Dinner at Sushi Ko Restaurant (revisited)

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 went out to celebrate Christmas our own way by having dinner at Sushi Ko, our favourite sushi restaurant in Shizuoka City!
Our first order, a “sashimi no moriawase/sashimi plate”.
All seafood came from Shizuoka Prefecture!

Incidentally, the “Oyakata/Main Chef”, Mr. Oda knowing that all pictures will be published later on my blogs always make a special effort as for presentation, an extra luxury in a great sushi restaurant!

From left to right:
“Mebachi Maguro/Big-eyed Tuna” on a “shiso/perilla” leaf and finely cut daikon, fresh “Sakura Ebi/Cherry Blossom Shrimp” from Yui with grated ginger and cucumber, “Aburi Kinmeidai/slightly grilled Golden Eyes Snapper/Seabream”, lemon, “Shiso no Hana/Perilla Flowers, “Ishidai/Parrot bass, Stone Flounder, Striped Knifejaw” and freshly grated wasabi!

“Maguro zuke/marinated tuna” sushi came in “akami/lean part” and “chutoro/semi-fat part”.

“Anago/Conger Eel” is usually served as nigiri, but one ought try it as tenpura!

“Botan ebi/Large sweet prawns” are just in season with their eggs on top! A delicacy that is going to make Rowena and other Foodie friends moan again!

Their freshness will be cause to celebrate when you savour their heads deep-fried!

“Tachiuo/Scabbard Fish” is best served slightly grilled (“aburi”) on one side (up) with a few sprigs of “Me-negi/leek sprouts”, “Momijioroshi/freshly grated daikon with chili pepper” and a touch of ponzu instead of soy sauce!

“Hirame/sole” needs only a little salt and lemon juice. No soy sauce!

“Sakura/Raw Horse meat” for the carnivores with “tare/sauce”, grated ginger and chpped thin leeks!

An exquisite “Hotate maki/Scallops roll”!

Perfectly balanced, I’m it will tempt Allison and Rick

This “shirashizushi/mixed sushi on top of rice” was for our neighbours, but I couldn’t resist taking a picture with Mr. Oda’s complicity!

This pair of “Sakura Gunkan/Salmon Roe Motherships” had disappeared under the succulent eggs!

The hot “Chyawanmushi/Japanese salted pudding” is the perfect dish to keep you warm before going out in the cold!

We did have a couple more and quite a few glasses!

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 （Sundays）
Closed on Wednesdays
Reservations recommended
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

Sea Grapes/Umibudou

The Japan Blog List

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

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Although not from Shizuoka, this Okinawa delicacy regularly appears in good supermarkets such as Shizuoka JR Station Supermarket and in good Japanese restaurants.

Although called Sea Grapes (Umibudou) for their shape, it is a saweed variety!
Its Latin name is “Caulerpa lentillifera” for the purists.

Apparently they can be found in some islands an seas in South Eastern Asia and Oceania. World vegetarian and vegans, look out for them (I mean discovere and eat them! LOL)!
The whole seaweed can reach betwen 2 and 5 metres, but only the extremities including the “grapes” are consumed.
In Okinawa where they have been eaten eons, they are also called “green caviar”!
You can eat them raw of course with soy sauce or rice vinegar mixed with mustard.

In sushi, as “gunkan/maothership”, they certainly make for great fun and taste!
Beware of counterfeits! No less than the JAS was recently caught selling them in August 2008!
Growing them in Japan has apparently been successful, great news for vegans and vegetarians who will find a great source of iodine and other beneficial elements!
Didi I say it? They are delicious/”oishii”!

Sashimi at Tomii: The Epitome of Excellency!

The Japan Blog List

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

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Many people have been asking me: “How can you afford that?”
Well, I don’t smoke and I don’t drive, either. I can imagine what some people in the Northern part of the US might tell me… and I don’t care!
All that “saved” money goes into good food, good drink, good travel and improved relations with my (better, ok for this time!) half! And nothing for those “poor” doctors out there!

I’ve been a regular customer at Tomii in Shizuoka City for many, many, many reasons. But the one I value most is that everyone at this great Japanese restaurant are willing to talk about, explain and extoll the virtues of their craft. Craft, I said? It is probably nearer to artistry as Melinda, Etsuko and Tim will vouch for me!

Anyway, to write a story short, I just popped at Tomii this evening (yes, I’m writing this just after I came back to “work”), and asked for a sashimi plate (well, this is not the way to ask it: You should say: “O-tsukuri, kudasai!”). I did not need to tell them what to serve me. I wouldn’t even have dared!
On the other hand, they didn’t mind explaining no less than three times to make sure that the old geezer got his stuff right!

From right to left:
“Kiiro Ninjin”?Yellow Carrot (sashimi is not all about fish, vegetables are rapidly becoming an essential part of the picture!), “Beni Daikon”/Red (“rouge”) Daikon, “Wasabina/not wasabi, but a leaf vegetable with a similar taste!”, “Hirame/Sole”, “Hime Daikon/Princess Daikon”, “Shiso no Hana/Perilla Flowers (edible as Rowena will agree!) on top of “Toro/Tuna Fatty Part) and “Bakudai No Ki no Mi/Impossible to translate”, only that it is an edible part from a tree (sorry, I was not attentive enough!)!

From right to left:
“Uni/Sea Urchin Roe” (in front) with freshly grated “Wasabi/Japanese Horseradish” (let me tell for the umpteenth time that wasabi was first grown in Shizuoka City in the 17th Century and that Shizuoka Prefecture still produces 80% of the world total!), “Ishidai/Ishidai Snapper” just behind, the green daikon is called “Uguisu Daikon/Nightingale Daikon”, “Amaebi/Sweet Shrimp”, and “kanpachi/Japanese Amberjack” just behind!

From right to left:
“Kuroi Daikon/Black Daikon”, “Aori Ika/Aori Cuttlefish”, “Akami/Lean Tuna” on a “Shiso no happa/perilla leaf”. To back it up a mixture of seasonal sprouts: “Kushinsai + Soba no Mi (Buckwheat) + Cress (from Shizuoka like most of them) + Kawaire Daikon + Cabbage + Broccoli” (about time you call a local farmer for explanations!)!

Small servings they might look, but I challenge anyone to find better quality!
Now, for people who really want to know it, you will have to fork out at least three times as much in Tokyo, and as far the US and Europe are concerned, you might as well start riding a bicycle like I do!

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
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)