Ginhachi

For those planning on visiting Tokyo or just like following accounts that are focusing on food, you might already know about Ginhachi located in Ginza.  They are known for their chirashi don, in particular, the Ginza Mountain Rice Bowl.  Essentially, they pile a mix of cubed fish atop rice in the general shape of a mountain.  We were drawn to this since my kids love chirashi don and also, we were already in Ginza.  The place isn't very big with only counter seating.  We were lucky to be the only people in line and got seated pretty quickly.

To my dismay, the kids ordered the exact same thing which was the Tuna, Salmon and Minced Tuna Rice Bowl.  Oh well, I guess everything else would've been a variation of this anyways...  So it was good though with balanced slices of buttery salmon and tuna.  As you can see in the picture, things looked vibrant with a nice sheen.  The minced tuna on top; was great for mixing into the rice to provide some natural sweetness and soft texture.  With some green onion on top, it was was essentially negitoro.

Viv went for the aforementioned Ginza Mountain Rice Bowl (High Quality Version) sporting a mound of diced tuna, salmon and cucumber with a large scallop on top and lots of ikura.  With some ginger on the side, nori, real wasabi and just a touch of soy, this ate really well.  So fresh and naturally sweet with ocean vibes, there was enough fish to be present in every bite of rice.  Nothing complex, but done right.

For myself, I had the Aburi Marinated Seafood Rice Bowl.  It consisted of lightly seared salmon, tuna, ebi and hotate with a piece of tamago.  Some seaweed, ginger, shiso and real wasabi completed the bowl.  This had a slight smokiness but the real change was the texture of the fish.  The fats were activated and hence, each slice was more buttery and flavourful.  Really enjoyed it and yes, it was enough food for me.  Overall, the food at Ginhachi was fresh and delicious.  People are super nice there and even though there is usually a lineup, it moves fast.  Great place for an affordable eats in Ginza.

The Good:

- Fresh and delicious

- Reasonable pricing for Ginza

- Super accommodating people

The Bad:

- Really small place and probably not great for big groups