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Edo Sushi Bar has been in the food business for about three years now, although it seems as if they have been there forever. They have made a name for themselves by being the ones with the largest selection of Sushi rolls and a very good quality – price ratio.

There are three to choose from; the original in San Borja, a small place with six tables, the one in Miraflores, which is being remodeled now and the one is San Isidro, with one soon opening in la Molina. We were planning on going to Miraflores but since it was being remodeled we went to San Isidro; one I’m familiar with.

The decoration is the same in each of them. The caramel colored chairs and reddish sushi bar, with all the fresh products on display. The windows have a cool bamboo design made by Sandra, Ivan’s wife. The restaurant is small and seats 14 at the bar and has 11 tables. There are no reservations so on a busy day come early.

I believe the best way to eat here, if you are just two or three, is by sitting at the sushi bar and have the itamae surprise you. He will meet your heart’s desires or surprise you with something out of the ordinary. If you don’t feel like eating at the restaurant you can have take out or even delivery.

Since we were at a Japanese restaurant we have the Japanese beer called Asahi, something different. The first dish Ivan presented was the Sashimi new style; made with Chita and Salmon, the fish is sliced thinly like in a Tiradito served with delicious soy, garlic and lemon vinaigrette topped with green onion. The Chita was better then the Salmon; it absorbed the vinaigrette and kept its soft fishy flavor; the lemon is a good contrast to the salt in the soy sauce. One of the many things Ivan taught us that day was to never eat raw fish with metal because it changes the flavors of the fish, this is why you should try and eat with chop sticks. Don’t worry we all used the little plastic helpers.

Then without warning came the large platter which involved some Sushi, Sashimi, Gunkan and Makis. The Gunkan, named after the Japanese battle ships, are made with sea urchin, salmon eggs, scallops or crab with some rice at the bottom and wrapped with a bit of nori; we had the salmon egg one. There was salmon, tuna, shrimp and pejerrey sushi, salmon, tuna, lenguado and chita sashimi, salmon egg gunkan and three maki rolls; Edo, Shogun and Ninja. What can I say about the sahimi: delicious fresh fish cut into bite size pieces, even better if dipped in some soy sauce. The sushi as well good rice topped with fresh fish, the pejerrey sushi had a bit of green onion and ginger on it, a good combination. This was the first time I tried the salmon egg gunkan, quite an experience, half of our party liked it. The eggs burst in your mouth and release a fishy flavor. Even though it’s not my cup of tea, the freshness was still there and it was definitely well made.

The Ninja Roll made with crab meat, shrimp and avocado rolled in shichimi (7 flavor spice). It was spicy, I loved the crunchiness of the fried shrimp and the smoothness of the avocado. The Shogun had shrimp, rice noodles, and cream cheese, topped with an avocado. It was a smooth and light roll. The Edo roll was the more impressive one on the table, made with avocado and fried shrimp topped with squid sautéed in butter. The squid was good and soft, it had a buttery taste which went well with the rice and the other ingredients. This is not a roll one should dip in soy sauce.

The next thing we had was the Portobello Tempura. It looks like an oyster shell, but it’s the Portobello top fried in tempura. Then the filling is sautéed Portobello and scallops and a spicy garlic sauce. Something you have to eat with your hands, but be careful it has some juice that can come out and spill all over. It was spicy and warm and it had a wonderful buttery taste. 
Then came the Montaditos, a cube of tuna marinated in passion fruit a slice of banana and another cube of chita marinated in lemon, served over a bed of spinach with oyster sauce. The gyoza was very crunchy and the different marinades mixed with the bananas were great. Lots of playful textures one can play with.

Then came one of my favorites, the Pako maki, with the rice noodles, cream cheese and fried shrimp, topped with a slice of salmon and lemon with eel sauce. I loved the textures inside the roll and when you bite into the lemon you get a cleansing feeling.

Then the famous Acevichado roll made its way to our table with tuna, avocado, shrimp bathed in Acevichado sauce, which was developed by Javier. The creamy texture and smooth sauce went excellent with the tuna and the other ingredients. No wonder this is one of the favorites.


Like always we ended the meal with a sweet plate. Ivan brought out the Platano with manjar, the best combination ever. The banana was wrapped in wanton with the manjar and fried then served with vanilla ice cream. I love when the banana is hot and the ice cream is cold. It made my day.

This is a very good restaurant. Not only is the service good but the prices are fair and the food is good. One would spend around S/ 50.00 per person, which is a good price when eating fresh Japanese food. I suggest you not only eat the rolls but try the other dishes they have carefully selected and you will be surprised.

Have you ever wondered about those golden cats with the paws raised and always facing the door? Well they are for good luck, health and wealth. They are gifts and always have to be displayed. And by the looks of it, they work.

The Family

Ever since Javier, Oscar, Rafael and Ivan were kids and lived in the same apartment complex, they ate Japanese and Peruvian food, which was cooked by their mothers. When they grew up they worked at the family owned restaurant Matsuei, were they learnt all the techniques and skills needed to prepare the best Japanese food. 

The entrepreneurs were Javier and Oscar, along with two friends, Paco and Genchan, whom opened The first restaurant in San Borja, a small place with only seix tables. They brought the knowledge they acquired and the rolls and sauces they created, as well as the more traditional ones. They weren’t expecting much the first year but after only six months people started pouring in. They even waited in their cars for a table, something almost unheard of in the restaurant business.

After the first year they decided to open another one in Miraflores. This is when Rafael came in and the same thing happened, so after another year they opened the one is San Isidro, where Ivan joined his family.
 
Now they are opening another one in La Molina, the only one which is breaking with the tradition; it is no near a hotel, so sometimes they worry a bit. I don’t think they have anything to worry about, so let’s all chip in and make the one in la Molina a hit.

I asked if they were planning on expanding to other provinces but after a not so successful experience in Chiclayo, they are not considering it just yet.

Ivan Matufuji is the one in charge of Edo Sushi Bar in San Isidro, where we went.  Like his cousins, he grew up eating this type of food, as well as Peruvian and others, always cooked by his mother or aunts. When he finished school and had to choose a career he decided on Architecture. At the Pre (as we say in Lima) he realized this was not his thing and did not even take the exam. He went to Matsuei and worked there. He learned how to make sushi from the great masters. He got to know and love the business. Then came the offer to join his cousins in this sushi adventure, and the offer he took.

He is now in charge of the Sushi Bar in Salaverry and loves every minute of it. You can see he loves customer service and making new recipes. Once in a while he teaches his skills at le Cordon Bleu.

We wish them well and remember to stop by the new one in La Molina.