Tekka Tuna Koukeimaru

Rating: Very good
Meal:  Dinner
Price:  2000 yen
Payment: Cash only
Dishes: Miso marinated seared swordfish, one piece fatty bluefin tuna, 6 pieces bigeye tuna nigiri
English Menu: Yes
Smoking: No (there's an area behind the shop you can smoke)

I am pleased to review a new restaurant in the neighborhood:  Tekka Tuna Koukeimaru.  Opening up where an older style vegetable stand used to be, it has apparently been open for a few months but somehow I missed it.  I hope it does well, because it fills a niche here in Yokosuka that should be attractive to the many americans living here:  un-intimidating sushi!

Fatty tuna nigiri

It has a wide-open feel, an excellent and simple English menu, and a very welcoming proprietor who speaks very good English.  I was the only customer last night and we spoke for a long time with each other about various things.  Apparently a large seafood freezing company owns to boats that go out and fish for tuna.  They sell some of their catch in the local Yokosuka Port Market shop, but now they also have this restaurant outlet as well.  All the fish is locally caught and quite fresh.

Miso marinated swordfish

I had purchased a tuna roll the other day to supplement a meager lunch (which was very good by the way) so last night I wanted to try the other offerings.  Although they specialize in tuna, they also had swordfish on the menu which I was interested in.  I went for the regular miso marinated (as opposed to the sweet Kyoto miso) and it was a nicely seared piece of fish I ended up receiving that had excellent flavor and texture (no bones).  I was going to all out and get the 6 piece nigiri set of fatty tuna, but he was out of fish and I had to settle for a single piece.  It was amazing though.  Instead I ordered a 6 piece nigiri set of mid-fatty tuna (bigeye) and it came with two different cuts of fish.  I was given an interesting tutorial on the different places on the fish that the meat comes from.  Also, free of charge, I was given a cooked piece of inner skin lining (no scales).  This was an interesting change of texture, not bad, but not very flavorful either.  I am looking forward to returning for lunch some time to try their tuna bowls that look very tasty.

Tuna nigiri

Overall I was very pleased and hope to tell many people about this place.  I hope they are doing well enough to stay open!  Definitely a solid Very Good.

Different cut of tuna nigiri

Inner tuna skin