Sushi Ko Morsels

The Japan Blog List

Please check Shizuoka Gourmet Blog for all the gastronomy in Shizuoka Prefecture!

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Visited (pilgrimage?) Sushi Ko Restaurant In Shizuoka City again with the Missus last night.
We happened to a few morsels only available in season.
I wonder if Chuckeats had ever the occasion to sample such delicacies in the same manner. I hope he will find inspiration for his next visit at a sushi Restaurant in New York!

We could not resist the “Sayori/halfbeak” (look at the “mouth”, and you will understand its name!) as it is at its best right now. Sprinkle a little lemon juice and wasabi on it before dipping it (just a little, please) in soy sauce.

The fish was cut whole for the two of us. Notice how the dressed fish was used as support for the sashimi. The skin was lter offered grilled around a short wooden brochette.

We were fortunate enough to find “botan ebi/large sweet prawns fresh with their eggs. two provided enough eggs for a single “botan ebi ko gunkan”.

Not an easy treat to find, as it must absolutely fresh. The eggs were sweet with not any disagreeable “fishy” background. By the way, this is the only sushi featuring the colour “blue” that comes to my mind!

As any botan ebi served fesh, the heads were served deep-fried later. Crunchy and delicious. Fine, I admit they would have come with all kinds of “decorations” in New York, but you would certainly not get them at the same reasonable price!

Of course we did have quite a few morsels I have described in other postings, but the last is wirth mentioning:
“Gyuu Aburi Menegi Nigiri”/slightly grilled prime beef topped with leek sprouts. That one is for the carnivores. LOL.

Sushi Ko
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae Cho, 2-3-1 (Aoba Koen)
Tel.: 054-2512898
Business hours: 17:00~25:00. 17:00~23:00 on Sundays
Closed on Wednesdays
Reservations advised
Credit Cards OK

Homepage (Japanese)

Sashimi Set at Tomii

The Japan Blog List

Please check Shizuoka Gourmet Blog for all the gastronomy in Shizuoka Prefecture!

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Was in a bit of a hurry today during my “dinner break”, but was still hungry enough to visit Tomii in Shizuoka City. Chuckeats and Very Good Food are going to wonder what such dinners consist of! LOL.
Tomii, my favourite Japanese cuisine restaurant in this Prefecture, never disappoints you, your being a gastronome or an artist. The only problem is that pictures are no easy task with a mobile phone!
Here is what I was served when I asked for “Sashimi Moriawase/Sashimi Set”:
From left to right:
Aka Ika/Red Squid, Hirame/Sole, Akami/Lean Maguro, Madai/”True” Seabream.
It was served with soy sauce for the fish and miso for the vegetables, which included Take No Ko/Bamboo Shoots from Oshika, Shizuoka City.

TOMII
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa-cho, 1-2-7, Tomii Bldg, 1F
Tel.: 054-274-0666
Business hours: 17:00~22:00
Closed on Sundays

Ankimo: Presentations

The Japan Blog List

Please check Shizuoka Gourmet Blog for all the gastronomy in Shizuoka Prefecture!

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I have already introduced the recipe for preparing Ankimo/Frogfish Liver (Japanese Foie Gras) in a precedent article.

Although there are very few variations possible from the basic recipe, Lindsay at DeLuscious Life will be glad to hear that there exist many ways indeed to present that celebrated Japanese culinary experience:

It could be the very traditional and simple manner of just serving it inside a lacquer bowl:

(Fuji Sushi, Shizuoka City)
Another very traditional way is to present it cut in round slices with ponzu, chopped thin leeks and “momiji oroshi/grated daikon with chili pepper”:

(Sushi tetsu, Shizuoka City)
As it is easy to shape, you could emulate Sushi Ko’s, Shizuoka City, creation:

Now, there is a slightly more complicated, if not tradtional fashion to prepare ankimo.
Suehiro Hamanako No Aji in Hamamatsu City cooks the ankimo again (after steaming it) in soy sauce, mirin and sake, and probaly one more secret ingredient, obtaining a great morsel reminiscent of real terrine or pate:

to be served as follows:

two diiferent tastes and aspects!

Ankimo is rapidly acquiring great popularity abroad, especially in the States where it is served in a traditional but definitely imposing way:

(Courtesy of Chuckeats.com)
or as a totally new gastronomic adventure such as “Ankimo with Plum sauce and Truffles”!

(Courtesy of Chuckeats.com)

Let’s seee if we can discover more!

Sashimi set at Bu-Ichi (2)

The Japan Blog List

Please check Shizuoka Gourmet Blog for all the gastronomy in Shizuoka Prefecture!

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Last night, the missus and I took advantage of the National Holiday to visit our old favourite, Bu-Ichi.
Bu-Ichi is one of the very best when it comes to sashimi as the owner makes a point to include as many varieties from Shizuoka Prefecture as possible.
I’m sure Allison will be especially interested!
The picture above features From to bottom, left to right:

Tennen madai/”true seabream” caught off Yaizu City shore.
Hokkigai (surf clam) & mirugai (“gaper” shellfish)
Konbujime Hirame/Sole marinated in seaweed caught off Yui shore.

Saba/Mackerel
“Mizutako”/A variety of octopus

Aji/Saurel & maguro/tuna

BU ICHI
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae-cho, 1-6-10, Dai Ni Matsunaga Bldg., 2F
Tel.: 054-2521166
Business hours: 17:30~23:00
Closed on Wednesdays

Sushi Tetsu Ohshio Restaurant

The Japan Blog List

Please check Shizuoka Gourmet Blog for all the gastronomy in Shizuoka Prefecture!

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Every sushi restaurant worthy of its name will come up with a specialty or two making it worth visiting and introducuing to friends.
Well, in the case of Sushi Tetsu Ohshio Restaurant in Shizuoka City, almost next to the large Sengen Shrine (you could combine the two, actually), I was lucky as it was not one but two morsels out of the ordinary which will entice me to come again.
I have in my mind that Chuck and Foodhoe would be definitely interested!
As the third generation, Kazuhiro Ohshio, is also a blog and fishing devotee, I went as far as ordering the following dish by e-mail!

“Shirako Yuzu Kamayaki”/shirako/Cod Sperm Sacs cooked with Clams and mushrooms in a white miso-based bechamel inside a large yuzu/lime!
While I was waiying for it to be ready, I first oredered a plate of sashimi:

Hirame/Sole, Maguro/Tuna, Kuro Ika, Kuro Squid, and Aji/Saurel. Fine little morsels, I can assure you!
I could not resist ordering the Ankimo/Frogfish Liver when I saw it under the show window glass!

Simply served with ponzu, chopped leeks and momiji oroshi/grated daikon with chili pepper. Pefect!
I ordered the private brand sake, a junmai nama by Hana No Mai Brewery in Hamamatsu City, and exchanged a few words with Mr. Kazuhiko Ohshio, the second generation whose father first opened their restaurant about 56 years ago.

I actually noticed later they were also serving a kome/rice shochu from Shizuoka Prefecture from the same Brewery. I have rarely seen any Sushi Restaurant both serving a sake and shochu made in our Prefecture!

My “treat” finally came, and I slowly savoured it with the utmost concentration! What could I call it? A Japanese-style “vol-au-vent”? I simply will have to try and make it at home! Luckily the chef was kind enough to give me the recipe.
I did not have much time for that first visit, so I asked for my bill.
But I was asked to stay a few minutes to enjoy the “dessert” offered on the house to all customers at the end of their meal.

Now, I’m sure that even Chuck will feel he has to sample it!
You will not find this “nothing to get excited about” morsel in the chef’s words outside Shizuoka Prefecture: a mousse (according to the chef, although I would call it a blanc-mange) made with sake-kasu/sake, white lees collected after the sake is pressed, topped with Shizuoka wasabi pickled in sake-kasu and a sweet sauce again made with sake-kasu!
Problem is, as it is a seasonal recipe, it will not be served very long and I might have to wait until next year to savour it again!

Sushui Tetsu Ohshio
420-0862 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Sengen Cho, 1-36
Tel.: 054-245-1381
Credit Cards OK
Business hours: 11:00~22:00
Closed on Wednesdays

HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

KUE: Fish Stocks Replenishing Success Story

The Japan Blog List

Please check Shizuoka Gourmet Blog for all the gastronomy in Shizuoka Prefecture!

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(Courtesy of Shizuoka Shinbun, Feb 7th, 2008)

For all the battering and criticism that Japan has to endure for being the largest consumer of fish in the World (which is not. Spain is the largest fish single-country consumer, and Europe eats 40% of the World total catch, and throws away more than 5 times the same amount of dead fish back into the sea.), it is way ahead of eveyone else when it comes to preserving and repleneshing fish stocks.

I’m proud to say that Shizuoka Prefecture happens to be the most active region in this country in that particular field. I’d certainly love to take some “people” to the Tokai Marine University Research Laboratories in Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City! Did you know that Shizuoka Prefecture alone produces half of dried fish in Japan, including the most expensive such as “kinmeidai”, which can easily fetch over 50 US$ a piece, depending on the weight?

New Yorkers (Courtesy of Chuckeats.com) and Gastronomes all over the world, rejoice!
For the first time ever in Japan, “Kue” (Kelp Bass, Kelp Grouper, Saladfish, Epinephelus bruneus Bloch), a fish costing more than 10,000 yen (100 US $) per kilog, has been successfully bred in Omaezaki, in Western Shizuoka Prefecture!

Yesterday Governor Ishikawa (lucky one!) was offered kue sashimi and nabe yesterday by the Kue Promotion Association in Omaezaki (see pic above). About time permanent expats were allowed to run for local offices!

Sushi Millefeuille

The Japan Blog List

Please check Shizuoka Gourmet Blog for all the gastronomy in Shizuoka Prefecture!

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(picture kindly provided by Mika who shared our dinner!)

As Chuck, Trine and Luxeat already know, you do not have to go to an expensive French restaurant to experience great gastronomic ideas.
One of the chefs at Sushi Ko Sushi Restaurant recently came up with his own interpretation of a famed French cake which has quickly gained popularity with all customers:
Sushi Millefeuille.
It consists of one layer of “shari/sushi rice”, one of “akami/lean tuna”, one of thin slices of cucmber, one of sliced avocado, one more layer of “shari”, the whole topped with “tobikko/flying fish roe”.
A couple stems of thin leeks for decoration.
The dressing consisted of mayonnaise mixed with wasabi on ponzu with a little “momijioroshi/grated daikon with chili pepper” on top for taste and effect.
Simple, tasty and reasonable!

Sushi Ko
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae Cho, 2-3-1 (Aoba Koen)
Tel.: 054-2512898
Business hours: 17:00~25:00. 17:00~23:00 on Sundays
Closed on Wednesdays
Reservations advised
Credit Cards OK

Homepage (Japanese)