Sushi Yasuda

Omakase means "I'll leave it to you" in Japanese.  It's putting the fate of the meal in the chef's hands, setting aside all precursory fears and beliefs, closing your eyes, and jumping in.  You never know what the chef is going to put on your plate next, but at Sushi Yasuda it doesn't matter because it's bound to be delicious.

Sushi Yasuda has an unassuming door front hidden around the financial buildings of Midtown Manhattan. The interior is tastefully simple and no-nonsense, with light wooden panels lining the walls, doors, and sushi bar.  For the full experience, we booked a month in advance for the coveted seats at the bar in order to watch all the culinary magic unfold.

We started off the meal with a small jug of sake.  Warm with a distinctive rice wine taste, the sake was not too strong and a perfect complement for the sashimi and sushi to come.

Before starting, the chef we were assigned to asked us if we had any dietary preferences and whether we wanted both sashimi and sushi.  Since we had no restrictions and wanted both sashimi and sushi, we gave him full freedom to surprise us.  However, if you're looking to save money, opt for sushi only because the rice will fill you up faster. 

The omakase experience is one part food and one part show.  We took this opportunity to observe the chef's every move, from the way he meticulously cuts the fish to the way he nimbly forms the rice. Even the simplest actions were perfected and everything followed a precise order.

For the sashimi course (from right to left), we each received a plate with mackerel, hamachi, tuna, bonito, striped bass, ocean trout, octopus, and oyster.  Each fish came as three delicate pieces and we were told to put as little or as much wasabi and soy sauce as we liked.  The only exception was the oyster, which was eaten with the sea salt provided.  My favorite was hamachi, which had a slight sweetness to it. 

We then moved onto sushi, beginning with the yellow tail family.  One was shimaaji (left) and the other was kanpachi (right).  Both pieces of fish were exceptionally fresh and tender, but what blew me away even more was the quality of the rice.  Though subtle, the vinegary rice was the perfect complement to the fish, and sandwiched in between was a small smear of wasabi.  Chef Yasuda had once said that sushi is about rice, not fish.  It wasn't until this experience that I truly understood the meaning of that statement. 

Next, the chef presented us with two cuts of tuna: otoro (left) and akami (right).  Otoro, or the famous fatty tuna, comes from the fattest belly region of the fish and is loved for its buttery texture.  Akami, the piece that comes from the backside of the fish, is much less fatty and holds a stronger tuna flavor, which is why our chef said he personally prefers Akami. 

The following piece was mackerel, which was equally delicious. 

We were then surprised by a quartet of shellfish.  From right to left, there were scallop, cherrystone clam, giant clam, and orange clam. The scallop, with its slight sweetness and delicate texture, completely blew my mind and was one of my favorites of the night. Although the three clams had an interesting crunch and varying degrees of brininess. they were a bit too chewy for my taste.   

The following course focused on the white fish family: kinme (right) and madai (left).  For some sushi, like the madai, a dab of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon juice were used to enhance the taste. 

The only cooked sushi we had was eel, which included sawani (right) and unagi kuro (left). Unlike the previous fish pieces that were glazed with a thin soy sauce, a thick, syrupy soy sauce was used instead. The warm cooked meat was a nice break for our stomachs, which were already starting to feel full .

My favorite course of the night, however, was most definitely the one that showcased two types of sea urchin.  The Hokkaido sea urchin (right) was a lot softer and had a thicker, sweeter taste, while the Santa Barbara one was firmer.  Both had a distinctive buttery quality that allowed them to literally melt in one's mouth.  The squid was meticulously cut and prepared but ultimately overshadowed by the beauty of the two uni. 

At this point I was already stuffed and was actually developing a stomachache, but my parents ventured forward for one more round, which highlighted fish from the salmon family. This included (from right to left) white king salmon, arctic char, king salmon from New Zealand, and king salmon from Copper River.  

After the chef made my dad a toro roll (not pictured), we finally decided to say stop.  For omakase, the diners must specifically tell the chef when they are full, or else the chef will continue making more. We made the rookie mistake of  eating too fast and realizing too late, resulting in overly full stomachs and a very big bill.  However, despite how full we were, there was no way we would deny complementary tamagoyaki, which was given to us graciously by the chef as dessert. 

Although the city has several exceptional sushi restaurants that serve omakase, Sushi Yasuda is definitely one of the best, especially if you're looking for a traditional, no frills experience.  The price may be steep, but I have to admit that it was worth every penny.