I didn't go into Spain expecting much of the sushi; therefore, I wasn't disappointed. Inbetween bites of oil-saturated, overly salted tapas and tastings of the more sophisticated variety (I'm talking gazpachos, fish egg-laden baguettes and violet-flavored ice cream), I still somehow found the time to duck into the occasional Japanese dive.
While European sushi never did impress me much in general (I find most of it rather bland in taste and lacking in authenticity), I always found it amusing to read menus in different languages, from French to Danish to Dutch. In Spain, eel is written as anguille and spicy tuna is referred to as atun picante.
In the city of Valencia, the Japanese restaurant of Osaka serves a roll known as Hara Maki, which the menu defines as "California Roll and masago." The four-piece order which costs almost 9 Euros contains a stick of imitation crab (the cheap, flavorless variety), cucumber and avocado, but the additional ingredients of tuna, salmon and oshinko are a nice surprise, and the masago turns out to be wasabi tobiko. Although not bursting with flavor, by European standards it is at least decent.
What made me miss Los Angeles sushi, however, was the fact that the 10-piece sweet shrimp sashimi that Osaka served, while highly quantitative for the price of 8 Euros, was low in quality as far as taste, freshness and size—these were nothing like the large ama ebi I knew from back home, whose bodies are served as sushi and big heads are fried to a crisp and then presented separately as a crunchy snack with ponzu sauce.
OSAKA III
C/. Ribera, n 8
46002 Valencia, Spain
96-351-87-57
Sunday, September 5, 2010
The Sushi of Ibiza
The Balearic island of Ibiza, renowned for its wild nightlife and beautiful beaches, is also home to a certain trendy sushi-lounge known as "B.For," by the company Planet Sushi which also manages locations in Paris and Milan (it makes you wonder why they didn't just name the restaurant Planet Sushi). Patrons of "B.For" are surprisingly more image-conscious and well-dressed than even the party-goers down the street at Pacha, one of the island's more famous nightclubs. Perhaps it's because of the architectural splendor (the better part of the restaurant is on a terrace), or the electronica music that plays in the background and the club-like lighting and atmosphere. "B. For" also delivers orders—to your home or boat (this is an island, after all).
The picture menu in their multi-page pamphlet may have lured me to the restaurant, but the turnout on the table didn't quite measure up. The "Green Ebi Fry" roll (with shrimp tempura, avocado and cucumber) would have tasted much plainer had it not been for its outer coating of dill and green onions, but that didn't mean the roll was enhanced by the green stuff.
"Dill doesn't really go with fried shrimp," my travel companion stated, and she was right. Nor did it go with the cigarette smoke billowing over from the next table, helped by the wind since we were dining al fresco in Europe.
The Big Egg Chicken Katsu Roll we ordered came sheathed in a thin wrap of omelet (which I at first thought was yellow soy paper) and drizzled with what seemed like eel sauce and a spicy aioli. It looked nothing like the photo, and although it wasn't bad that they had substituted cream cheese for red bell peppers, it was just too much sweetness on too bland a base, although the crunchy chicken inside made the roll less gooey. This maki cost nearly 12 Euros, but we figured it was worth trying.
The "Red Slim Prawn Spicy" Roll (about 10 Euros) might have been better without the same sauces that were used on the Chicken Katsu Roll, but it really resembled more of a Vietnamese-style spring roll, since the wrap was neither seaweed nor soy paper (nor omelet), but translucent rice paper.
Finally, just to be funny, I ordered the nutella maki for dessert. Covered in coconut bits and chocolate sauce, it was hard to tell whether there really was any nutella at all in its center. But this may just be the best maki they serve.
B. For's service and hours here are very European: slow and relaxed; the place doesn't even open for dinner until 9 p.m. The water you ask for turns out to be expensive glass-bottled Evian.
b.for by Planet Sushi
Avenida 8 de Agosto
Edificios Los Girasoles 2
S/N 1 07800 Ibiza - Islas Baleares
+34 971 316 797
The picture menu in their multi-page pamphlet may have lured me to the restaurant, but the turnout on the table didn't quite measure up. The "Green Ebi Fry" roll (with shrimp tempura, avocado and cucumber) would have tasted much plainer had it not been for its outer coating of dill and green onions, but that didn't mean the roll was enhanced by the green stuff.
"Dill doesn't really go with fried shrimp," my travel companion stated, and she was right. Nor did it go with the cigarette smoke billowing over from the next table, helped by the wind since we were dining al fresco in Europe.
The Big Egg Chicken Katsu Roll we ordered came sheathed in a thin wrap of omelet (which I at first thought was yellow soy paper) and drizzled with what seemed like eel sauce and a spicy aioli. It looked nothing like the photo, and although it wasn't bad that they had substituted cream cheese for red bell peppers, it was just too much sweetness on too bland a base, although the crunchy chicken inside made the roll less gooey. This maki cost nearly 12 Euros, but we figured it was worth trying.
The "Red Slim Prawn Spicy" Roll (about 10 Euros) might have been better without the same sauces that were used on the Chicken Katsu Roll, but it really resembled more of a Vietnamese-style spring roll, since the wrap was neither seaweed nor soy paper (nor omelet), but translucent rice paper.
Finally, just to be funny, I ordered the nutella maki for dessert. Covered in coconut bits and chocolate sauce, it was hard to tell whether there really was any nutella at all in its center. But this may just be the best maki they serve.
B. For's service and hours here are very European: slow and relaxed; the place doesn't even open for dinner until 9 p.m. The water you ask for turns out to be expensive glass-bottled Evian.
b.for by Planet Sushi
Avenida 8 de Agosto
Edificios Los Girasoles 2
S/N 1 07800 Ibiza - Islas Baleares
+34 971 316 797
Sushi of Seville and Madrid
Seville's take on Japanese cuisine was a bit more interesting and savory. The restaurant JAPO, which surprisingly charges as much as 14 Euros for a Caterpillar Roll (most of Seville is considerably cheaper than touristy cities such as Barcelona and the pricey island of Ibiza), boasts a hip menu with imaginative combinations.
Although the Caterpillar sounded intriguing with its ingredients of eel, apple, crab roe, cheese and eel sauce, I opted for the Galante Roll, which contains salmon tempura, mango, cream cheese, king prawn and chives (the chives turned out to be green onions; perhaps they ran out of chives?). Overall, this was probably the best-tasting maki I had in Spain, and I know it had something to do with the rice being seasoned properly at this restaurant.
In Madrid, you can get just about any kind of food from the Mercado de San Miguel—from deep-fried stuffed mussels still on the shell to egg-and-anchovies-covered baguettes. And then of course there's the "Sushimarket" section with ready-to-go boxes of rolls. Next to cases of what appeared to be California and Philadelphia maki was the odd one out: a roll covered with seaweed salad mixed with chopped octopus and topped with citrine-colored tobiko. This one was unexpectedly potent, for the sauce had obviously been pre-mixed with wasabi. Inside the roll? Avocado. A nice hidden filler that softened the wasabi's sting, anywy.
When in Spain, go for the unusual Spanish food, not just the tapas--but try the Japanese restaurants. Just for fun. And don't expect much.
JAPO
c/Alvarez Quintero
45-41004 Sevilla, Spain
+34 954 56 0000
Sushimarket
Mercado de San Miguel
Madrid, Spain
Although the Caterpillar sounded intriguing with its ingredients of eel, apple, crab roe, cheese and eel sauce, I opted for the Galante Roll, which contains salmon tempura, mango, cream cheese, king prawn and chives (the chives turned out to be green onions; perhaps they ran out of chives?). Overall, this was probably the best-tasting maki I had in Spain, and I know it had something to do with the rice being seasoned properly at this restaurant.
In Madrid, you can get just about any kind of food from the Mercado de San Miguel—from deep-fried stuffed mussels still on the shell to egg-and-anchovies-covered baguettes. And then of course there's the "Sushimarket" section with ready-to-go boxes of rolls. Next to cases of what appeared to be California and Philadelphia maki was the odd one out: a roll covered with seaweed salad mixed with chopped octopus and topped with citrine-colored tobiko. This one was unexpectedly potent, for the sauce had obviously been pre-mixed with wasabi. Inside the roll? Avocado. A nice hidden filler that softened the wasabi's sting, anywy.
When in Spain, go for the unusual Spanish food, not just the tapas--but try the Japanese restaurants. Just for fun. And don't expect much.
JAPO
c/Alvarez Quintero
45-41004 Sevilla, Spain
+34 954 56 0000
Sushimarket
Mercado de San Miguel
Madrid, Spain
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Sushi Yuzu of Toluca Lake
Arranging the white, almost petal-thin pieces of octopus on a plate as though it were a floral arrangement, chef Gen Kimura wears an expression of intense concentration as he applies the next garnishes: shredded daikon radish, a twisted wedge of lemon, a mound of slick black seaweed salad, a medallion of beet. Finally, a single green mint leaf is tucked to one side, and the work of art is almost complete. You can tell Kimura loves working with his hands and perfecting every detail: using his fingers, he smears on the green citrus ingredient after which he named his restaurant, followed by a dusting of freshly grated pink rock salt from Japan and few dabs of plum sauce. And there you have it: the Nama Tako-Ashi—or, just call it an octopus sashimi with the works.
This is Sushi Yuzu...located in Toluca Lake, a comely little neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley between Burbank and North Hollywood. The menu changes daily, but the favorites are always on the list—such as the wildly popular Spicy Chilean Sea Bass Hand Roll, and the much-praised Lemon Roll, which combines spicy tuna with lemon slices (rind inclusive, for added flavor) and pine nuts (hint: Kimura brought this one over from Kushiyu of Tarzana, where he worked as a chef for many years. Kimura says he and a partner invented this brilliant concoction).
Originally from Japan, Kimura opened Sushi Yuzu a little over two years ago, naming the restaurant after one of his favorite ingredients. It is certainly used liberally in many dishes, along with the purplish plum sauce, pink salt, and the magical brownish-red sweet paste (containing a mixture of Japanese chili, oyster sauce, sesame oil and Korean miso) which is used in the Sea Bass hand roll.
Kusshi Oyster on the Half Shell may seem steep at $9 for three small bites, but it is some of the freshest shellfish you will ever experience. This is one of the specials that may do a disappearing act from the menu, as it is not always available.
Another elusive dish that's not to be missed: Aji-Tataki, which is served nigiri-style, except the fish isn't just sliced fish, but a colorful mosaic of chopped Spanish mackerel, diced shibazuke, green onions, shiso, and sweet kelp. Plum sauce, miso sauce and sesame seeds finish it off just right. It's Heaven—and you need not be a fan of mackerel to enjoy it.
Although the L-shaped sushi bar seats as many as 11, the restaurant is tiny overall, with parking that is painfully scarce and cramped. Only four parking spaces are reserved for Sushi Yuzu, and there is a sign above the other spaces that literally reads "Don't Even Think of Parking Here." You balk, but then you realize that if you've arrived after the business hours during which these spaces are reserved for the neighbors of the complex, you're safe.
If you're ingratiating enough, Kimura may just decide to sweeten your feast with a dessert of—what else?—yuzu sorbet. With a mint leaf on top, of course.
Sushi Yuzu
10118 Riverside Dr., Toluca Lake
818-763-8355
This is Sushi Yuzu...located in Toluca Lake, a comely little neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley between Burbank and North Hollywood. The menu changes daily, but the favorites are always on the list—such as the wildly popular Spicy Chilean Sea Bass Hand Roll, and the much-praised Lemon Roll, which combines spicy tuna with lemon slices (rind inclusive, for added flavor) and pine nuts (hint: Kimura brought this one over from Kushiyu of Tarzana, where he worked as a chef for many years. Kimura says he and a partner invented this brilliant concoction).
Originally from Japan, Kimura opened Sushi Yuzu a little over two years ago, naming the restaurant after one of his favorite ingredients. It is certainly used liberally in many dishes, along with the purplish plum sauce, pink salt, and the magical brownish-red sweet paste (containing a mixture of Japanese chili, oyster sauce, sesame oil and Korean miso) which is used in the Sea Bass hand roll.
Kusshi Oyster on the Half Shell may seem steep at $9 for three small bites, but it is some of the freshest shellfish you will ever experience. This is one of the specials that may do a disappearing act from the menu, as it is not always available.
Another elusive dish that's not to be missed: Aji-Tataki, which is served nigiri-style, except the fish isn't just sliced fish, but a colorful mosaic of chopped Spanish mackerel, diced shibazuke, green onions, shiso, and sweet kelp. Plum sauce, miso sauce and sesame seeds finish it off just right. It's Heaven—and you need not be a fan of mackerel to enjoy it.
Although the L-shaped sushi bar seats as many as 11, the restaurant is tiny overall, with parking that is painfully scarce and cramped. Only four parking spaces are reserved for Sushi Yuzu, and there is a sign above the other spaces that literally reads "Don't Even Think of Parking Here." You balk, but then you realize that if you've arrived after the business hours during which these spaces are reserved for the neighbors of the complex, you're safe.
If you're ingratiating enough, Kimura may just decide to sweeten your feast with a dessert of—what else?—yuzu sorbet. With a mint leaf on top, of course.
Sushi Yuzu
10118 Riverside Dr., Toluca Lake
818-763-8355
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