Sushi Mori

Tsukishima may be known as the capital of monja nowadays, but its original speciality is seafood. Found a short walk north from Tsukishima Station, Mori upholds these traditions with grace, serving up some of the best sushi on this side of the Sumida River. The two-storey shop is small but spotlessly clean and stylish, and the attention to finesse reaches all the way from the decorations to the food. Go at lunchtime and you'll always get the box set (¥1,080), a selection of five to seven kinds of seasonal seafood, egg and pickles served over rice. Watch your meal prepared right in front of your eyes, take in the harmony of fresh flavours, and finish up with the complementary dessert – a near-perfect midday experience.

At dinner, you're given a choice of three nigiri sets (from ¥2,380) or a chirashi bowl (¥3,240) straight of the menu, or you can call in advance for the prix fixe menus (¥5,400-¥10,800). All of these offerings maintain the same very high standard as the lunch set, and at far lower prices than you'd pay at a comparable place in Nihonbashi or around Tsukiji. Finally, we have to mention the ever-cheerful attitude of the bear-like master: he may have trained at Ginza’s fanciest joints, but he’s brought none of that stiffness to his own shop.