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We haven't had good sushi in a while, and part of the reason was Kaki-san leaving
Shikon by Yoshitake (すし 志魂) to return to Japan. Foursheets finally got her sushi craving and asked for it for her birthday, and she requested a return to
Sushi Fujimoto (鮨ふじもと). We've enjoyed our previous visits there, so it made sense as her default option.
Not everyone arrived on time as instructed, so a few of us had to wait for 10 minutes or so before Fujimoto-san gave up and started service. At some
sushiyas (鮨屋) in Japan, these late comers would not be given a scolding or not be allowed to book again, as tardiness is a cardinal sin - especially as
sushiyas where the guests are served the same pieces together.
We first started with a cup of
abalone soup. This was lovely with lots of flavor.
Well we also get some
abalone liver sauce...
Tonight's abalone comes from Shimane Prefecture (島根県).
Abalone (鮑) - as usual, we got both a thin slice as well as a thick chunk for a textural contrast.
The thinner slice was taken "as is". Very nice and I love the flavors of the sea.
The chunk was dipped into the abalone liver sauce, which was just perfect.
Taking a sip of Champagne with the liver sauce still in the mouth really brought out the metallic flavors of the organ... as if I were sucking on the brass reeds of a harmonica or licking a steel cooking pot.
Bonito (鰹) - Fujimoto-san punched holes on the skin side before having the fish from Nagasaki (長崎) grilled on the skin. Sliced and served with grated ginger and finely chopped chives. The skin was, not surprisingly, crispy and smoky. The fish itself was very, very tender, and the marinade was really nice.
Knowing that I don't eat bluefin tuna, Fujimoto-san had messaged me in a panic to check whether I ate bonito. Of course I do! For me, a good piece of bonito would trump a good piece of tuna any day.
We were given a ball of
shari (シャリ) to soak up the leftover abalone liver sauce.
Japanese horsehair crab (毛蟹) - the ball of crab meat was drenched in
ankake (餡掛け), and was very sweet with lots of delish flavors. I know it's a bitch extracting crab meat, but it's still annoying when one finds crab shell in a pile of shredded crab meat.
I was too focused on what was in front of me when I glanced up and saw a pot with stuff floating in it. For some reason I thought they looked like
oden (おでん)... but of course they weren't!
Monkfish liver (鮟肝) - the liver of monkfish from Hokkaido came with sweet soy sauce and some shavings of green
yuzu zest.
Needless to say, Champagne also brought out the metallic flavors from this liver, although it was milder.
We also got some
ankimo paste served on a rice cracker. The paste was even sweeter than the chunks of liver, and the cracker was hard and crunchy with very rich rice flavor.
Bigeyed greeneye (目光) - loved the charred flavors, and the fish was nice, fatty and juicy.
It was time to make the
shari, and the aroma and fragrance of rice vinegar quickly filled the air.
For the first piece of nigiri, Fujimoto-san placed it facing the usual direction, which is wrong for Foursheets. He quickly realized his mistake and did it the correct way from the next piece onward.
Spanish mackerel (鰆) - this was smoked and definitely a little different. The texture was very tender and yielded easily to one's teeth. Did I taste a little
kombu in the soy sauce? The
shari was nice with good firm texture and bite.
Gizzard shad (小肌) - this had been marinated for 2 days, and surprisingly tasted a little sweet. This was thanks to a little bit of shrimp
oboro (朧).
Thread-sail filefish somen (皮剥ぎ素麺) - substitute for marinated lean tuna (赤身漬け). the fish had been sliced into thin "noodles", and of course mixed with the fish's own liver as usual. This was really fatty and really tasty.
Next we saw a pair of botan shrimp, which was our substitute for medium-fatty tuna (中トロ).
Botan shrimp with eggs (子持ち牡丹海老) - the color of the shrimp roe was simply stunning.
Ark shell (赤貝) - substitute for fatty tuna (大トロ). From Yuriage (閖上) near Sendai (仙台). Pretty crunchy yet tender.
Ark shell skirt (赤貝ひも) - served with wasabi. Very crunchy.
Baby cuttlefish (新烏賊) - young cuttlefish (墨烏賊) from Izumi (泉) in Kagoshima (鹿児島). The
neta was nice and thick, yet still tender enough. I could taste the the vinegar from the
shari.
Grilled cuttlefish tentacles (ゲソ) - this was just lightly-grilled, so it was still very juicy and
mi-cuit inside.
Pacific saury (秋刀魚) - beautifully scored, and served with both
asatsuki (浅葱) and fish liver sauce. While the fish was delicious as expected, the addition of the liver sauce really made a difference, adding a whole new layer of flavors on top of the spring onions in oil.
Salmon roe (イクラ) - this was a little surprising, as it seemed very fresh and refreshing, with the eggs plump with liquid inside, but soehow this was a little more salted than I would have wanted. There was yuzu zest shaved on top, but there was something here I didn't quite like, and had woodsy notes...
Tiger prawn (車海老) - from Kagoshima. Really thick and fatty, very crunchy. This was actually not fully-cooked but
mi-cuit.
Japanese green sea urchin (馬糞雲丹) - packed by Hirakawa Suisan (平川水産) in Hamanaka-cho (浜中町) in Hokkaido. This was really sweet and really good.
Eel hand roll (鰻手巻き) - this is something I've always enjoyed here, and the skin of the eel was very crunchy, as always. The sauce was a little on the sweet side, but no problem for me.
Soup
Kanpyo roll (干瓢巻き)
Egg custard (玉子焼き) - I still like that they serve us two versions, with Okinawan
kokuto (黒糖) added for one of them. Since Foursheets doesn't touch these, I got to eat her portion, too!
Melon (メロン)
Birthdays always require a bottle from the birth vintage, and I brought out something we've tasted before.
1982 Veuve Cliquot Cave Privée - the nose was nicely oxidized with savory mineral notes, and also reminded me of Chinese salty lemon. There was good acidity on the palate.
Bouteille 2490/3500, dégorgée en mai 2014
A very happy evening for us, and Foursheets got her sushi fix taken care of. Very grateful to Kenichi-san and Ai-san for always taking good care of us, especially with the substitutions for bluefin.
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