Sushi is on a thousand menus in Ho Chi Minh City. Sushiya is something else — the years of training that stand behind a single piece of nigiri before it ever reaches a counter. Rice held at the temperature a chef's hand can still read. A blade angle chosen for how a cut will feel against the tongue, not just how it looks on the plate. Fish aged for days, sometimes longer, until its texture and flavor arrive where they need to be — a judgment made by feel, built on repetition, not a recipe that can be written down and followed exactly. It takes years of apprenticeship before a chef is trusted with tuna, the cut with the least room for error. That's the discipline behind Kasen's counter: Kim Chu, heir to the philosophy Shinji Murata built at Hiko Sushi in Los Angeles, holding every piece that reaches a guest in Saigon to the same standard. A sushi restaurant, run the way a sushiya is run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kasen a sushi restaurant?
Yes. Kasen is a sushi restaurant built as a sushiya — the counter Kim Chu leads follows the same discipline of rice, knife work and fish handling a sushiya is built on, expressed through a fifteen-course omakase progression rather than an à la carte sushi menu.
What's the difference between sushi and omakase at Kasen?
Sushi is what's served. Omakase is how it's served — Kim Chu selects and serves each course in sequence, built around the best ingredients available that day, rather than guests ordering individual pieces from a menu.
Where can I find authentic sushi in Ho Chi Minh City?
Kasen's ten-seat counter in District 1 has served a Saigonese expression of Japanese sushi since 2018, built on the training Shinji Murata brought from Hiko Sushi in Los Angeles.