Sushi Otaku

I’ll eat sushi any way and chance I get. I end up eating a lot of take out simply because it’s easy and with two young children, it’s not always fun when the edamame starts getting tossed around. But I really like the experience of being in the restaurant, drinking my sake, listening to the hum of the other diners. It’s fun watching what other people eat and watching the expressions of the people next to you when you get the raw quail egg and slurp it down with gusto. Or start munching on the shrimp heads. These are not common occurrences in North America.

My favorite restaurant does a pretty brisk take-out business, I’ve asked them, and I get everything from my regulars to bowls of their salad dressing to keep me ‘fixed’ for a week. And while their sushi is always great, whether eaten here or there, there’s just something about the temperature of the food that seems really important to me. Sushi is not served room temperature. It’s usually slightly chilled (or warm if cooked like Unagi maki). And this makes a huge difference. By the time I get my take-out home, my food is room temperature and the avocado has often lost some of it’s texture and color. It’s just not the same. Even the same brand of sake just doesn’t taste the same at home. It sounds dumb, but it’s true.

While I always prefer take-out to no sushi at all, there’s something to be said for getting off my bum and heading over to the restaurant and hunkering down. The food is great, the dishes are cleaned for you and the tea is, well…. restaurant bancha is never great, but it’s all part of the experience. So when I can… I’ll be sticking around.

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

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For lunch today I had some basic salmon sushi and maki from Whole Foods. I used to be practically offended by supermarket sushi, but knowing the high quality that Whole Foods prides itself on, I’m willing to accept that theirs is fine to eat (BTW, I’m not affiliated with Whole Foods nor do I own their stock or anything, it’s just a great store). But… I have to say that regular supermarket sushi has always turned me off. When you are eating raw seafood, you have to be careful, and I’ve never thought that your average supermarket placed undue emphasis on being sanitary above and beyond the laws they must obey (tell me if I’m wrong, that’s just my opinion).

I’ve seen some nasty sushi at these places, though. Brown, crusty, you name it. And if you’ve ever been sick from bad seafood (I have) you will never want to take that kind of chance again. Sushi is a wonderful food. I obviously wouldn’t have this blog if I didn’t think so. But in a sense, making it a supermarket item commoditizes it and dumbs sushi down.

Supermarket sushi is utilitarian. It’s evidence. It’s a fix when you can’t go to a Japanese restaurant to get some of the good stuff. But I went to Whole Foods today and got some. I’m a victim. But a willing one. If you find the right place, and you trust it, supermarket sushi is a nice way to satisfy yourself until you can hit the bar and pick and choose the best. But in a way, it’s kind of like playing a game by yourself. It’s a reminder of what it can really be. But nothing can replace omakase at a great restaurant, or even a plain old unagi maki at your place around the corner.

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

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I was introduced to sushi when I was around 10 or 11 years old, I think. I was at a fairly ritzy party of some sort and they had a large plate of basic items for the taking… but no one was taking. This was over 20 years ago and I guess sushi hadn’t caught on here in North America, and it looked kind of weird. But then again… I’m kind of weird

so… I bee-lined for the table and tried a piece. And then another. I couldn’t believe that something this good existed and I hadn’t come across it. My mother had a catering business, and food was a large part of my lifestyle, but here was something so totally different, so intricate yet simple that it really made me stop and think about what food can be. For a minute. I was only 11, after all. I was used to fancy foods, I even cooked for my mother’s business at times and knew the routines. But I knew that these pieces required skills that no one I knew possessed. This was food as art, and it was mighty tasty too. Food, a basic requirement of life and a mere commodity, couldn’t get better than this.

I knew that I had found something that I would seek out for the rest of my life. I didn’t eat anything else that day, and I probably polished off most of the sushi and sashimi that was offered, since no one else seemed to want any (and 11 year old kids kind of do what they want anyway, right?). It wasn’t a problem. But what was a problem was finding more sushi. It was years before I realized that there were restaurants out there devoted to sushi. And even longer before I could eat at one(the thought of raw fish was never something that the rest of my family could appreciate). Eventually, I found my way, and my aunt, seeker of all things culinarily different, became my sushi savior. But that too is another story.

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

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There are certain fish that I think present themselves perfectly without being fancified, hamachi (yellowtail) being one of them. I went to my favorite local sushi place on Saturday night with my wife and my brother, who loves sushi, but is not nearly as crazy about as I, and ordered a huge platter with all our staples. The discussion du soir was the hamachi. My brother likes it in a maki with scallions, whereas I prefer it sushi or sashimi . It’s not that there was any problem ordering, but I was just wondering how much he really could appreciate the fish that way.

Don’t get me wrong, I know everyone has different preferences, and there is no one way to serve anything, but I always feel that the reason I eat what I eat is to really appreciate the fish. The taste. The texture. The mouthfeel and the lingering flavours. There is nothing wrong with pairing the yellowtail with scallions in a roll, in fact, the scallion (or green onion) does a good job complimenting the fish, but I just can’t help being a purist with this one particular fish.

It’s my favorite piece. Hamachi has a buttery flavor that I cannot find in the finest otoro, and a texture that rivals it as well. A good piece yields gently to the tongue, and has a subtle taste that is unique and familiar at the same time. Unfettered with additional flavors, hamachi is the purest example of why sushi is such a unique food; it is something special and something to tell your friends about. Hamachi is clean, consistent, and defined, and never interferes with it’s friends on your plate. It carries it’s own bags and makes the bed when it leaves.

I had my hamachi sashimi and he had his hamachi maki , and we were both happy at the end of the meal. The Gekkikan Black & Gold sake may have helped that, but I prefer to think it was the company I’m not trying to be an evangelist, merely share my opinions, but I would suggest that anyone try hamachi sashimi or sushi at least once, if you are used to having it maki style with scallions. There really are no comparisons to this gentle and robust neta.

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

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There are basically two kinds of sushi eaters out there, that I have determined. The traditionalists who like the simple, artful Japanese presentation (instead of the westernized version) and those who like the fancy (superdragonspiderflywhoopdefreakindoo roll), the new (seared fois gras & unagi maki), and even the uncommon ginormous slabs of fish on their plate. I don’t mean to pigeonhole everyone, and actually, I kind of sit in the middle and appreciate both sides. The reason I mention this is that I wanted to talk about a really interesting restaurant that I frequent when I can (disclaimer: I have no affiliation with any of the restaurants I mention and get no ‘freebies’ or anything in return for talking about them. This blog is nothing more than my opinions about everything sushi related).

This is a place I usually only share with close friends, but…. It’s in New York City and it’s called Tomoe Sushi located at 172 Thompson street. This place is cool, really cool. Lines around the block, lots of Japanese diners (my indication of a quality sushi joint) and very simple. However, simple can be deceiving. The first time I walked in (at 5:00 to try to beat the rush) I wasn’t that impressed. It’s nothing fancy and, in fact, it was not fancy enough that I briefly considered turning around. I’m glad I didn’t.

I sat down at the sushi bar with my cousin and ordered. Served up were nigiri the size of my fist. Flesh overflowing. My jaw dropped and rapidly recovered into a smile. Wow, talk about non-traditional. But OMG what a meal. Great, whopping chunks of fish that would have pressed the rice to paper if we hadn’t devoured it so quickly. Everything was great, fresh, flavourful, and the itamae used their time well. I never felt ignored in the rush. But their was a rush. In fact, wait times can be up to an hour it’s so busy there. I always do a la carte nigiri and sashimi, but they have combos, or meals (whatever you want to call them) too. eh… boring. I look for sushi-ya, not ‘restaurants that have sushi’ and order the pieces I specifically want. I’m pretty opinionated so rarely do ‘omakase’ (where the itamae chooses what to serve you based on his knowledge of what is particularly good that day). But when you trust the chef, you are sometimes surprised (like the first time I was served ankimo, mmmmmmm, but that’s another story).

We stuffed our faces. Ate like kings. And rolled out of there. All the cliches. My cousin and I are sushi freaks and when it feels right, we go all out. But the odd thing is that I didn’t feel fleeced when the bill came. Sure we spent a lot, but we ate so well, and it was so darn good that I wanted to tip those guys behind the bar. I think we even bought the itamae a beer (sushi tip #1: Buy the itamae a beer. It’s always a nice gesture, the chef will appreciate it and hopefully remember you).

I don’t know how many times I’ve been back, there are so many good places to go, but I will definitely say that my first trip there is my most memorable sushi-ya experience to date. I had no idea that places like that exist (and have been disappointed enough trying out new places that merely have ‘evidence’ of fish on the nigiri). so… if you’re in the city (New York City) and looking for a place to try… find Tomoe. But go early and bring a book.

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

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Welcome to my sushi blog, and, yes, I am aware of the negative connotation of the word ‘otaku’ in Japanese, however being a gaijin I thought I’d throw caution to the wind and use the word anyway. Westerners seem to think they have adopted the word for themselves so at least I’m not the first to misuse it
(stands up) “Hi. My name is Warren and I am a sushi freak.” I love sushi. I obsess over sushi. The yielding crunchiness of Ika (squid). The fresh and fecund creaminess of Uni (sea urchin). The way tobiko (flying fish roe) hides between my teeth for hours after a meal.
I talk about it way too much and if I had my way, I’d have a personal chef preparing me a new type every day for lunch and dinner. I also run the Sushifaq.com website as a labour of love. I *do* have a life outside my obsession, but I can honestly say that sushi factors heavily into my life nonetheless. As yet another outlet, I figured I’d start this blog to clear my head, share my thoughts (and meals), and interact with other sushi lovers out there in the real/virtual world. With that… on with the show. Happy eating!

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

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