Gulou Sushi Vet Murasakitama Ups Its Game with Luscious New Ark Shell Rolls and Eel Rice

Though the swaths of izakayas near the Japanese embassy in Liangmaqiao are arguably Beijing’s best known, Murasakitama is a worthy hutong alternative. It would be an understatement to call the three-year-old Gulou Dongdajie restaurant intimate, what with the half dozen chairs nestled around its counter, its soft lighting, and the narrow hallway that leads to, surprisingly enough, two more sizable tatami private dining rooms that can each seat 12 patrons.

That ambiance makes Murasakitama one of the hutongs’ best spots for a date night, or for a special occasion with friends who share your interest of being whisked away to Tokyo, even if only or an evening. It’s an authentic vibe that is furthered by the restaurant’s menu, which was recently revamped to reach beyond the sushi focus that helped this restaurant earn a pretty strong Gulou following. Highlights among those newbies include the RMB 158 eel rice platter, a particularly strong rendition with a generous amount of fluffy, slightly sweetened meat. Be warned though, it’s also a bit bony, so take your time in order to save your teeth from grief (tempting as it may be to wolf this luscious dish down).

Among the other recently added items were a sizable oyster that was sadly a bit bland compared to others we’ve sampled as of late. Fortunately, the new “six sushi” set fared much better. The shrimp, salmon, and tuna among those half-dozen nigiri style rolls were all fresh and firmly textured enough to make us smile, though they were less memorable than the unique ark shell clam meat roll. Its orange, knotty meat is eye-catching enough to snag your initial attention before capturing your taste buds with its enticing and chewy texture and mild briny flavor. Other new items include peony shrimp (RMB 280), sea bream (RMB 108), sea urchin (RMB 108), abalone (RMB 168), and goose liver (RMB 168) sashimi. And of course, like any Japanese joint worth its salt, the sake selection is also pretty solid and includes 500ml bottles of 甘柳 Ganliu (RMB 300, 720ml bottles of 黑牡丹 Hei Mudan (RMB 1,280) or a special occasion 720ml bottle of 十四代 Shisi Dai (RMB 9,800).

All told, these new dishes, the cozy atmosphere, and the prime location on Gulou Dongdajie make Murasakitama a more than solid choice for hutong-situated sushi fans. Though it doesn’t reach the exquisite heights of Shota Muni, Yotsuba, Sake Manzo, Qingjiu or other Chaoyang rivals, the more unique items on Murasakitama’s updated menu help close that gap. And we're of course always happy to see a restaurant like this stand strong and carry on in the post-Great Brickening era, when so many other alleyway favorites fell by the wayside.

Check out our original review of the restaurant when it opened here.

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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Photos courtesy of Murasakitama, Ken Liu, Kyle Mullin