Hop aboard Sushi Choo, a modern and more glamorous take on the sushi train restaurant concept. Located inside the Ivy, Sushi Choo is contemporary both in culinary style and interior design: the white marble counters and enormous red wicker cage-like lanterns beckon you while the menu entices—you can order "On the Rails" (from the sushi train itself) or "Off the Rails" (appetizers or specials from the kitchen, from miso soup and edamame to sashimi). For early diners, there is even a A$20 All-You-Can-Eat special, which may be well worth it considering many sushi train restaurants charge an average of A$5 for one item.
There is no simple color-coding here for the price guide; the menu actually describes the designs on the plates and their cargo. For example, the plate with the "small leaf flower on black or red" costs A$5.50, and may hold tuna ceviche nigiri, kingfish leek & chilli nigiri, makimono tuna avocado, philadelphia or dynamite. The dish with "black or gold single lotus" is A$9, and could feature the makimono nixon roll, the burning rainbow roll, or lion roll.
Feeling off my rocker with this glitzy atmosphere and such novel names, I ordered one item "Off the Rails"—Kingfish Jalapeno, thinly sliced with yuzu soy, coriander and jalapeno, for A$10-while grabbing another one from "On the Rails"—seared salmon enhanced with yuzu.
Sushi Choo
Level G of the Ivy
320 George St., Sydney NSW
612-9240-3000
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Introducing the Balmain Bug
Ever heard of the Balmain Bug? Neither had I. And that was why, despite the other temptations on the menu at Sushi e such as the Wagyu Roll with flamed Wagyu beef slices, and the exotic-sounding maki featuring salmon, baby capers, mixed cress and Spanish onion, I chose the Balmain Bug Roll.
Also known as the butterfly fan lobster, the Balmain Bug is a species of slipper lobster that lives in shallow waters around Australia. The waitress had to explain to me what it was; and I was but a mesmerized tourist, questioning and learning and feeling grateful that such a ritzy place was friendly and welcoming to someone dressed in casual garb and hiking boots, as I had just concluded a tour in the Blue Mountains.
The Balmain Bug order is not a cheap one, either—A$21.50 for this eight-piece cut roll that's no bigger than your average California Roll. However, anything in the lobster family has never been inexpensive, and although the roll was top-tier in taste overall, it didn't seem extraordinarily unlike any high-grade sushi roll with fried shellfish inside it. The rare "continental cucumber" inside, however, did have a soft and velvety texture to it, unlike the rough and crunchy, cheap variation most places stick in their rolls as a filler ingredient.
Ironically, Sushi e was recommended to me by heaps of bogans I had chatted with at the Ivy Bar, and therefore I had not expected an ambience quite as upscale as the one I encountered at this palatial Japanese dining hall. The "e" stands for "establishment," the name of the trendy hotel and nightclub inside which Sushi e is located.
Sushi e closes the deal with a complimentary dessert: a thin vial filled with Vanilla Panna Cotta and Raspberry Coulis.
Sushi e
Level 4 of establishment
252 George St., Sydney
612-9240-3000
Next blog: Sushi in Melbourne
Also known as the butterfly fan lobster, the Balmain Bug is a species of slipper lobster that lives in shallow waters around Australia. The waitress had to explain to me what it was; and I was but a mesmerized tourist, questioning and learning and feeling grateful that such a ritzy place was friendly and welcoming to someone dressed in casual garb and hiking boots, as I had just concluded a tour in the Blue Mountains.
The Balmain Bug order is not a cheap one, either—A$21.50 for this eight-piece cut roll that's no bigger than your average California Roll. However, anything in the lobster family has never been inexpensive, and although the roll was top-tier in taste overall, it didn't seem extraordinarily unlike any high-grade sushi roll with fried shellfish inside it. The rare "continental cucumber" inside, however, did have a soft and velvety texture to it, unlike the rough and crunchy, cheap variation most places stick in their rolls as a filler ingredient.
Ironically, Sushi e was recommended to me by heaps of bogans I had chatted with at the Ivy Bar, and therefore I had not expected an ambience quite as upscale as the one I encountered at this palatial Japanese dining hall. The "e" stands for "establishment," the name of the trendy hotel and nightclub inside which Sushi e is located.
Sushi e closes the deal with a complimentary dessert: a thin vial filled with Vanilla Panna Cotta and Raspberry Coulis.
Sushi e
Level 4 of establishment
252 George St., Sydney
612-9240-3000
Next blog: Sushi in Melbourne
Monday, February 21, 2011
A Sea Urchin Seduction
If you're a sea urchin skeptic like I used to be, then perhaps it's time to take a trip to San Diego.
Sea urchins, as I've come to learn, feed directly on kelp, and the kelp beds in San Diego are among the richest in the world. As a result, this purple porcupine of the sea produces in the second-largest city of California the biggest, fattest, and juiciest gonads—er, that is, after all, the part that is eaten.
Despite its insidious outer appearance, with its hard shell and spiky spicules, this edible echinoderm contains fluffy, spongy insides that are considered a premium delicacy worldwide (although the yellow-brown goo on the interior, the part you eat with seaweed and rice at the sushi bar, isn't exactly pretty either).
Nobu of San Diego, however, has a few ideas on how to dress it up. Wasabi salsa, perhaps? Maybe truffle oil, caviar, and a few flakes of edible gold? The sushi chefs went to town in their efforts to defeat my disdain toward this briny-sweet sea staple. Perhaps I never had it fresh, they insisted. Perhaps I never had it done right, they assured. Perhaps, perhaps...
But how could anyone resist a tray laden with plump golden-brown uni sitting atop a veritable glass of edamame puree, complete with the works and an accompaniment of seared scallop and tart baby peaches?
For effect, even a portion of the sea urchin shell was cut and used for display, as a chef might sometimes use pieces of crustacean shells for decorative purposes. It was a sea urchin seduction-platter, designed to enchant and convert me, so who was I to resist?
The transformation was complete, but now I was ruined for life: how could I ever eat uni elsewhere? Certainly, there are other cities in the world with top-grade sea urchin, especially in restaurants that serve it live as opposed to processed, but for the most part you don't get uni this grand in size and taste and presentation very easily, not to mention sauces like the house-made wasabi salsa, which contains onions and olive oil, or the ever-pungent and exquisite white truffle oil.
Without any add-ons, eating uni is like tasting the ocean, with a creamy consistency; it's smooth and raw and rich...and it's definitely an acquired taste.
Nobu
207 5th Avenue, San Diego
619-814-4124
Sea urchins, as I've come to learn, feed directly on kelp, and the kelp beds in San Diego are among the richest in the world. As a result, this purple porcupine of the sea produces in the second-largest city of California the biggest, fattest, and juiciest gonads—er, that is, after all, the part that is eaten.
Despite its insidious outer appearance, with its hard shell and spiky spicules, this edible echinoderm contains fluffy, spongy insides that are considered a premium delicacy worldwide (although the yellow-brown goo on the interior, the part you eat with seaweed and rice at the sushi bar, isn't exactly pretty either).
Nobu of San Diego, however, has a few ideas on how to dress it up. Wasabi salsa, perhaps? Maybe truffle oil, caviar, and a few flakes of edible gold? The sushi chefs went to town in their efforts to defeat my disdain toward this briny-sweet sea staple. Perhaps I never had it fresh, they insisted. Perhaps I never had it done right, they assured. Perhaps, perhaps...
But how could anyone resist a tray laden with plump golden-brown uni sitting atop a veritable glass of edamame puree, complete with the works and an accompaniment of seared scallop and tart baby peaches?
For effect, even a portion of the sea urchin shell was cut and used for display, as a chef might sometimes use pieces of crustacean shells for decorative purposes. It was a sea urchin seduction-platter, designed to enchant and convert me, so who was I to resist?
The transformation was complete, but now I was ruined for life: how could I ever eat uni elsewhere? Certainly, there are other cities in the world with top-grade sea urchin, especially in restaurants that serve it live as opposed to processed, but for the most part you don't get uni this grand in size and taste and presentation very easily, not to mention sauces like the house-made wasabi salsa, which contains onions and olive oil, or the ever-pungent and exquisite white truffle oil.
Without any add-ons, eating uni is like tasting the ocean, with a creamy consistency; it's smooth and raw and rich...and it's definitely an acquired taste.
Nobu
207 5th Avenue, San Diego
619-814-4124
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Blue Ribbon Sushi of Las Vegas
The new Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino of Las Vegas may well be the latest destination for frolicking foodies everywhere. Its eclectic restaurant collection showcases famous names like STK and Comme Ça; star chef José Andrés has a new tapas diner here named Jaleo, as well as a Chinese-Mexican venture called China Poblano. And hailing from New York, last but not least, there is Blue Ribbon Sushi.
With winning plates ranging from the popular to the rare, Blue Ribbon Sushi serves it up fresh and fastidiously perfect–for a price. As one would expect, luxury expenses that befit a restaurant inside a luxury resort are found here; the dishes are diminutive yet cost more than what you would normally find for something of similar quality.
The King Crab California Roll for $22.25 is one such example. The compact six-piece presentation—also available with crab stick for $10, or with blue crab for $14—disappears in a few bites. It is undoubtedly tasty, although this roll is easily superseded by the one of the same name at the WP24 inside L.A.’s Ritz-Carlton, which for $16 offers a couple of extra bites and boasts a richer, sweeter crab flavor.
The Spicy Lobster Roll, for $17.25, is even less scant in size, and I was surprised that a traditional hosomaki with spicy lobster would also come with the more modern touch of crispy tempura flakes inside it, although that did lend a positive element to the texture.
But Blue Ribbon Sushi is better known for its rare fish, such as the Tasmanian Sea Trout (served with a dollop of mustard aioli) and Golden Eye Perch from Japan. There is even the traditional box-style sushi, available with Tamago & Uni, Smoked Sake & Shiso, and Hamachi Shiitake, the latter of which proved an excellent choice for this square-shaped delicacy. The yellowtail-encased sushi rice was nothing less than perfect, and the pairing with shiitake mushrooms at the core was delightful.
For $22, one can cull the Kanpachi Usuzukuri out of what seems to be an infinite menu of exotic taste explorations. Usuzukuri, which is the technique by which fish is "thinly sliced" in Japanese, is definitely a word that describes this slim sashimi, which is served with yuzu pepper and ponzu sauce.
Walloped by the whopping bill, my stomach whistling a tune as my wallet sang the blues, I reckoned the joint really did deserve its name—and such a beautiful and glamorous location.
Blue Ribbon Sushi at The Cosmopolitan
3708 Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas
702-215-5500
With winning plates ranging from the popular to the rare, Blue Ribbon Sushi serves it up fresh and fastidiously perfect–for a price. As one would expect, luxury expenses that befit a restaurant inside a luxury resort are found here; the dishes are diminutive yet cost more than what you would normally find for something of similar quality.
The King Crab California Roll for $22.25 is one such example. The compact six-piece presentation—also available with crab stick for $10, or with blue crab for $14—disappears in a few bites. It is undoubtedly tasty, although this roll is easily superseded by the one of the same name at the WP24 inside L.A.’s Ritz-Carlton, which for $16 offers a couple of extra bites and boasts a richer, sweeter crab flavor.
The Spicy Lobster Roll, for $17.25, is even less scant in size, and I was surprised that a traditional hosomaki with spicy lobster would also come with the more modern touch of crispy tempura flakes inside it, although that did lend a positive element to the texture.
But Blue Ribbon Sushi is better known for its rare fish, such as the Tasmanian Sea Trout (served with a dollop of mustard aioli) and Golden Eye Perch from Japan. There is even the traditional box-style sushi, available with Tamago & Uni, Smoked Sake & Shiso, and Hamachi Shiitake, the latter of which proved an excellent choice for this square-shaped delicacy. The yellowtail-encased sushi rice was nothing less than perfect, and the pairing with shiitake mushrooms at the core was delightful.
For $22, one can cull the Kanpachi Usuzukuri out of what seems to be an infinite menu of exotic taste explorations. Usuzukuri, which is the technique by which fish is "thinly sliced" in Japanese, is definitely a word that describes this slim sashimi, which is served with yuzu pepper and ponzu sauce.
Walloped by the whopping bill, my stomach whistling a tune as my wallet sang the blues, I reckoned the joint really did deserve its name—and such a beautiful and glamorous location.
Blue Ribbon Sushi at The Cosmopolitan
3708 Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas
702-215-5500
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)