I had the pleasure of eating at why my host family says is an authentic sushi shop. While the sushi doesn't spin around on a conveyor belt, it was exceptionally tasty.
A few years ago my father was hired to transform an empty shop space into a full sushi restaurant. In the process he become close friends with the owner and his wife. Throughout the evening my family conversed with the owner as he prepared our meals with great speed and skill.
In addition to the fresh fish clearly visible from the counter, there are many menu items I wouldn't commonly associate with sushi. For example, my host mother ordered Dobin Mushi which is basically a tea made from fish and a rare type of mushroom. While the idea of drinking fish didn't sound terribly appealing it was actually kind of good. My family also ordered a dish that was basically a giant fish's head cooked in butter. My mother explained that the best parts of the fish are in the head. Though it took some skill to pick the tiny pieces of meat from the face, they were very tender and the sauce the head was cooked in was delicious. While in the US we're rather taken aback by food with a face, in Japan it is quite normal. In the name of freshness there were even some live fish which could be slaughtered and served in a matter of minutes on request.
While you typically order individual pieces of sushi, there are also special platters such as the one in the picture. It contained an assortment of extremely beautiful vegetables and fish prepared before our eyes.
It's probably worth mentioning that the whole meal cost around $200 for 4 of us. While I can't say I though it was worth it, it was my host father's treat and it was truly amazing food.
No comments:
Post a Comment