Mikuni is one of my two favourite restaurants in Frankfurt (the other is Toan, a brilliant Vietnamese restaurant - a separate review will follow). Mikuni, located at Fahrgasse 91, is conveniently located between Konstablerwache and the Museum for Modern Art. Its interior is typical for a Japanese Izakaya, in other words rather bleak. There is a Sushi bar with about 10 seats, I guess about 25-30 seats at bare wooden tables and a little Tatami area (I have been told that you pay a little extra to sit there, which may well be true given that I have never seen the area being used). The food however is fantastic - the two Sushi masters operate behind the bar and prepare the best Sushi within a 180km radius (Düsseldorf is just outside that circle and there are some serious competitors there). The seafood is always fresh, of the best quality and served in very generous portions - unlike in the typical "escalator" type Sushi restaurants, where you get a big box shaped machine-produced rice parcel with a thin slice of pre-cut fish on top, at Mikuni you have to look for the comparably small hand-formed and hand-warm rice ball (ever eaten Sushi straight from a fridge? The thought alone makes me shudder) under the massive slice of fish. The Toro (fatty tuna belly) is probably the best you find in town, the Unagi (grilled eel) a must (it will be warmed briefly before being served, so go for it first), the Hirame (Fluke) best enjoyed with lemon and a pinch of salt... ah, I could go on but you probably get the picture.
Mikuni has much more to offer than just Sushi though - beyond the obvious (Sashimi, Donburi, etc.) there are a large number of typical Izakaya snacks (as a starter or to go with your Beer, Sake or Shochu), ranging from standards such as Edamame (green soya beans) and Wakame Kyuri-Su (seaweed and cucumber in mild vinegar) to more exotic dishes for the daring, involving ingredients such as Nato (fermented soy beans - a very acquired taste), grated yam root (very mucilaginous which can be challenging for some) or squid intestines. Of course you will also find classics such as various types of Kushiyaki (aka Yakitori), grilled fish, Tempura, Soba, Udon and so on. If you have tasted your way through the menu, ask for the daily specials, which are written in Japanese on individual pieces of paper behind the bar; you will be rewarded, dependent on seasonality, with wonderful specialities - amongst my favourites were White Aspargus with Miso Sauce, Japanese Cucumber with Miso Paste, Fresh Oysters with a special Japanese sauce, half a grilled Head of Hamachi (Yellow Fin Tuna), Lotus Root and Pumpkin Tempura (with salt and lemon) and - very special - Monkfish liver, pressed into a sausage form, sauteed, cut into slices when cooled down and served in a light vinegar with cucumber.
Drinks range from green tea (free refills), Japanese and German beer and wine to Sake and Shochu. Prices aren't cheap, but then again they never are with good Japanese restaurant. If money is a problem stick with your Yo Sushi and Sushi Circles of this world because you won't be enjoying going back to these after you tried this original Japanese food. Alternatively, go at lunch time and enjoy a cheap "Mittags-Sushi", which comes at 12 or 14 Euro I think, including a Miso soup.
9/10 - Great value for money - I do go there once per week, and I miss something if I don't!
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