On Geldersekade you will find a sushi bar that bears little resemblance to what you normally understand by sushi. No menu, no choice, no rush. Ken Sushi works entirely with the omakase principle: chef Ken determines what you eat, bite by bite. That's twenty in all, served at the bar while the chef explains what's put in front of you. A session averages two and a half hours. That's intentional.
The brothers behind the business, Ken and Tom (known, among others, from House of Noa) did not grow up in the hospitality industry. Ken is a self-taught sushi chef and also trained all his kitchen staff himself. Tom started out as an actor, Ken as a pro skater. That they are now both behind a sushi bar at Geldersekade may not be the most obvious story, but it works. At the bar, you can tell they know exactly what they're doing. The rice is served at 37 degrees, body temperature, a classic Japanese standard that is simply not held in many Western sushi stores. Out front, Sky provides the beverage accompaniment, with a wine list that deliberately departs from the obvious.
Ken Sushi began in 2019 in a shared space in Old West. The current location on Geldersekade is larger and permanent. Guests sit at the bar, right across from the chefs. No tables, no distance, no menu. It is a format very common in Japan but still relatively rare in this city. There are two sittings a night, at 5:30 and 8:30, from Wednesday through Sunday.
The rice is served at 37 degrees, body temperature, a classic Japanese standard that is simply not held in many Western sushi stores.
Ken Sushi is a business that demands that you let go of control. No menu studying, no adjustments, no ‘can I omit the salmon. The chef decides what's good that night, and that's exactly the point. For those with a thing for that, this is the place to be.