Jewel Bako

[Charles Smith]

Cabrales-

I don't have the info on either place I had it, although I could find the place in HK if I had to ;-)

As for the dish, a live lobster is pulled from the tack, the tail is cut off, the flesh removed and "run" through ice water, which firms it up a bit I guess, and then served back in the shell, on a platter with the rest of the lobster, which is still moving a bit. It's hard to forget, and it's a unique, delcious taste.

Hope that helps,

Charles

[cabrales]

Charles -- Thanks for your input. On Vancouver, here are a couple of Chinese seafood restaurants: Kirin, Sun Sui Wah, Forum and Imperial. Do any of these sound familiar? Also, do you remember if the restaurant was in Richmond (close to the airport), downtown (across the bridges), on Main St., or in the "old" Chinatown? I wonder if Fook Lam Moon could prepare this dish for me when I am next in Hong Kong.

[Charles Smith]

Cabrales-

I should have been clearer- each time I had it was in a sushi bar.

don't know about a chinese presentation

Cheers,

Charles

[bpearis]

Went there on a whim tonight -- figured first seating, holiday weekend, no problem (eaten there back in February, but was in the mood). I was right. Sat at the sushi bar alone for 15 minutes or so until in walked Masuharu Morimoto and, I'm assuming, his wife. Dressed way down, khaki shorts, white undershirt with a sweater-vest, baseball cap. Kind of a thrill.

The food was accross the board great. Got the $75 omakase, started with a salad containing, I think, amberjack and this delicious vinegar jelly. Really, really nice.

Second course was the toro tartare with avacodo, as owner Jack Lamb called it, Daniel Boulud's finest caviar (maybe he said David Bouley, I'm not sure). This is extremely decadent and I've gone back and forth on whether I like this toro tartare or the one at Nobu better. Jury's still out, both are great, this was superb.

Third appetizer was broiled whole scallops with a plum sauce and roasted Japanese eggplant. This too was out-of-this-world. I'm not an easy critic, but sometimes you're just in the right place at the right time. I don't know, but it was totally tasty.

Sushi was pretty awesome, my favorites being this seared and marinated tuna; scallop with sea salt and grated tiny Japanese limes; and a fish I'd never heard of before -- grunt.

Desert started with a lichi fruit sorbet amuse that tasted to me just like Japanese KissMint gum. Which isn't a bad thing, just suprising. The real desert were these little cubes of varying flavor -- chocolate, green tea, sesame, etc. Wasn't much, but very elegant and just right actually -- I was very full.

The service was exceptional, just this side of fawning. Jack Lamb would come up and tell me about how the chef spent five hours pulling out pin bones from the fresh water eel, etc., but it was never gratuitous or uninteresting. He seems to treat everyone the same (Morimonto san excepted) for the most part. Can't wait to go back.

[levyme]

I heard second-hand that one of the sushi chefs at Jewel Bako used to work at Bond Street.  Is there further input on Jewel Bako?  

tatsuya nagata who was the head chef at jewel bako at the opening left in january. kazuo yoshida is the head chef now and trys to focus on seasonal and freshness without using a lot of the heavy fusion which sometimes goes on at bond st

[levyme]

If you want an amazing live experience look for a place that does live lobster- nothing like it- I've not seen it in NYC, only in Hong Kong and Vancouver.

Charles -- When you have a chance, could you describe the "live" lobster experience? Also, if you recollect, what specific restaurants are they available at in either city (Chinese pronounciations translated informally would be fine too)?

bond st usually does live main lobster as sushi or sashimi for $18

the meat is removed from the tail while the lobster is still alive and is sliced thinly. the brains or "miso" are then chopped up and mixed with wasabi and soy and then used to marinate the meat very quickly for 1 or 2 minutes and then served. it has a crunchy unbelievably fresh texture and taste i find it hard to eat cooked lobster after this

[cabrales]

levyme -- Thanks for the update. When you have a chance, could you discuss whether you derived any pleasure from your awareness that the lobster was so recently alive, or whether you focused essentially on the taste of the item?

[levyme]

when i first started eating i was obsessed with making sure that everything that i ate was dead-that burnt charcoal flavour sent me to heaven and the reddness of blood terrified me, but now yes sometimes the feeling that something that i am eating is still alive does make me feel good. i love the feeling that it is the simplest way to eat something in which you can get the most flavour possible

[Liza]

Jonathan Gold reviews Jewel Bako in the August "Gourmet" magazine. Pg. 48.

[southern girl]

I had a positively incredible evening at Jewel Bako on Thurs. night. I dined alone at the sushi bar (although certainly never felt lonely thanks to the attentions of the Lambs). I decided to do the omakase and also put myself in their hands for a diverse selection of sakes.

The evening began with a half cup of nigori sake to accompany the amuse bouche which was nombomsuki lightly poached in rice vinegaraccompanied by shiso leaf. A single tart bite that the nigori complemented perfectly.

Next: Santa Barbara uni still in the shell. Served on a bowl of ice with a demitasse spoon for scooping out the delectable flesh. Also a side of soy sauce...which I passed on.

Appetizers: Accompanied by Devil's Tongue sake. Toro tartare with avocado minus the accompanying osetra caviar (since I am alllergic).

Lightly steamed tile fish with sliced apple salad, mitsubu mushrooms and a light sesame dressing.

Chilled Japanese Seafood custard.

Sashimi: Scottish salmon, copper river salmon, japanese grunt fish, Santa Barbara sweet shrimp, chu toro, o toro,japanese red snapper, tilefish, suzuki bass, japanese black bass with vinegar jelly and three types of yellowtail...hamachi amber jack and kampachi.

All were pristine...I especially enjoyed the rich flavor of the copper river salmon and both toros.

Next I was presented with a clear clam broth covering one large clam. The broth was a more delicate version of clam juice...but almost perfectly clear...yet still packing an incredible clam "punch".

Sushi: Accompanied by Dancing with the Gods sake (kanomoni I think).

Marinated bonita, japanese white bass marinated with shiso and plum paste, triggerfish between pieces of seaweed with grated yuzu, Japanese mackeral with chopped scallion, fresh ginger and sesame seeds, pink shell scallop with Okinawa sea salt and freshly grated yuzu.

Anago, seared o toro and 3 ages of sardine.

Palate cleanser of lychee coconut sorbet.

Dessert Sake:Plum Sake Ginkobai...it takes 15 plums to make each bottle...a lovely delicate flavor, a Japanese sauterne almost...served to me in Grace's Father sake cup. A lovely gold "cage" in which rested a beuatiful hand tooled silver sake cup and saucer.

Dessert: Japanese White Peach, a scoop of melon whose name I can't recall and shiratoma dumpling with izukibean.

Minature peanut cookie, buckwheat cookie and sugar candy.

And as a coup de gras...a "surf clam" lollipop (and it did look like a surf clam)

! As Jack said when he handed me the candy "Ducasse has nothing on us".

The only downside had nothing to do with the restaurant. It was passing the "working women" and seeing a rather heated argument over a drug deal as I walked to the corner for a cab. Not a comfortable feeling for a woman alone relatively late at night. Although I am sure had I asked, someone would have walked with me.

I am definitely looking forward to a return visit next time I'm in the City!

[bpearis]

I went to Jewel Bako for the first time last night and must say I had a very impressive meal ordering the $100 omakase at the sushi bar.  

Mao,

I was there last night too, at the sushi bar with my girlfriend (we had the corner seats). They were understaffed, apparently, but we didn't really notice. We had an amazing meal (I think we were given an extra appetizer -- we got five plus sushi for the $70 omakase). The most memorable dishes for me were the eel salad with vinegar jelly, my girlfriend's toro salad, the toro tartare and a delicious ceviche. That and this piece of sushi made from chopped jack mackerel, ginger and something else. "My favorite sushi," said chef Kazu, and I'd have to concur.

We were there for nearly four hours and never felt neglected or rushed. This is probably because we sat at the sushi bar, but service was first class as always (this was my third time there).

[bpearis]

Mao -- You and Soba both had the $100 omakase. Are there other levels of omakase, or is the alternative to the $100 omakase a la carte? For example, if one wants to eat less, is there a lower priced omakase?

Last night it was $50, $75 and $100.

$50 is just sushi, and the main difference I could tell between the other two is with $100 you get a gorgeous sashimi plate. If you sit at the bar, I'm sure you could work something out with the chef, he's very affable in a sushi chef kind of way. But don't quote me on that.

[Akiko]

Sorry! ignore my message, I wasn't reading the thread carefuly enough and skipped one of the posts!

So sorry, so sorry, so sorry!

[bpearis]

bpearis,

what did you get in your meal last night?  My husband and I will be going back tomorrow evening, we haven't been there since two months ago.

We had five appetizers, and, more often than not, my girlfriend and I were given different things each time -- except for the toro tartare. there were also the seared toro salad with some sort of spicy yuzu dressing, a live octopus salad with a spicy dressing of some sort, black bass ceviche, eel with vinegar jelly... i shoulda took notes. desert was lichee sorbet and then fresh fruit with mochi (sp?) which was very refreshing on a hot night like last night. Sushi was exceptional. I am truly smitten with this little place.

[cabrales]

a live octopus salad with a spicy dressing

bpearis -- Could you elaborate on the "live" octupus?

[Jinmyo]

a live octopus salad with a spicy dressing

bpearis -- Could you elaborate on the "live" octupus?

Cough. Cough.

[cabrales]

Cough. Cough.

Jinmyo -- I may pursue the "fried alive" mini crabs at an applicable Sushi Samba this weekend.

[bpearis]

a live octopus salad with a spicy dressing

bpearis -- Could you elaborate on the "live" octupus?

"live octopus," as it was called, i think means it is raw as opposed to the octopus you normally get at sushi restaurants. It was not alive when I was eating it (i don't think) but it hadn't been dead for long. A lot like the fresh, raw squid you get at good sushi places. the dressing was some sort of chili paste and vinegar with micro greens and daikon.

-bill

[Mao]

My one decadent meal this weekend was at Jewel Bako, and I will confess its becoming one of my favorite places to eat in the city. The sushi is stupendous. I had one piece of parrot fish that was outstanding, and unlike Saka Gura, where you really have to ask for the freshest stuff, almost all the sake they have there is rather fresh. The otoro with caviar and avacado is also becoming one of my favorite new dishes. Yum.

[Beachfan]

Santa Barbara sweet shrimp

Did they serve the deep fried head with it?

[Mao]

Yes, eating it required a lot of chewing, and I mean a lot.

[tommy]

Jinmyo --   I may pursue the "fried alive" mini crabs at an applicable Sushi Samba this weekend.

i've been trying ta tell ya, don't get too pumped up about these things.

[Beachfan]

Yes, eating it required a lot of chewing, and I mean a lot.

I wonder if that's a sign of something. Mine have been very crunchy, but no problem.

[cabrales]

Jinmyo --  I may pursue the "fried alive" mini crabs at an applicable Sushi Samba this weekend.

i've been trying ta tell ya, don't get too pumped up about these things.

tommy -- I know. The greater the level of my expectations, the greater the potential disappointment.

[tommy]

tommy -- I know. The greater the level of my expectations, the greater the potential disappointment. 

not to metion they're nothing special to begin with. but i hope you enjoy them.