Boasting an enviable location smack in the middle of the Gransta shopping area in the centre of Tokyo Station, this seafood restaurant is backed by the prestige of Osaka’s Kindai University, the first institution in the world to successfully raise bluefin tuna entirely on a farm.
All the fish served at Kindai University Fisheries Lab Hanare in forms including sushi, grilled and steamed has its origins at Kindai. Fry (baby fish) born from eggs in the university’s tanks are transferred to fish farms throughout the country, where they’re raised into plump and delicious adults before being shipped here for Tokyoites’ consumption.
For a luxurious taste of the university’s most famous product, go for the Maguro Zukushi Teoke Sushi (¥3,480), in which three cuts of bluefin tuna – lean akami, fatty otoro and balanced chutoro – are served over rice in a lacquered wooden bowl. The restaurant’s most popular dish, however, is the Kohaku Teoke Sushi (¥2,700), where tuna is paired with Kindai-raised sea bream and striped jack for a pretty harmony of red and white. These and all other set meals come with miso soup and a few sides, but you can also order sushi rolls and other small dishes separately.
Hanare’s sushi rice is brought to you by Kindai researchers as well: flavoured with mellow red vinegar, this Kinsho Kenkomai cultivar was developed by the university together with a grain company to pair ideally with the eco-friendly seafood on offer. And speaking of sustainability, all orders of fully farm-raised fish come with a little card thanking you for making an environmentally conscious culinary choice.