USHIWAKAMARU Sushi Omakase — Restaurant in New York

Fairly old school edomae omakase. Chef owner has been around in the states since the 80s and something about his style and general disposition feels very much throwback to the glory days. Some courses were truly as good as you expect from pure edomae level reflecting styles found in and around Tokyo going back decades. Where I thought the chef was not so precise is in technique that I was expecting at master level considering his almost half century practice making sushi. Some cuts were inconsistent and rice quality varied from the very first batch being a bit underseasoned and mushy. To generally lacking consistency where it was borderline falling apart when being picked up. And temperature wise running hot. The fish selection was pretty solid, especially multiple cuts of Toro. There were a few other solid choices like perch. Was it worth $200 for 15 courses? I think it’s a bit overpriced considering you can find similar selections for less. I suppose you can add a premium for completely unhurried tempo and intimate setting. We were the only party at the...

Love bbf but the omakase bar was a miss.

Nice folks but overpriced and not competitive with other nearby omakase places. Fish was ok not impressed and flavors packed subtlety and depth. Rice was inconsistent texture.

Small gaps in service, decor, presentation, etc that I don't see even in omakase places half the price: menu should explain the differences in 10 vs 12 vs etc courses ask for water no ice, got ice "changing cocktail menu" so no cocktails right now ?! cleaning our plates with same towel? Not even sure that's hygienic? open kitchen area was disordely. Also, not sure it's licensed properly, e.g. no fire suppression. the counter was ok but the rest of the room felt thrown together with cheap materials. presentation seemed sloppy and not special.

If this has been $75 I could excuse it but still would choose any of the dozen others. At $150+, I'm giving this two stars and annoyed.

In the neighborhood, I've been to Shinn East, thirteen water, takumi, yokox, noname, kaki, zen, douska, unique, M and many others. Plus...

This spot serves the freshest Edo sushi I have had in a while. The ambiance is amazing and everyone is super welcoming and polite. Loved the master's energy and he also had a snazzy blue sparkly mask on. There were plastic dividers between everyone, and the spacing was definitely more than 6 feet. Felt very safe inside.

I came here for the Omakase to celebrate my birthday and it was absolutely delicious. The sake we ordered was called Take No Tsuyu, and it was super light and smooth. Such a fragrant scent, brewed gently in bamboo forests.

From the Omakase, I enjoyed the mackerel, blow-torched tuna, uni, and otoro hand roll. The uni was SO SWEET and smooth, and the otoro was super tender. The sweet shrimp also deserves a mention for its fresh ocean flavor. The rice also deserves to be highlighted, it was just that good.

At the end, the master asked us if we would like a few more pieces, and he made two more complimentary chef's choice sushi. One of which was an abalone that blew my mind.

Hands down will return for the immaculate service...