Learning About Sushi
What’s really to learn about sushi? Don’t you just eat it and enjoy it? Well, yes. But I took a deeper dive in trying to find the best spots in the states and going to Japan purely to eat sushi. On top of that, I hosted sushi pop ups in hopes of starting a restaurant.
The Journey
Every foodie has seen “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.” But I didn’t really get into sushi until I had the omakase at Akiko’s. They fish from Japan and it was the first time I had a lot of different kinds of fish. Then I became obsessed and ate at all the Michelin rated sushi joints wherever I went. Luckily at the time was a huge surge of omakase restaurants in San Francisco.
Of course, I had to go straight to the source to get the really good stuff. I’ve been to Japan before and had sushi by Tsukiji market and it was awesome. But for my 3rd trip, I went on a sushi mission. I made sure to get a good hotel to get me into the best restaurants. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into 3 star places, but managed lots of 2 and 1 star places. Each place definitely a level above anything in the states.
Right before that trip, I was trying to find my way into the sushi restaurant biz. I always thought it’s a waste that all of the omakase-only restaurants are closed. So I propositioned two places that I frequented to open lunch. I’d manage it and we could just sell really nice hand rolls like Kazunori. However, both places had their hands full enough with dinner service.
Through a friend, I met a sushi chef that does consulting. I really liked his style and we hosted a hand roll popups to gauge interest. We started looking for spaces to lease which was brutal with San Francisco pricing. Unfortunately, we weren’t close to finding a spot before the chef had to move on to another job. The reality was that I didn’t know what I was getting into for starting a restaurant.
The Learnings
Edomae vs Modern sushi — Edomae is traditional sushi with very little toppings on it. A lot of the high end places in America put toppings on it to make a more complete perfect bite. I like both, but I prefer Edomae because you can just taste the fish. Also I like being a snob.
Types of Fish — This is somewhat obvious, but the more different species of fish, you learn about all the nuance tastes. At more casual restaurants, the types of fish are limited and the oily fish tend to taste bad. I never knew I’d really like Mackerels, but now they are my favorite.
Seasonality — Most sushi joints have the same fish every day of the year. But like most life, fish have a seasonality. Not only do fish taste better when in season, it also prevents over fishing. In Japan, they’ll have a festival for certain seasons. That aspect gets lost in sushi in America.
There are levels to this — I think the first step is having fish that tastes good. Second step is having a good rice texture and seasoning. From there, it’s almost subtle changes that make huge differences. There’s some pieces that are just mind blowing. And then you go to Japan and it’s somehow even better. It’s surprisingly how good something simple can be.
Sushi chefs like talking — Sitting at the bar just isn’t for the show. The chefs love talking about whatever, fish, travel, gossip, etc. Part of the reason they aspired to be sushi chef is because they work in front of everyone. They’re in the spotlight. They welcome talking, which is a large part of the fun.
Tips
Michelin stars can’t really miss, although some are better than others. If you don’t live in a major city, try looking places that have an Omakase. If you’re going to Japan, I liked this guide: https://www.thesushigeek.com/the-sushi-geek/2017/6/27/how-to-book-sushi-restaurants-in-tokyo
Talk to the chef. Again, they want to talk, and also it’s a great way to learn. You can find out how the fish was caught, what food it eats, why it was cut in a certain way, or just even where the chef is from. A lot of the story of the food is super meaningful and we lose that in the modern world of fast casual.
