Sushi Akazu (寿司赤酢)
Sushi Akazu is a high-end chain restaraunt specializing in Edo-style sushi made with 'Akazu' Red Vinegar. I had a chance to visit their location in Roppongi and had one of my more memorable omakase experiences. We got an early reservation and were suprisingly the only two patrons for their 5:30pm seating. Dinner ended up being around 22 pieces including appetizers and dessert.
- Clam Broth
2. Kinmedai/Golden Eye Snapper Sashimi - Delicate and somewhat crisp texture and mild umami flavour. Fresh wasabi was fragrant and not overpowering
3. Hokkigai/surf clam Sashimi - Didn't even realize it was surf clam since the texture was massively different from the frozen variants you're used to eating in North America. Mildly sweet with the saltiness of the soy-sauce marinade made for an amazing bite
4. Chutoro - Great cut of tuna. The cross-hatching from the chef made it instantly melt in your mouth. This was also my first taste of the red-vinegar sushi rice which was highlighted througout the meal
5. Kohada/Gizzard Shad - Served sandwiched with picked vegetables. One of my favourite fishes. Perfectly briny and slightly sweet. The vegetables hightened the flavours while adding some textural crunch
6. Ika/Squid and Caviar - Watching the chef prepare this is always a pleasure. The squid was cut so finely it melts in your mouth into the most unctuous savoury pudding like bite. The caviar added a bit of umami to this piece, but honestly I think was lost in the flavour of the squid
7. Grilled Sea Bream with Scales - Amazingly grilled fish seemed to be the theme of this night. Having grilled scales was definetly a first for me. The chip-like crunch of the scales were a textural delight, while the sea bream meat itself still remained light fatty and flaky. The lime and salt made it feel like you were eating the best fried whitefish of your life sandwiched with some chips embedded in the meat!
8. Ebi - biggest prawn I've ever had
9. Abalone two ways: Sashimi and cooked in abalone liver sauce. Raw abalone was nothing super special, although I'm not the biggest fan of any type of abalone. The liver sauce was definetly the highlight. Never had something so rich, unqtuous and full of umami. To finish the sauce we added rice to make the most amazing makeshift risotto. Definetly stealing this recipe for my own tasting menu
10. Seaweed Salad - briny and pickley good palate cleanser
11. Sand Borer - first time having this type of fish, light savoury flavour and very delicate flesh
12. Salmon - Great knifework. Soft and melted in your moth
13. Grilled Tairagi Handroll - Tasted like a more firm scallop. Chef's salt and spicy seasoning enhanced the bite
14. Horse Mackerel - pretty good, not the best mackerel I've had
15. Uni & Chawanmushi - pretty good. Uni wasn't the best
16. Akami - amazing knife work and delicate work with the quick soy marinade
17. Nodoguro Handroll - very fatty whitefish. felt like you're almost eating a burrito with the amount of fat the oozed out
18. Salmon Roe, Snow Crab, Ikura - Mini-Kaisen don. Very delicate flavours. I think this could have used more soy or the ikura could have been saltier
19. Uni - Amazing bite, bordering on execesive. The chef really heaped as much uni as he could as we approached the end of the meal
20. Minced Toro - Keeping with the theme of excess. Giant roll of toro with minced takuan
21. Eel - Cooked to perfection with the most amazing unagi sauce. Felt like you were eating custard
22. Finish with Tamago and Match Pudding for dessert
Sushi Akazu was definetly one of my most memorable sushi experiences. The sheer variety of fish is something you could only experience in Japan. I also really loved the use of red shari, giving the sushi rice a deeper aroma. I thought there was a bit of lack of textural variety with the pieces, but it was more than compensated for by the variety of different pieces. This meal was one of the rare times where I felt like I ate too much