New York Japanese Cuisine 🍣

When it comes to sashimi, they have everything: fatty fish, white fish, and even rare varieties. My friend loves the sweet shrimp and snow crab the most. But for me, the biggest surprise was the saba (mackerel). 🌺 It’s a type of fish that could easily go wrong. To be honest, at this price point, I was bracing myself for a fishy smell, but it was completely absent! The charcoal-grilled skin was slightly charred, bringing out the aroma of the fish oil, without any of the industrial sourness from over-marination. 🌊 The sea urchin was also top-notch in quality. The only part that fell a bit short was the tuna—both chutoro and toro were fatty enough but lacked flavor. The kinmedai (amberjack) was also a bit under-seasoned, which was a bit of a pity for such a good fish. 🐟 🎢 Finally, I want to specially highlight one of the co-chefs, Nikki Zheng 👩‍🍳. She’s a rare female sushi chef! The culinary world is already male-dominated, and the sushi scene is even more traditional. 🍃 There are still gender biases like “women have higher body temperatures” and “menstruation makes them unsuitable for handling raw fish.” Chef Zheng has worked at the three-Michelin-starred Quintessence in Tokyo (the inspiration for Takuya Kimura’s character in Tokyo Grand Hotel!) and the legendary three-Michelin-starred MASA in New York. 🌸 When we left, she warmly asked for our feedback and shared her thoughts and plans for improvement. It’s clear she truly loves this industry. I love seeing women like her, breaking stereotypes and letting their skills speak for themselves! 💪 🎢 #NewYork #Omakase #JapaneseCuisine 🌟