Zachary Tay

sorry for the late post Hiroyuki. i've been waiting for reply either from Juumi or the website from australia. i don't think i will be getting a response anytime soon from either. could i trouble you to check on the HSS blade for me please?

oh dear me. i just did an experiment and tried to order the HSS knife at http://hamono.ocnk.net/product/723 it seems to me that they don't deliver overseas! lol there goes another option.

no worries Hiroyuki. i waited 2 yrs for a proper knife. i can wait a little more. on a side note... the HSS knife. does the website say who crafted it?

well the one from japanwoodworker has thoroughly disappointed me. i ordered it like 2 yrs ago and just 2 months ago they sent me an email saying they are cancelling my order as they are unsure of when they will have stock ( sounds to me like they are doing this because the exchange rate is unfavourable for them right now ) The customer service personnel who replied my emails don't have any product knowledge at all. hence my search elsewhere http://hamono.ocnk.net/product-list/163 the 2nd knife on the list looks like a Gyuto but then again i can't read Japanese lol http://www.geocities.com/soatoz/hamono/Shi...usa_Gyutou.html i've checked out this webpage already but i find it very fishy that there isnt a price tag on the blade. he pretty much can quote wuteva price he wants to quote. can he? anyway i'll give it a try. see what response i get. i haven't gotten a reply from Juumi as of yet. wonder what's happened to him. Also, the HSS Chef's Knife is just Damascus patterned isn't it? i can't thank you enough Hiroyuki for just translating all that!

well Hiroyuki suggested posting here, in the hopes of someone being able to assist me. so far im still kinda waiting. hahaha hopefully not in vain.

after looking though the links u have given me Hiroyuki. i think http://hamono.ocnk.net/product/723 <--- this would be a better buy. at least i have a clearer indication of what i am buying. that "export model" hardly has any info that proves useful other than shigefusa's reputation.

Good point. So i guess we all have come up with a list of things to try to truly evaluate how skillful the chef behind the sushi counter really is. rather than 1 item to look out for.

And honestly u can tell if the Tamago is ordered in from the factory or not. Taste it often enough and u can tell a masterpiece from a factory line production.

A lot of sushi restaurants in Japan don't have chawan mushi. Or dessert. Or anything else except sushi/sashimi and some beverages. I just order the things I like--anago (bonus points if they grill it in front of you), hotate, uni, ikura, maybe amaebi. They're generally on the expensive side, but I find they're pretty good indicators of quality. My Japanese friends who are sushi connoisseurs always try the egg at a new sushi place. They say it reveals the skill of the sushi chef. I don't particularly like the egg, but I'll eat it if it's there. And if I like it, then I tend to hold the sushi chef in higher esteem. ← Yes it's true. Even in European Kitchens. You get hired based on how well you can execute egg dishes.

Well i must add that Chawan Mushi is equally important. It's amazingly simple but excruciatingly hard to perfect. any bubbles in the custard and it's a sign the chef cannot manage heat well.

http://hamono.ocnk.net/product/723 I've been looking around for alternative knives other than Shigefusa Hamono, and i came across this knife. It looks like it Damascus patterned. Is there anyone who can tell me more about this knife and it's maker? i cannot read Japanese. the online translator isn't doing a very good job of translating. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Would anyone have any recommendations with regards to a Chef's Knife? I am a professional Chef looking to invest in, what i regard, as the most important tool any chef can have.

Noted! i will resend the email however i don't have your email Hiroyuki! Would it be possible to just send your email to me via private messaging? Once again Thank you Very much!

You're a saint Hiroyuki. i can't thank you enough for taking the time to send the email!

Hi guys, i went to this site as Hiroyuki suggested but it's all in japanese and for the life of me can't understand a single word. i tried using an online translator but it's not doing a very good job of it. I.E. i can't order online. and i don't really know who's the knife maker. i tried getting Shigefusa Hamono's Damascus knives from Japanwoodworker but they are a website in the US and they seem to have run out of stock. i live in Singapore and i think it's quite stupid to have the knife shipped to the US and then to Singapore! Could anyone give me a heads up on what options i would have? short of making a trip there myself which is quite difficult too as i don't speak the language!