Gentry sushi bar

After Yotsuba, you can kiss conveyor belt sushi chains good bye. There is no chance in hell that you will ever go back to those days of coloured plates where you ate like an assembly line proletariat. You have stepped into the world of aristocratic sushi.

Like an exclusive country club, Yotsuba makes sure that entry is not taken for granted. I first heard about the restaurant from a friend who said that he tried twice, but failed to get into the tiny 14-seater place. Usually, I hate such pain in the ass establishments who are too much of a pain in the ass. If it takes too much pain to pay to eat, I am taking my stomach somewhere else.

But somehow, I was piqued by Yotsuba and its reputation of fresh seafood air flown daily from Japan and a Japanese sushi chef serving to an exclusive group. Maybe it is because fresh seafood is so hard to come by in Beijing. Seriously, if you want to do the pervy Jap thing of eating sushi off a naked woman here, it is probably easier to find the nude lady than fresh sushi. (Don't be a perv and start looking for one. The ever moralistic Chinese government banned it in 2005, no kidding!)


So I tried - to get a seat at Yotsuba that is. First call to make a reservation found that it is fully booked for a few days. And it is open only for dinner. There are three tw0-hour seatings, starting from 5pm. If you want the prized 7pm slot, you may have to sleep with the sushi chef. I decided not to be a slut and settled for the ungodly experience of having dinner at 5pm.

At first look, Yotsuba didn't inspire much confidence. Shutters were down and it seemed like a restaurant that would prefer not to be seen. But once I stepped in and ordered my first sushi, I knew that there was no need for it to flaunt with neon lights and screaming signboards. Word of mouth alone would be enough.



Sitting by the sushi bar, I placed my orders directly with the chef: "Sushi, unagi, yes." Every piece that I placed into my mouth blew my mind. Yellowtail, tuna, mackeral, it didn't matter what I ordered, they were just awesome. The chef placed a piece in front of me each time he was done with one, and I swallowed them so fast it seemed he had tossed the sushis directly into my mouth. They were so good I decided to take smaller bites with each piece so that I could savour the freshness of the sashimi and the fragrant vinegared rice.


At about 300 yuan per person (not inclusive of alcohol), Yotsuba (10-6467-1837) is not cheap by local standards. But for two hours of absolute sushi bliss, it is a price worth paying.