[category]
[title]
Eight seats. One pale wooden counter. A pot of rice cooked fresh for each sitting. Sushi Kuuya makes little noise, and that’s rather the point. Find it on the second floor of Vivre Langsuan, on the leafy soi linking Ploenchit Road with Lumpini Park, behind a light timber door set against clean white walls.
The man in charge is chef Goji Kobayashi. He was born in Los Angeles to a family from Fukuoka, and his CV covers around 18 years in kitchens across Japan, the US and Thailand, including a stint at Michelin-starred Wako in San Francisco. Kyushu remains his main reference. Most of the seafood and produce arrives from Fukuoka via suppliers he knows personally, and the menu shifts with Japan’s seasons.
The restaurant’s motto is ‘Simplicity, Precision, Respect’, and you can watch each word at work. Simplicity is the room, bright and uncluttered, with bare wood and nothing to distract you. Precision begins with that rice, prepared in a traditional hagama pot on a custom-built stove, then seasoned with a blend of vinegars, aged red among them. Respect shows in the sourcing. Goji wants to know where each ingredient originates and who caught, grew or made it.
Don’t expect a straight run of nigiri, either. Having worked alongside kaiseki-trained chefs, he opens with otsumami (seasonal appetizers) and a few cooked plates, so the meal moves between warm and cool, soft and crisp.
Highlights include the awabi, abalone finished over charcoal so its sweetness picks up a gentle smokiness. Zuke maguro sees wild bluefin tuna marinated in Goji’s signature soy and served with bespoke nori from the Ariake Sea in Saga, near his family’s home town. Anago (sea eel) goes over binchotan until rich and fragrant, and towards the finish comes kaisen futomaki, a fat roll stuffed with seafood and wrapped in more of that Saga seaweed.
Save space for sake. Co-owner Natwara Kobayashi is a certified sake sommelier with several international qualifications, and she’s particular about serving temperature and the shape of each glass, both of which affect aroma and texture. Choose a premium craft pairing (six pours, 180ml in total, B1,500++) or her sommelier selection (eight pours, 360ml, B3,500++). The list stretches from easy-drinking labels to rarer small-batch bottles.
As for food, the 15-course nigiri menu costs B4,500++, while the 18-course premium option is B6,500++, with 10 percent service charge and 7 percent VAT on top.
With so few guests at the bar, conversation comes easily. Ask about the fish, the rice or the nori and you’ll get a proper answer, often while the next piece is shaped in front of you. If you’re drawing up a shortlist of the best omakase restaurants in Bangkok, this one belongs on it. Book well ahead and check Instagram for occasional sake dinners and guest collaborations.
Sushi Kuuya is at 2/F Vivre Langsuan, 34/3 Soi Langsuan, Lumpini, Pathumwan.
Dinner seatings run Tue-Sun at 5.30pm and 7.30pm, with lunch at midday on Sat-Sun. Closed Mon. A deposit is required to confirm your booking.
Reserve via the website or call 092-916-9299.