My friend and I ended up here spontaneously while we were both running errands on Newbury St. I was…read morein the mood for something Asian, we decided on sushi, and we vaguely remembered that one of our colleagues, who is from Japan, had said something about this place. That sealed the deal for Sakabayashi.
I have to admit, though: we both got a little sticker shock when we opened the menu. The menu was extensive and everything sounded good, but it took us a while to figure out what we actually wanted to spend. At one point I told my friend, "If you want to leave, it's okay. I won't mind. We can just go." He said, "I'm fine if you're fine." I said, "I'm fine if you're fine." And then we basically just stared at each other and continued struggling with the menu.
Eventually, we accepted that dinner was going to be more than $30 and shared the chicken karaage ($10), then each ordered the chef's pick nigiri ($30).
The karaage was solid: crispy, yummy, nicely presented, and good with the mayo dipping sauce.
But the nigiri made my eyes POP.
MAN OH MAN was it FRESH. It was so good. That was basically all I could think about while eating it.
I've eaten a lot of sushi in my life, although I still have the palate of a college student...and sometimes the wallet, too. I've definitely had sushi where I've thought, "This tastes like nothing," or "Why isn't the rice seasoned?" or, worse, "This doesn't taste right...I don't think this is very fresh."
This was the opposite. The fish actually had flavor. Everything tasted fresh and delicious, and the rice and fish worked together the way good nigiri should. I wish I had slowed down and appreciated each piece more instead of inhaling it.
I will absolutely be coming back. Now I know where to go when I'm craving genuinely good-quality sushi and am willing to spend a little more for it.
The restaurant itself is classy, bright, neat, and polished without feeling stuffy. It would be a great place to catch up with a friend or for a date night.
Although for a date, maybe don't feel bad about splitting the bill. It's the modern era anyway.