Last week, two of my coworkers and I headed to
Sushi Kaji for what may be the most expensive meal I've ever paid for (so far), but the whole experience was worth it!
We had reservations to sit at the bar, although we couldn't see
most of the dishes being made since they were done at the back counter
or behind the ice tray containing the fish. Nevertheless, the dishes
were beautifully prepared and just kept on coming!
I didn't have sushi until I was about 17 and even then it was
primarily California rolls since I was a little wary of raw fish. Over
the years I've worked my way up but still get nervous about eating
non-salmon/tuna sashimi, so I was worried about eating at Sushi Kaji,
but there was a nice balance of cooked and raw foods, and there was
nothing too "out there" for me.
Sushi Kaji is all about authenticity, as they say on their website:
"Although
we do not serve "popular Japanese food" like "California
roll" and "Teriyaki", we will be pleased to introduce
you to the real Japanese food culture." The fish that
is served is flown in fresh from Tokyo bay within 24 hours of being out
of the water, and the fish purchased in the morning is served that
evening, never kept overnight. Even the rice, vinegar, vegetables, and
condiments are imported from Japan, but the Chef makes his own
(delicious) soy sauce.
I wish I could remember what everything was exactly. I have a photo of the menu (which changes daily due to the changing selection of fish), but they don't specify which fish they are for the sashimi and sushi, but you get the gist of it.
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| Simmered daikon and eggplant; Sauteed scallop with pumpkin puree; Grilled crab; Persimmon sunomono. |
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| Tomato and kuzu cake; Trout and salmon roe, Lobster; Sweet Miso; And the rest is a little hazy. |
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| Matsutake mushroom soup in tea pot; Lily bulb and sea urchin cake with crab sauce; Grilled shrimp and matsutake mushroom. |
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| Sea urchin; Can't remember with ginger glaze; Some sort of fish; Udon noodles. |
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| Sushi plates with Seared scallop, Crab with applesauce, Minced Tuna/Some other fish, etc... |
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| Green tea macaron; Fruit jelly and green tea macaron; Fruit jelly and wasabi macaron; Peach consomme and glazed strawberry. |
Even the fruit jelly dessert was nice and fresh, and all the fruits were perfectly ripe! The green tea and wasabi macarons were sooo good. One day I will attempt to make some - I've had a macaron book for over a year now but since I've never had one up to this point (despite having been to Paris three times) I wasn't sure how good they would be anyway since I'd have no comparisons for it.
Anyways, all in all, a satisfying meal! I'd go again but I would definitely need to save up for it.
