Happy Noms

Author: Victor
Restaurant: Kurumazushi
Chef: Toshihiro Uezu

Date: February 1, 2013

I’ve been craving sushi lately, and I decided that I’d go eat sushi today—of course, choosing somewhere and then making reservations is always a pain. I’ve been wanting to try Kurumazushi for a while now since I heard about it from some friends, so I called to check if there were any available seats at the sushi bar.

Reservations are REALLY easy to get as the restaurant has a lot of empty seats. That makes me a little sad—Chef Uezu seemed really nice and pleasant to talk to, and the sushi was definitely good enough that one would think there would be more diners at the restaurant on a Friday night. Anyway, we booked a reservation and made our way there a few hours later!

Notes on the food:

-The fish was VERY fresh and delicious, and the selection was amazing—there were lots of choices, and there were different cuts/areas for each type of fish. Being able to choose pieces with meat from the collar/neck area make me a happy, happy eater.

-The rice was good, but there were a few issues. On the plus side, the temperature was solid, though it was a touch warmer than I would have liked; it wasn’t as warm as Sasabune’s rice, though. On the negative side, the rice was grainy and a bit too hard at times. I would have enjoyed the nigiri more if the rice were a bit softer and fluffier.

Food:

1. Kama toro (collar area).

Kama toro, we meet again <3.

2. “Special toro” (no name).

Chef Uezu said that this was a cut of the toro that didn’t have a name. He pretty much said that we should trust him that it would be delicious. We did—and it was!

3. Kanpachi (amberjack) belly.

4. Hamachi (yellowtail) belly.

SOOOOOOOOO MUCH TORO ^_______^.

5. Shima aji (striped jack).

6. Kan-buri (winter yellowtail).

7. Fluke with ponzu.

8. Madai (snapper).

9. Sawara (Spanish mackerel).

10. Hotate (sea scallop).

11. Abalone.

The abalone was hard and much crisper than other abalone that I’ve tried before, and I don’t know if this was a bad thing or not. It definitely had a lot of flavor, though.

12. Giant clam.

13. Unagi (freshwater eel).

14. King crab.

I’m still not sure what to think of how Chef Uezu prepared the piece.

15. Uni (sea urchin) from Santa Barbara, CA.

The uni was incredibly sweet and creamy.

16. Cheek toro.

17. Ikura (salmon roe).

18. Toro with scallion hand roll.

19. Ika (squid).

20. Sea shrimp.

21. Saba (Atlantic mackerel).

22. Seared toro.

Soft and silky. Melted in my mouth. Tasted a little like Heaven.

23. Engawa (fluke fin).

24. This was some kind of tuna that I didn’t quite get the name of.

It had a really good balance between being fatty and also not being too oily—you could taste and enjoy the richness without being overwhelmed.

25. Anago (saltwater eel).

Warm and sweet but not too sweet—it was just right.

26. “Omurice”.

This was Chef Uezu’s version of the tamago piece, I guess. The rice provided a nice balance to the egg, though I have to admit that I love egg and totally wouldn’t mind eating a lot of that stuff by itself haha.

27. Masago (Capelin roe / smelt roe).

28. Madai (snapper) collar.

29. Squid tentacles with sweet sauce (the same sauce used anago/unagi).

That sauce works wonders. I usually don’t like squid all that much, but the piece was wonderful with that sauce!

30. Kan-buri (winter yellowtail) collar.

32. Ōtoro.

Dessert:

There were several choices for dessert, including ice cream and fruits from Japan. I wanted a persimmon from Japan because I still vividly remember this amazing persimmon from Japan that I had at Urasawa a few years ago. I kiiind of wanted to relive that experience; it wasn’t as good as the one I had at Urasawa, but it was still pretty amazing!

My persimmon from Japan:

My friend got a pear from Japan.

I LOVE Japanese fruits, and these just strengthened my affection. They were fresh and flavorful, but, at the same time, I don’t even want to think about how much they must have cost haha.

Chef Uezu’s preparing nigiri here: