A Local Sushi Shop in Niigata

[Hiroyuki]

Mussels are not native to Japan, and are still associated with French cuisine. I did some google search but failed to find any information that sushi chefs use them.

ETA: I hope I can make another trip there this weekend and by the end of the month at the latest.

Milt, sperm sac: Maybe we should stick to the Japanese term shirako (lit. white children)?

As I mentioned way upthread, do you know what part of uni we eat? Gonad. Does the word sound appetizing?

Corrected some errors.

Edited June 11, 2008 by Hiroyuki (log)

[Shelby]

Mussels are not native to Japan, and are still associated with French cuisine.  I did some google search but found any information that sushi chefs use them.

ETA:  I hope I can make another trip there this weekend and by the end of the month at the latest.

Milt, sperm sac:  Maybe we should stick to the Japanese term shirako (lit. white children)?

As I mentioned way upthread, do you know what part of uni we eat?  Gonad.  Does the word sound appetizing?

←

It sounds better to me when you use the Japanese word

[OnigiriFB]

Yup... let's all stick to the Japanese PLEASE!!!!!!! *begs*

[Hiroyuki]

Maguro is in season! That's why I had long wanted to take another trip to shis sushi shop.

Fresh maguro sashimi

1,500 yen. Bargain price only possible around this time of the year.

Chu-toro:

O-toro:

Akami:

White board:

for those of you who can read Japanese.

Sazae no tsubo yaki (turban shell cooked in its own shell):

My son ordered it. He never leaves this sushi shop without ordering one.

Okosama Sushi Set for my daughter, as usual:

840 yen

My son ordered toku jo:

2,415 yen.

The most expensive nigiri set that this shop offers.

I did something I would never think of doing in a high-end sushi shop in Tokyo or elsewhere: I asked the chef to make twenty pieces of nigiri in the omakase style. That would mean spending at least 20,000 yen in a high-end sushi shop.

WHAT CARELESS MISTAKES I MADE!! I forgot to take photos of some of the nigiri!

Ika (squid), tako (octopus):

Hirame, engawa, tai:

Tsubu gai, awabi, tori gai:

Ama ebi, akami, kohada, mushi ebi (boiled shrimp), aji, shime saba (mackerel pickled in vinegar)

Sorry, no photo.

Uni, ikura:

O-toro, chu-toro:

Anago, tamago

Sorry, no photo.

The bill came to 11,235 yen, which includes everything I described above, plus one cup of black sesame seed ice cream for my son.

If my calculation is correct, the twenty pieces of sushi cost me about 6,380 yen. I will definitely come back to order the same way in the near future!

[Shelby]

OMG! As I said in another thread, it is an ultimate dream of mine to be able to eat like you do.

[Peter Green]

Hooray! A shot of the sazae, with a cheerful egg in place!

I'm getting very hungry again!

(edited to add the picture)

Edited June 13, 2008 by Peter Green (log)

[Domestic Goddess]

I hope this is not out of the topic but the local street market here sells a lot of those turban shell (sazae) things. Is there any recipe that one can share with regards how to fix them? I can get the shells and the quail eggs and I'd love to try to fix them. Of course, I'm dying to see how it taste too.

[OnigiriFB]

*cry, begs for mercy* I want, i want, i want, i want!!! If I ever make it to Japan I'm coming to your town and eating with you!

[Hiroyuki]

I hope this is not out of the topic but the local street market here sells a lot of those turban shell (sazae) things. Is there any recipe that one can share with regards how to fix them? I can get the shells and the quail eggs and I'd love to try to fix them. Of course, I'm dying to see how it taste too.

←

Just take out the flesh, remove the "sunabukuro" (lit. sand bag) and cut it into small pieces, put them back in the shell, add some soy sauce and sake, and grill. Or simply grill the sazae, without taking out the flesh first.

The flesh has a distinctive firm texture.

[Domestic Goddess]

Hiroyuki - you're the best! I will try this soon and right now it's the street market day. Hope to find these shells and have a go at it. Can't wait for the next pics of your next meal at your favorite sushi shop.

[Hiroyuki]

I went to the sushi shop for lunch today. I had a nigiri set.

The main reason why I had to go there today was that I absolutely had to have this special fish.

This is not sakura masu (cherry salmon). In fact, you have never had it before because it has recently been developed here in Niigata. It's a cross between ame masu (white-spotted char) (male) and niji masu (rainbow trout) (female), and it's named Uonuma Miyuki Masu.

You can see some photos of the fish here.

The flesh is firmer than that of sakura masu, says the chef. The fish is going to be a great specialty of the Uonuma region of Niigata prefecture. I can't wait to have more of it!

Edited to add a photo:

Uonuma Miyuki Masu, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the display case.

Uonuma is the name of the snowy district here in Niigata, Miyuki is Beautiful Snow, and Masu is trout.

Edited September 3, 2008 by Hiroyuki (log)

[Hiroyuki]

Here is a link to the entry about this fish in the sushi shop's Okamisan's blog.

[Snorlax]

Thanks for you wonderful pictures and background Hiroyuki. After reading this thread and drooling over the pictures you've inspired me to try out the various Japanese restaurants here (Brisbane, Australia) and compare the local sushi with what I've seen in your pictures.

I tried one of the more upmarket expensive traditional places here for lunch yesterday (sorry for the lack of pictures, I'll bring a camera in future : ). It doesn't seem to measure up to your local sushi shop. I had a 24 piece sashimi platter which I tried as a way to sample a variety of fish. Unfortunately it only had salmon (6), tuna (3), and maybe two types of white fish (15!), no squid or anything else a little more interesting . I say maybe two types of white fish because they all had the same markings (red and white) and tasted very similar. A few of the thinner slices were hard to separate, is that usual or is it just bad presentation?

I then ordered some nigiri sushi and what I got was good (Hapuka/New Zealand groper and Hotate/scallop). The overall experience was disappointing though because half the items that I wanted to order from the menu weren't available (Chutoro/tuna belly, Botan prawns, and even plain oysters). Makes me wish they'd use a 'seasonal' tag or even a nice board with what's available like in your photos. The beer (Yebisu) was good though

Have you gone back to your local sushi shop since your last post?

[Hiroyuki]

Thanks for you wonderful pictures and background Hiroyuki. After reading this thread and drooling over the pictures you've inspired me to try out the various Japanese restaurants here (Brisbane, Australia) and compare the local sushi with what I've seen in your pictures.

I tried one of the more upmarket expensive traditional places here for lunch yesterday (sorry for the lack of pictures, I'll bring a camera in future : ). It doesn't seem to measure up to your local sushi shop. I had a 24 piece sashimi platter which I tried as a way to sample a variety of fish. Unfortunately it only had salmon (6), tuna (3), and maybe two types of white fish (15!), no squid or anything else a little more interesting . I say maybe two types of white fish because they all had the same markings (red and white) and tasted very similar. A few of the thinner slices were hard to separate, is that usual or is it just bad presentation?

I then ordered some nigiri sushi and what I got was good (Hapuka/New Zealand groper and Hotate/scallop). The overall experience was disappointing though because half the items that I wanted to order from the menu weren't available (Chutoro/tuna belly, Botan prawns, and even plain oysters). Makes me wish they'd use a 'seasonal' tag or even a nice board with what's available like in your photos. The beer (Yebisu) was good though

Have you gone back to your local sushi shop since your last post?

Snorlax: Thank you!

Unfortunately, no. I wish I could go there again. For one thing, my wife is not a huge fan of nigiri. For another, going to a traditional sushi shop means that you have to spend a considerable amount of money (and I'm not the richest man in the world ).

There are a lot of things that I have learned from the sushi chef. There have been two major changes in my life since I visited the sushi shop: 1) Now I like white-fleshed fish and often buy them (although I still like maguro the most) and 2) I often make nigiri at home, as I made nigiri as I described here.

Now that the winter is approaching, I hope to visit the sushi shop again and report on my dinner here!

Hard to separate? I'm not sure but I think that indicates the poor knife skill of the sushi chef...

[Snorlax]

Snorlax: Thank you!

Unfortunately, no. I wish I could go there again. For one thing, my wife is not a huge fan of nigiri. For another, going to a traditional sushi shop means that you have to spend a considerable amount of money (and I'm not the richest man in the world ).

Sorry to hear that, although I'm glad to hear that your wife is well enough to influence your dining habits : ) I'm with you on the expense, I'm also only going to be able to afford my passion occasionally .

There are a lot of things that I have learned from the sushi chef. There have been two major changes in my life since I visited the sushi shop: 1) Now I like white-fleshed fish and often buy them (although I still like maguro the most) and 2) I often make nigiri at home, as I made nigiri as I described here.

This is really encouraging. Your home-made nigiri looks sensational. I'm also keen to adopt what I learn from eating out and use it at home. Do you have any tips on what to pay attention to (or ask the chef about) that will make trying things at home easier?

Now that the winter is approaching, I hope to visit the sushi shop again and report on my dinner here!

Awesome, I'm looking forward to reading about your visit and seeing more beautiful pictures.

Hard to separate? I'm not sure but I think that indicates the poor knife skill of the sushi chef...

That's a shame. It's the first time I've experienced that. Even the slightly sticky squid sashimi usually breaks apart really easily. Not to worry, there's plenty of other places to try

[Hiroyuki]

There are a lot of things that I have learned from the sushi chef. There have been two major changes in my life since I visited the sushi shop: 1) Now I like white-fleshed fish and often buy them (although I still like maguro the most) and 2) I often make nigiri at home, as I made nigiri as I described here.

This is really encouraging. Your home-made nigiri looks sensational. I'm also keen to adopt what I learn from eating out and use it at home. Do you have any tips on what to pay attention to (or ask the chef about) that will make trying things at home easier?

[Hiroyuki]

Any bugs in the new software??

The post above is in response to this question:

This is really encouraging. Your home-made nigiri looks sensational. I'm also keen to adopt what I learn from eating out and use it at home. Do you have any tips on what to pay attention to (or ask the chef about) that will make trying things at home easier?

[Snorlax]

I visited another restaurant with a friend tonight. This place was not as fancy but the food was much better. They were fully booked but generously went out of their way to fit us in. Unfortunately this meant we couldn't sit at the sushi bar

I had the two sashimi specials

Alfonsino 5 pieces ($AU 26 - $AU 1 is approximately 80 Yen)

Big eye tuna 5 pieces ($AU 24)

Sashimi moriawase

First row from left top: squid with small fish roe bottom: salmon. Second row: top: two different kinds of white fish (not sure which, the second from the top was very flavourful) bottom: more salmon. Third row: Scallops with large fish roe, bottom: tuna. Fourth row: Octopus. ($AU 35)

And a couple of pieces of sushi

Left: Eel ($AU 7.9). Right: Scallop ($AU 6.9)

Nicely complemented with a beer

My friend had

Moreton bay bug (salt and pepper) and a salad with salmon ($AU 34.5)

and a side order

Duck ($AU 13) not a huge serve but apparently very tasty.

On my way home I found a boutique beer shop that had some unusual Japanese beers

Sapporo (left) is fairly common here. The middle 2 are boutique beers from a Japanese microbrewery in Nagoya (Kin Shachi beer). The red labeled one is made with a red miso paste, that's going to be an interesting flavour! The last beer is a Super Premium Reijou Beer from Echigo Beer.

[Hiroyuki]

That was a great dinner! And, thank you very much for providing a nice contrast to this thread. (Maybe this requires a whole new thread, titled something like, "Show us your local sushi!" .)

I'm not familiar with Alfonsino or Moreton bay bug! I googled and found that kinme dai is one type of Alfonsino. Kinme dai is often simmered in broth in Japan, and I have never had it as a topping for nigiri! "Moreton bay bug" doesn't sound appetizing at all, but another name, "bay lobster", does sound really appetizing!!

I wonder if the roe you referred to as "small fish roe" is flying fish roe (tobiko or tobikko in Japanese) and the "large fish roe" is actually salmon roe (ikura in Japanese).

I was interested in the presentation of sashimi. Apparently, the restaurant doesn't use aojiso (green perilla) as a garnish for sashimi.

Finally, I was amused to see the beer from Echigo Beer, one of the oldest beer brewery here in Niigata. (Echigo is the former name of Niigata.) I will look for that brand and taste it!

[Hayley Casarotto]

I can't speak for all of Australia (I see that Snorlax is from Brissie) but I have never, ever seen shiso available in Perth. I have searched every garden centre we have here to find seed so I can grow it myself, but to no avail I really miss its flavour in a number of Japanese dishes.

[Snorlax]

(Maybe this requires a whole new thread, titled something like, "Show us your local sushi!" .)

That's a great idea. I'll probably start that thread after my next Japanese meal. It'll be very interesting to see the differences in style and ingredients across the world.

Kinme dai is often simmered in broth in Japan, and I have never had it as a topping for nigiri!

Interesting. I hope to have it again as nigiri, it was delicious.

"Moreton bay bug" doesn't sound appetizing at all, but another name, "bay lobster", does sound really appetizing!!

It is a bit of an odd name. Brisbane lies right on Moreton Bay and I guess we're proud of our local produce, even if it doesn't sound very appetising. They're very good on a BBQ though, nice firm flesh.

I wonder if the roe you referred to as "small fish roe" is flying fish roe (tobiko or tobikko in Japanese) and the "large fish roe" is actually salmon roe (ikura in Japanese).

That's quite likely, I'm not that familiar with fish roe. The large roe was quite salty and not really my thing.

I was interested in the presentation of sashimi. Apparently, the restaurant doesn't use aojiso (green perilla) as a garnish for sashimi.

I can't speak for all of Australia (I see that Snorlax is from Brissie) but I have never, ever seen shiso available in Perth.

I don't think I've ever seen it used here either.

I have searched every garden centre we have here to find seed so I can grow it myself, but to no avail I really miss its flavour in a number of Japanese dishes.

You could try ordering it online. A quick google brought up two online suppliers: Cornucopia seeds and plants in Victoria who have Perilla green seeds, and Diggers also in Victoria who have Perilla red seeds.

Finally, I was amused to see the beer from Echigo Beer, one of the oldest beer brewery here in Niigata. (Echigo is the former name of Niigata.) I will look for that brand and taste it!

That's cool : ) Thanks for the background, I couldn't find much english information on this beer. It's very nice, light and refreshing.

[Hayley Casarotto]

I have searched every garden centre we have here to find seed so I can grow it myself, but to no avail I really miss its flavour in a number of Japanese dishes.

You could try ordering it online. A quick google brought up two online suppliers: Cornucopia seeds and plants in Victoria who have Perilla green seeds, and Diggers also in Victoria who have Perilla red seeds.

Thanks, I'll give that a try! Though I think that WA might have some additional quarantine laws I'll have to get by. I love Australia, but quarantine is such a drag. I always want to bring back food from overseas but can't. I spent a good hour in a food souvenir shop in Fukuoka airport last week just staring sadly at things