A Local Sushi Shop in Niigata

[Hiroyuki]

I just wanted to say that I never tire of your pictures! 

Surprisingly, last night I had my first taste of monkfish.  It's my new favorite!!

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Thanks for your compliment. Feel free to post photos of your monkfish!

[helenjp]

About bad kohada...I wonder if they prepare it with extra-strong commercial/industrial vinegar - sometimes it is dry and flaky instead of having a smooth raw fish texture plus a sharp vinegar taste. Japanese rice vinegar is not strongly acid, so it shouldn't alter the texture a lot.

I've been enjoying Hiroyuki's pictures and blog too - other people have said it too, but I also think that there are many reasons to avoid eating sushi in big cities - mostly, you get better prices and better quality in smaller towns.

[Hiroyuki]

My daughter and I had another incredible dinner at the sushi shop this evening.

I ordered two items that I had long wanted to order: Anago hone sembei (deep-fried conger eel bones) and kaisen sarada (seafood salad).

First I ordered the anago hone sembei:

315 yen

Nice and crispy.

My daughter wanted to have the Okosama (Child) Set:

840 yen

I asked the chef if he had anything special. He recommended ma-dara shirako ponzu (pacific cod sperm sac with ponzu).

I know it may look gross to you 'cause it does look gross to me. But it was surprisingly good and was not smelly at all. The chef told me that he took out the shirako (sperm sac) while it was still fresh. He added that the type of shirako you can get at a supermarket is often blanched.

Okamisan (chef's wife) brought me this:

Buri daikon (yellowtail simmered with daikon). I think she offered it to me instead of the usual miso soup.

I liked it though it was rather heavily seasoned with soy sauce.

We entered the sushi shop at five o'clock in the evening (reached there four minutes before five and spent some time outside), and the chef still hadn't updated the whiteboard with today's recommendations. So, I ordered some sashimi in an omakase style.

The chef offered me this incredible assortment:

Top from left to right: Sakura masu (cherry salmon), shime saba (horse mackerel pickled in vinegar), ma-dara (pacific cod)

Bottom from left to right: Chu-toro, o-toro, botan ebi (botan shrimp, Pandalus nipponensis), kohada (gizzard shad) with shiso inside

The chef stressed that sakura masu was really rare around this time of the year. It's usually available in spring.

I later asked how much he charged for this. 2,400 yen! Incredibly low price!

Closeup of the ma-dara and kohada:

I then ordered kaisen sarada:

630 yen

The amount and the variety of seafood were just incredible. I asked the chef how many types of seafood he put in this salad. He laughed and said he didn't know. I guess he knew the answer but avoided saying it explicitly because the amount and the variety vary depending on the availability of seafood in his shop on that day.

I finally ordered two pieces of hirame (left-eye flounder), kijihata (red-spotted grouper), and anago (conger eel) nigiri each.

Hirame: 300 yen each

Kijihata: 300 yen each

Anago: 250 yen each

The chef said that one of the hirame (right one) was (expensive) engawa (fin muscle) .

Closeup of the hirame nigiri

The engawa one is on the left in this photo.

[Shelby]

I wish I could snap my fingers and be there for dinner! I would bravely try the ma-dara shirako ponzu ---but someone might have to hold my hand LOL!

I love how beautiful the sashimi is with the gizzard shad.

[prasantrin]

My daughter and I had another incredible dinner at the sushi shop this evening.

I ordered two items that I had long wanted to order:  Anago hone sembei (deep-fried conger eel bones) and kaisen sarada (seafood salad).

First I ordered the anago hone sembei:

315 yen

Nice and crispy.

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I looooooooooooooove these! I'm so jealous that you had them! When my mother and I had tempura in Kyoto, I thought she would be served these since I was served them during my last visit. No such luck.

I wonder if the price you paid for your omakase was the regular price, or a special price for "regulars". You certainly should qualify for a "regulars" price! Too bad they don't have a point card. This topic is great for me, though, because I never know what to order when I go to sushi places. Now I can just browse through and write down the ones that interest me. It's very helpful that you give both the Japanese and the English for the different fish. Thanks!

[Hiroyuki]

Shelby: Shirako age (deep-fried sperm sac) should be less obnoxious. Shirako is also a popular ingredient of nabe.

Shirako age images

Shirako nabe images

I forgot to include the price of the shirako ponzu. I'm not sure but I think it was 600 yen (the whiteboard said so although it wasn't updated for this day).

Prasantrin: I think you can find unagi hone sembei like this easily in liquor shops, supermarkets, and department stores.

Price for regulars... Hm... Well, I think so. As I mentioned elsewhere, the food cost percentage is about 30% for normal restaurants and about 40 to 50% for traditional sushi shops. Given the quality of the sashimi, I would not have complained at all if he had charged me 3,000 or even 3,500 yen for it.

Edited to add: Engawa! I didn't ask for it or mention it. He kindly offered it.

Edited January 3, 2008 by Hiroyuki (log)

[Hiroyuki]

hiroyuki, sorry for the many questions..

how do you tell if the ikura is fresh?? isit frm its texture? so fresh ikura has firm and bursting texture?? how do you determine a very well prepared kohada and anago??

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I told the chef about your questions while he was preparing take-out sushi, stressing that they were not my questions.

Ikura: In his shop, he buys sujiko (salmon roe still in the sac) and turn it into ikura. Fresh sujiko is vivid orangish red and is firm in texture. Some shops use frozen ikura.

Kohada: Kohada are fishy, so you must get rid of the odor by sprinkling salt on them first. Then, you rinse with water and put them in vinegar so that the small bones can dissolve in it.

(So, I think you can imagine what badly prepared kohada will taste and feel like.)

Anago: (Like I mentioned upthread) Simmered for a short time -> tough, simmered for a long time -> Loses fat and flavor. You have to learn from experience when to stop the simmering.

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Notes on kan-buri: Kan-buri are still very expensive. I learned from a TV news program near the end of last year that they were about 4,000 yen per kilogram somewhere in the Sea of Japan (Fukui?). Thus, I have now almost given up having kan-buri this season. (The chef told me yesterday that he used only one 7.8-kg kan-buri near the end of last year.)

If I am lucky, I may be able to have it this reason. Otherwise, I will have to wait until next December. I know I can probably have it if I go to an expensive sushi shop in Yuzawa or elsewhere or to a cheap conveyor sushi restaurant nearby. The thing is, I simply don't want to eat it there.

[Malkavian]

I was just browsing back over this thread (and the fantastic pictures therein) and something came to mind that is going to reveal exactly how little I've experienced sushi (but I'm going to ask anyway )

How are ebi such as Hiroyuki posted on page 2 meant to be eaten? They appear more or less whole (shell on and all) so...does one disassemble them, or just crunch away? If the heads are edible when presented in a soup, does that imply you can get something tasty out (like sucking a crawfish head) or you eat the whole thing?

[Hiroyuki]

I was just browsing back over this thread (and the fantastic pictures therein) and something came to mind that is going to reveal exactly how little I've experienced sushi (but I'm going to ask anyway )

How are ebi such as Hiroyuki posted on page 2 meant to be eaten? They appear more or less whole (shell on and all) so...does one disassemble them, or just crunch away? If the heads are edible when presented in a soup, does that imply you can get something tasty out (like sucking a crawfish head) or you eat the whole thing?

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You mean the botan ebi in the omakase sashimi platter? It was shelled before being served, with the head on.

I just held it with both my hands and separated the flesh from the head. I dipped the flesh in soy sauce and ate it, leaving the tail. You can suck on the "miso" (what's inside the head), but I'm not very adventurous for a Japanese, so I sucked on it rather moderately.

For ebi fries and ebi tempura, I usually have the tail, too.

As you can see, shrimp heads are a good source of "dashi" for soup and shells are often deep-fried without coating (kara-age style) and served as an appetizer.

[Malkavian]

I think I made a mistake in seeing them whole in the one close up picture and didn't look too closely at how they were prepared in the sashimi platter or else i could have seen clearly that they were shelled..but thanks for answering anyway!

[Hiroyuki]

I think I made a mistake in seeing them whole in the one close up picture and didn't look too closely at how they were prepared in the sashimi platter or else i could have seen clearly that they were shelled..but thanks for answering anyway!

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OK, thanks. Now I must clarify:

The chef simply showed me these un-shelled ama ebi, without me asking, probably because he wanted to impress me with the freshness of these ebi. And, of course, I was impressed!

[Malkavian]

This past weekend I found that there is a food vendor in a nearby town that ships fresh shrimp and other seafood from the coast here (some 3 hours inland) to sell each saturday...now I'm very tempted to purchase a few either for sashimi or soup If I do I'll be sure to take photos!

Edited January 8, 2008 by Malkavian (log)

[Kake]

Note also that in most conveyor sushi restaurants in Japan, they serve artificial ikura.  It's very difficult to tell a real one from a fake one.  An easy way to tell a real one is to put it in hot water; a real one will turn white because of its high protein content, while a fake one will not.  It's not that a fake one is bad.  A fake one is as good as a real one, but in traditional sushi shops, they don't use a fake one.

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Do you know how fake ikura is made? I googled, but couldn't find anything helpful.

Kake

[Hiroyuki]

Note also that in most conveyor sushi restaurants in Japan, they serve artificial ikura.  It's very difficult to tell a real one from a fake one.  An easy way to tell a real one is to put it in hot water; a real one will turn white because of its high protein content, while a fake one will not.  It's not that a fake one is bad.  A fake one is as good as a real one, but in traditional sushi shops, they don't use a fake one.

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Do you know how fake ikura is made? I googled, but couldn't find anything helpful.

Kake

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Artificial ikura was first invented by Nippon Carbide Industries Co., Ltd. They accidentally succeeded in making something similar to ikura while attempting to put adhesive into microcapsules. I once watched a TV show explaining how artificial ikura was made, but unfortunately, the most important part of the technology was a trade secret. Artificial ikura has a three-layer structure just like real ikura, and is difficult to make at home.

Simpler, single-layered ikura is easy to make: Just put droplets of 3% sodium alginate solution in calcium chloride solution.

http://portal.nifty.com/koneta05/05/21/02/

Sorry, Japanese only. Probably you can tell how it is made by looking at the photos. All other webpages linked to below are also in Japanese only.

Tanaka Laboratory in the University of Niigata has this webpage, which explains how to make three-layered ikura:

http://capsule.eng.niigata-u.ac.jp/howto/ht_ikura/

Figure 1 shows the three-layer structure of artificial (and real) ikura:

http://capsule.eng.niigata-u.ac.jp/howto/h...ura/ikr_mdl.jpg

Small yellow circle: Salad oil

Contents of the red circle: Gel

Membrane: Gel made from sodium alginate

You will need salad oil, beta-carotene (to color the oil), sodium alginate, coloring agent (to color the sodium alginate), and calcium chloride.

Figure 3-a shows how artificial ikura is made, using two nozzles:

http://capsule.eng.niigata-u.ac.jp/howto/ht_ikura/apprts.jpg

Finally, Figure 6 at the bottom of the webpage shows how it is made using a single nozzle.

[Kake]

Do you know how fake ikura is made?  I googled, but couldn't find anything helpful.

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Artificial ikura was first invented by Nippon Carbide Industries Co., Ltd. They accidentally succeeded in making something similar to ikura while attempting to put adhesive into microcapsules. I once watched a TV show explaining how artificial ikura was made, but unfortunately, the most important part of the technology was a trade secret. Artificial ikura has a three-layer structure just like real ikura, and is difficult to make at home.

Simpler, single-layered ikura is easy to make: Just put droplets of 3% sodium alginate solution in calcium chloride solution.

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Thank you for the comprehensive answer!

I actually have these chemicals in my cupboard at the moment, but haven't experimented with them yet as I want to get some pH strips first. There's an entire eGullet thread about sodium alginate experiments here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=86839

Kake

[Hiroyuki]

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Notes on kan-buri:  Kan-buri are still very expensive.  I learned from a TV news program near the end of last year that they were about 4,000 yen per kilogram somewhere in the Sea of Japan (Fukui?).  Thus, I have now almost given up having kan-buri this season.  (The chef told me yesterday that he used only one 7.8-kg kan-buri near the end of last year.)

If I am lucky, I may be able to have it this reason.  Otherwise, I will have to wait until next December.  I know I can probably have it if I go to an expensive sushi shop in Yuzawa or elsewhere or to a cheap conveyor sushi restaurant nearby.  The thing is, I simply don't want to eat it there.

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I learned from the chef's wife's blog last Thursday that the sushi shop had purchased one 6-kg kan-buri. I thought I had to go there this weekend.

First, I ordered sashimi in an omakase style. I asked the chef to include kan-buri.

Top, from left to right: Kan-buri (adult yellowtail caught in the winter), mebachi maguro (bigeye tuna), mizu dako (Giant Pacific octopus, Octopus dofleini)

Bottom: Namban ebi aka ama ebi (sweet shrimp), takenoko mebaru aka tsuranago (rock fish, scorpion fish, Sebastes oblongus Günther), aji (Japanese jack mackerel, Japanese horse mackerel), awabi (abalone)

"Takenoko mebaru" is the formal name, while "tsuranago" is the local name used in Sado Island.

I was surprised at the texture of the takenoko mebaru. It was tough, and was more like that of octopus. On the other hand, raw mizu dako was tender. Kan-buri tasted like fatty tuna .

Close-up of mizu dako

I ordered "ma-dara to shirako no agedashi" (deep-fried Pacific cod and sperm sac in dashi soup):

600 yen. Very good!

My daughter ordered the Okosama Set, as usual:

840 yen

I thought my son wanted to have this, so I ordered one:

Sazae no tsuboyaki (turban shell cooked in the shell)

I forgot to write down the price (600 yen probably).

My son ordered "jo" zushi:

1,785 yen

This particular sushi shop offers four nigiri zushi selections: Nami, chu, jo, toku-jo (from the lowest to the highest). Other shops offer ume (Japanese plum), which is usually the lowest, take (bamboo), and matsu (pine).

The kan-buri in the omakase sashimi platter was far from enough for three of us, so I ordered kan-buri sashimi:

800 yen

Closeup of one slice:

You can see how fatty it was.

I thought for a very long time what sushi to order. I skipped today's sushi because most of the fish as neta (toppings) were the same as the ones I had already had as the omakase sashimi. I settled on "jo" zushi, the same one that my son ordered.

1,785 yen

You can see some differences from my son's.

Closeups:

My son got this for free from the gentleman sitting at the counter .

Two types of tamago (egg). One is plain and the other had nori (laver) and kani (crab meat) in it.

I finally ordered yakitori:

525 yen

It was very good, especially when you get tired of eating fish. Note that not all traditional sushi shops offer yakitori.

The bill came to 9,555 yen.

I thought that the kan-buri alone was worth the trip. (For those of you who don't know, I live in Snow Country, and it's been snowing for a few days in a row, and driving at night is extremely dangerous.)

Made some corrections.

Edited January 27, 2008 by Hiroyuki (log)

[heidih]

Hiroyuki- What is the clear shredded item on some of the plates?

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

Hiroyuki- What is the clear shredded item on some of the plates?

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Looks like shredded daikon to me.

[Hiroyuki]

Hiroyuki- What is the clear shredded item on some of the plates?

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Looks like shredded daikon to me.

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Yes, it's shredded daikon, "daikon no katsura muki" in Japanese. Note that it's real "katsura muki", which is time-consuming to make and requires special cutting skills, not a fake one that can be made very easily using a special tool (mandoline?) and can be seen in many other traditional sushi shops. In addition, many traditional sushi shops purchase tamago aka gyoku (thick omelet) from a market. In this particular shop, however, they make it themselves, either by the chef or his wife. The two types shown upthread were made by the chef. I like their tamago because it's less sweet than commmercially available ones.

I found some description of katsura muki in English here.

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Summary

Features of this particular traditional sushi shop include:

1. Located in the mountains, according to their website (actually at a five-minute walk from Urasa station on Joetsu Shinkansen), but very enthusiastic about offering fresh fish and seafood, particularly those from Sado Island, at affordable prices.

2. Uses Koshihikari rice produced in the Uonuma district (one of the best rices in Japan).

3. Offers yakitori, chicken kara age, and other dishes not found in many other traditional sushi shops. Note that some traditional sushi shops offer sushi only.

4. Family-run, children-friendly. Casual atmosphere.

[heidih]

Hiroyuki- What is the clear shredded item on some of the plates?

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Looks like shredded daikon to me.

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Yes, it's shredded daikon, "daikon no katsura muki" in Japanese. Note that it's real "katsura muki", which is time-consuming to make and requires special cutting skills, not a fake one that can be made very easily using a special tool (mandoline?) and can be seen in many other traditional sushi shops.

I found some description of katsura muki in English here.

Thank you. I thought it was daikon, but it looked so clear and crisp, so I thought it might have been a kelp noodle.

[JWangSDC]

This thread was absolutely FANTASTIC and extremely enlightening. I'm from NY and the top top top sushi places seem to match up with around this quality.

[Hiroyuki]

This thread was absolutely FANTASTIC and extremely enlightening. I'm from NY and the top top top sushi places seem to match up with around this quality.

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Thanks for your compliment. I hope I can post more about this sushi shop when spring comes, and I think there is at least one sushi shop like this one in every town in Japan.

[Hiroyuki]

On my way to the hospital today, I dropped in at the sushi shop to have lunch. I ordered the nigiri set.

I had decided to refrain from taking photos today, but the sight of hotaru ika (firefry squids) changed my mind.

Closeup:

According to the chef's wife's blog, she removes the back bone, beak (?), and eyeballs from each and every one of these tiny squids, using a bone puller. This is time-consuming, but gives a better texture. She says that hotaru ika herald the coming of spring.

Note that hotaru ika cannot be eaten raw (because they may have parasites in them) and are usually boiled.

I also had these:

Left to right: Madai (red seabream), mebaru (rockfish), kohada (gizzard shad)

I printed out this whole thread (more than 140 pages long when printed), wrote some comments in Japanese so the chef and his wife could understand, and gave the printout to the chef, which resulted in this complimentary nigiri from the chef:

Tara no shirako (cod sperm sac) with momiji oroshi, shredded green onion, and ponzu

Momiji oroshi refers to 1) Grated daikon and carrot

2) Grated daikon and red pepper.

Momiji oroshi in the photo is the latter.

Properly prepared, fresh shirako, such as the one shown here, is creamy and not fishy or smelly at all.

[_john]

when you have sushi what do you drink?

It is refreshing to see the more traditional sushi. I went to a kaiten sushi restaurant recently and they had hamburg steak gunkan maki . I also finally had kanburi this season. I had been waiting like you for my local place to get it but the prices were so high this year.

[Hiroyuki]

when you have sushi what do you drink?

It is refreshing to see the more traditional sushi. I went to a kaiten sushi restaurant recently and they had hamburg steak gunkan maki  . I also finally had kanburi this season. I had been waiting like you for my local place to get it but the prices were so high this year.

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Good question! I wish I could! Unfortunately, the answer is no, because I have to go there by car, and I feel so stupid having those wonderful platters of sashimi without having a single sip of sake.

I have already made a plan: Going to that sushi shop by train, which may sound very easy to you city dwellers but is actually not so easy in a rural area like mine.

I have to take a 17:26 train at Shiozawa Station, which reaches Urasa Station at 17:42, and take a 20:18 train at Urasa Station, which reaches Shiozawa Station at 20:33. Pity me, city dwellers!

Edited to add: Silly me. I forgot to answer your question. I like to have sake, I mean, nihon shu, with sushi. The chef and his wife say they like imo jochu.

Edited March 8, 2008 by Hiroyuki (log)