New to sushi and going to one of the best restaurants in my city, what should I try?

9 comments

1. Cock roll

2. Don’t ask us, ask the staff at the restaurant. Most sushi restaurants have a menu item called omakase (OH-mah KA-say), which means roughly ‘I leave it up to you.’ It’s like challenging the chef to give you the best they can. You’ll usually be able to give them a target price point, and they’ll work within it. Give it a shot. Hope you have a great time!

3. Toro is great, as is mackerel and scallop.

4. Hamachi otoro sake amaebi ikura is a good 5.

5. Whatever you get, make sure toro is a part of it! It’s absolutely divine.

6. With a sushi menu like that I’d ask the staff, or the sushi chef at that restaurant. If you tell them you’re new to sushi and a new guest most chefs will want to showcase their freshest and their best ingredients for you to try. That’s a hallmark of a truly great sushi chef/sushi bar, IMO. Just go with the flow and let them bring you their best. Then you’ll get the Omakase treatment.

7. I’ve never had anything at Shiki I didn’t like

8. My personal picks from that menu would be madai, ankimo, uni, shime saba, and both akami and toro since they’re bluefin. My reasoning is that since you’re going to a nicer place that serves these things, you might as well take advantage, since your average strip mall sushi joint in the US doesn’t carry those things and they are delicious. (Bluefin will ruin ahi for you.) You can get most of the rest of the menu pretty much anywhere.

   Amaebi, conch, and surf clam can be a little harder to find as well, but personally I don’t care for clam or conch on sushi; they tend to be tough and low on flavor. Amaebi has a lot of fans here but I never understood the hype. It’s extremely mild-tasting to me, overpriced and underwhelming. But that’s just my taste buds and like I said, lots of fans, so you might want to try it.

   As for the jellyfish… Never seen it served as sushi so I guess you’d have to ask the staff what they do with it. Jellyfish by itself has no flavor, just texture, so I’m guessing they marinate it.

9. Is that their whole menu? Do they have any chef’s choice or combinations listed? Do you have a price point you’re targeting?

   I wouldn’t necessarily agree with the other comment that it’s common to find omakase at “most” sushi places, at least in the US. Or if they do and it’s a really nice place in your city that can be $150-300+ per person and require advance reservations.

   Alternatively you might see “omakase” listed as a menu item but it’s more of an “okimari” style standard set of X amount of different pieces that doesn’t vary day to day.

   If they don’t have prices listed (I don’t see any in your screenshot) keep in mind that the price point of some of those items can vary significantly depending on what it is and if it’s one piece per order or two. A two piece order of uni from Japan can easily be $30+ by itself.

   I’ll give some thoughts, see if anything resonates with you.

   Madai can be something to experience for texture; it’s on the firmer side as opposed to a really tender tuna or salmon.

   Amaebi is good, and often comes with the shrimp’s head fried up for you to eat… if that’s your thing.

   I would definitely consider the hotate / scallop. That is a tender piece and has just enough distinct flavor to make it interesting.

   I’d also strongly consider some form of toro – be it tuna, salmon, or yellowtail. You can ask if they do any of those “aburi” (seared). I particularly like that for salmon toro. Basically they lightly torch the top of it to render a little of the fat and just barley sear it for extra depth of flavor.

   It’s expensive but I’d also strongly consider uni. It’s not everyone’s thing, but it’s one extreme or the other. “Ehhh” or “OMG this is good.”

   Hope that helps