight at Umeda, make your way to Hotel New Hankyu, and take the rear exit. Cross the road and you should encounter a small alleyway and the shop is along the triangular alley. Koyoshi is very easy to miss so keep your eyes peeled for the curtain sign shown above.

Koyoshi Sushi's price are varied. The Omakase featured here cost SGD $90 at the point of purchase.
Ala Carte or Omakase is available here.
Please note that Mr and Mrs Yano speak very little English.

Anthony Bourdain featuring Koyoshi Sushi from 40:16 onwards.