World's Most Expensive Sushi Is Priced At 2 Lakhs, Find Out Why

Sushi is undeniably one of the most trendy foods in the world right now with people flocking to Japanese restaurants worldwide for a taste of the cuisine. Even in India where it was initially treated with some trepidation for the ‘raw fish’ aspect, it has taken hold and most metro cities are shelling out big bucks to visit the best sushi joints. But even though sushi is an art form as much as a dish, we think most people will hesitate before paying the price for the World’s Most Expensive Sushi. 

Recently a new Guinness World Record has been set by Sushi Kirimon, a sushi restaurant in Osaka, Japan for their dish the ‘Kiwami Omakase’. The 20 piece sushi course dusted with gold leaf comes in at a whopping JP¥ 3,50,000 (approximately ₹2,00,000) which displaces the earlier record from 2010 held by which was held by Chef Angelito Araneta Jr. at 91,800 Philippine Pesos (approximately ₹1,00,000).

So what makes this sushi platter worth the price? For starters, the nature of Omakase itself is an intimate culinary experience. The term itself translates to "I'll leave it up to you" in Japanese, and it signifies a unique dining adventure where patrons entrust the skilled chef with crafting a personalised and artistic tasting menu. For The Kiwami Omakase, the restaurant has chosen to embody a journey across Japan in the very best local produce honouring Washoku, a technique which celebrates localised culinary culture.

As per Guinness World Records, the complete breakdown of the dishes is as follows:

  1. White tilefish and beluga caviar
  2. Shinko (baby gizzard shad)
  3. Pacific bluefin tuna
  4. Chum salmon
  5. Bigfin reef squid
  6. Sei whale tail meat
  7. Murasaki uni (purple sea urchin)
  8. Bafun uni (green sea urchin)
  9. Steamed abalone
  10. Slice of futomaki (‘fat roll’) containing hairy crab, conger eel, dried mullet roe, monkfish liver, purple sea urchin, cucumber, matsutake mushroom, shiitake mushroom, kanpyo (dried gourd shavings), Oboro (crumbled shrimp paste), and egg.
  11. Fatty tuna belly
  12. Medium-fat tuna belly
  13. Lean tuna back
  14. Marbled tuna belly
  15. Seared tuna belly
  16. Japanese tiger prawn
  17. Button shrimp and beluga caviar
  18. Conger eel
  19. Sea eel and black truffle
  20. Hairy crab and beluga caviar

The seafood is sourced from across Japan including tilefish from the southernmost isles of Kyushu and button shrimp from the northern reaches of Hokkaido. They also honour the different rice-producing regions with the nigiri rice being from the Akita prefecture and the sushi rice being a mix of Akita rice and Tsuyahime rice from Yamagata prefecture. The sushi vinegar too is a proprietary blend of aged vinegar from Tokyo and Chiba.

A few ingredients like the truffles, whale meat and Chinese matsutake mushrooms come from outside Japan but otherwise this omakase narrates a journey through history and culture in a stunning tribute to the country’s heritage, ingredients and the art of sushi itself.