This new restaurant is hot, both literally and figuratively; it's sweeping Tokyo's restaurant scene with its unprecedented and innovative "hot" sushi rice.

The restaurant is owned by Takeshi Satake, 42 years old.
After honing his skills at Sushiden, a famous national chain with over 30 locations, and "Kyubey," known for turning out large numbers of talented chefs, Chef Satake founded his own independent restaurant in Ginza in August of 2016.

Chef Satake speaks confidently about the benefits of using hot sushi rice to his customers, but he actually only started using it himself about a year ago.
One day, as he was sampling the tuna he had just procured, he happened to try it with freshly-cooked rice, and the surprising delight he found in that plunged him into the world of "hot" sushi.

I was thrown off by the blasphemous thought of eating tuna over steaming hot rice during my first visit in spring of 2016, but I was surprised when I actually tried it.
The hot sushi rice elevated the umami of the fish in a brand new experience.
Satake's bold attempt to make waves in the world of traditional Edo-mae sushi left me very impressed.

After deciding on the flavor of his sushi rice, Chef Satake next searched for the perfect fish to pair with it, showing his considerable dedication to treating his rice right.
The rice at "Sushi Satake" is sweet; it uses the distinctive "Tsuyahime" brand, giving it a flexible, springy texture, and it's seasoned with a blend of two types of red vinegar and salt.
Each and every grain of rice stands out, creating a unique sushi rice where you can enjoy the sweetness of the rice itself.
The sushi rice is shaped with moderate pressure, and it's incredibly delicious as it falls apart in your mouth.

Additionally, the restaurant's lunch course only costs 4,800 yen as of December 2017.

The course begins with fattier fish like tuna and Japanese amberjack pressed onto freshly made sushi rice, and the selections of fish that follow are based on how they pair with the rice as it cools, the perfect progression of Chef Satake's talents in his strange course.

Chef Satake is also dedicated to continuing to develop new and innovative dishes, like a donburi dish of sushi rice topped with sliced blackthroat seaperch, meant to be mixed together then eaten.

"Of course I want my food to be delicious, but I also want people to leave here having had a fun experience," said Satake.
He's completely dedicated to continuously improving his restaurant, including his communication with customers.

The dinner omakase course is around 30,000 yen when you include the cost of drinks.
To all of you coming to Tokyo, the sushi capital, to try this "hot" sushi rice, I recommend starting off by visiting for the amazing cost-performance lunch course.