Sushi and Small Dishes at Sushi Kyo (KYO Sushi-ya), Mexico City MEXICO

Map & Hours

Flounder

Tamago (egg) rolled with eel, Grilled Mackerel, and Broccoli with Tobiko mayonnaise

On "the Day of the Dead" week (last week of October), I visited Mexico City for a few big-name restaurants: Pujol, Quintonil, Sud777, and lastly a Japanese sushi restaurant called Sushi Kyo. I actually had never imagine myself having Japanese food in Mexico, but then that's why it really makes me curious. I had no idea what to expect.

As you can see, the food looks very simple: not too fancy or something that will "wow" you at first sight. BUT they are not bland at all, the flavors are actually seasoned the right amount so that you can taste each dish in its most natural state. It's a comfortable meal, which I think it doesn't come by very often. If you are as interested as me, read more below to see what other unique dishes are on our Sushi Kyo omakase in Mexico City!


The location of this restaurant is a bit hidden. Once you find the large building, find a small entry way and enter the building. Once you are inside, turn right and you will see a wooden door with a lighted lantern on the ground. (photo below)

Front door before stepping into restaurant

Passed the front door, about to walk into dining area (some Japanese dishware display on the right)

Dining area with sushi bar

As you have already noticed, there're only 13 seats available in this small sushi restaurant. A reservation is mandatory.

$ is in Mexican Peso ($1200 pesos is around $58 USD)

Once I got seated, they gave me a menu, which basically only have two choices for today: Omakase A or B. (Main chef is not here today for "Omakase Del Chef.") Anyway, I chose B so that I can also try out their chef's special dishes. (Platillos del chef)

(Top) Salad
(bottom plate from left to right) Tamago (egg) rolled with eel, Grilled Mackerel, and Broccoli with Tobiko mayonnaise

Sashimi serve with real grated wasabi (from wasabi plant)

Hirame (Flounder)

Tai (Red snapper) with ginkgo nuts and mitsuba

Tai (Red Snapper)

Branzino, an European seabass. It is very similar to suzuki (Japanese seabass)

Be aware of Japanese mustard. (The miso-looking paste on top of the soup) I was tearing up with that small piece of mustard...

Fried tofu soup with seaweed and Japanese mustard.

Kanpachi (greater amberjack) with Yuzu kosho

Tai (red snapper) marinated in kombu (seaweed) served with kombu strips,

Octopus, snow peas, taro, and pumpkin.

Saba (Mackerel) accompanied with grated ginger and scallions

Blowtorched Salmon

Video of chef blow-torching salmon 

Akami (lean cut of raw tuna fish)

ikura (salmon roe)

Uni (sea urchin)

Toro Temaki (fatty cut tuna in a hand roll)

Beautiful spoon with detailed scale pattern

Ginger ice cream + diced ginger

To tell you the truth, I used to hate wasabi (the artificial ones that are made from powder), but somehow fresh grated wasabi gave me a completely different perspective. It is refreshing, just like how you would feel eating a fresh mango instead of dried mango. Also, fresh grated wasabi feels less spicy as well.  I can finally enjoy sushi without tearing up!

As many of you already know, authentic nigiri sushi are ready to be eaten when they are served on the plate. In the process of making each nigiri sushi, chef should already consider and include all the seasoning or sauce that you will need to enjoy their sushi. (See video below) 

  

You shouldn't need to dip sushi in soy sauce anymore. (In America, we always have a small plate of soy sauce and a glob of wasabi. There's nothing wrong about having more options. It's just not the way it works in traditional sushi house.) 

SUMMARY

The experience at Sushi Kyo was pretty nice. They introduce a lot of Japanese ingredients and seasoning for this meal: Japanese mustard, Japanese taro (they are white, not purple), fresh wasabi plant, kombu, yuzu, fried tofu, etc... Those are all very common ingredients in Japanese cuisine.

Other than sticking with a 100% Japanese menu, they also integrated western ingredients and modern cooking. For one of their nigiri sushi, they used Branzina, an European sea bass that is similar to Japanese sea bass. The most memorable dish, blow-torched half cooked salmon, was prepared by a blowtorch. 

And the taste? As I mentioned in the very beginning, it was a very comfortable meal. Most of the dishes are balanced and seasoned well. Their approach is to season light and let the natural flavor of ingredient does the work. The amount of food (18-course) was just enough for me by the end of the meal.

The only thing I wasn't confident about was the Japanese mustard (on the fried tofu soup) and the ginger ice cream. It is "too gingery" for me when additional fresh diced ginger was included. But if you love ginger in general this could be your favorite dessert out of all.

WANT TO TRY SUSHI KYO?

Let's keep in mind they don't have a fixed menu. The dishes you will get will probably be different than mine. It really depends on the season, the ingredients they received, and the creativity of the chefs too. However, I believe their dishes will stay within the concept of high quality ingredients, simplicity, and of course in "Edomae Zushi" style! 

Remember to reserve your table ahead of time! 

Sushi Kyo   Phone: +52 55 5511 8027 Hours:  Sunday: Closed Monday - Friday: 1-5pm, 7-11pm Saturday: 3-11pm Website: http://www.edokobayashi.com/#linktoKYO