Hi. Thanks for the insight on subtle language nuances.
I am clearly not a master at lines, as I wouldn't arrive late, and get stuck waiting if that was the case, haha.
In the case of Tomato Curry, I would have appreciated a bit more 'caring' human treatment, in an attempt to help a little bit on the part of the lady. I believe she might be the chef's wife. As a customer, you've invested in waiting a long time in line for them, the least she can do is speak to us for a few seconds. Rather than just leaving people in line with no answers. After her brief nod and apology, she wouldn't listen to anything else we asked, quickly walked away, and went back inside. Basically ignoring us. At most, she might gesture her hand, to please wait in line. And it was a Japanese speaker with me, who was trying to talk to her. I've never encountered this level of casually dismissing someone in Tokyo. I waited 2 hours, and was treated like this, before I ran out of time. Apologize, as I realize I am now ranting. Mostly all the waiting line establishments I've gone have been very professional, or at least kind. I value kindness.
Sushidokoro Yamada doesn't appear to want foreign customers, claiming to be full many many weeks in advance so as to avoid accepting the booking. Wanted to point this out, since this web site's intended audience is foreigners. Maybe others will have more luck securing a booking, but this was my experience.
The true roots of sushi even unknown to the Japanese.
Visit a sushi place after reading this article and the sushi on your hand is guaranteed to have an even greater depth of flavor. Yeah, a must read for sushi fans.
Hashimoto has been running an 11K (now 13K) nigiri-only lunch. It didn't much change my mind but I updated my review at https://thetokyogourmet.blogspot.com/2020/08/sushi-hashimoto.html Limited opportunity to get a taste of Hashimoto.
Yes, those stores just carry several bottles of Kamoshibito Kuheiji for the brewery year 2016-2018 and one of the owners told me they got it because it tasted better after being aged for a couple of years. Canadian importers do not normally get fresh new sake.
Just published my review of Hatsunezushi at https://thetokyogourmet.blogspot.com/2021/02/hatsunezushi.html. In short, while there might have been a drop in value over the years there hasn't been a drop in quality. I asked Nakaji-san what happened with Michelin and he said he didn't know.
Love this article! The shari is definitely a very important part of experience. For those of us playing at making sushi at home with access to both akasu and komesu does anyone have any starting points for a shari recipe they'd be willing to share?
@localtaste Oh interesting I didn't even consider that it was in Manhattan - though unfortunately it seems like there's been a mixup as I'm based in Atlanta and only have the opportunity to take occasional trips to NYC though when we do visit we tend to stay in the noho/lower east side/alphabet city area so will be quite convenient! If we get the opportunity to visit soon will definitely keep you posted but like so many others during this time we've been in lockdown to minimise the spread of covid.
Still truly appreciated though, when responsibility keeps us at home the correspondence here is a small solace from the outside world!
Hi, I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The concierge was lovely, even though they failed to get seats at Tenzushi - which we were told should be done more than 3 months in advance. Hotel was a bit old but decent for the price range.
Also just to provide a report on Chisou Nakamura. Lovely kaiseki meal with modern touches here and there. Nakamura-san was also a great host despite speaking very little English. Really appreciated how he tried to joke with us and use Google Translate to show us rare ingredients during the meal. Would definitely recommend
Ooh, ok! Thank you for clarifying that. I will add it to my notes. From the times I've seen the technique, I thought it was to tense up a fish, prior to serving it as sashimi. It also seems an excellent technique for cooking shrimp rare. I did not know it was a component of a zuke process.
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