The Real Deal: Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo. Dai-wa Sushi.

I've been back to Tokyo and had a chance to practice my standard jet lag result of either recovery & submission. Flying from California to Japan turns me upside down and I really don't mind all that much because without fail it has similar effects on every trip. I go to bed early on the first night and then wake up way, way too early the next day. Usually about 3am or so it's all over. I'm up looking out the window of the hotel to the glowing blinking red lights amidst the towering buildings. It won't be light for a while. I putter around, take a shower and plan the first day in Tokyo. It's simple. It's basic. I am taking a taxi to the Tsukiji Fish Market to wander around and take in the frenetic commerce. There's guys in rubber boots sauntering around smoking cigarettes and riding delivery vehicles at speed of true abandon in the narrow stalls. It's nice there and in the pre-dawn hour it's an amazing sight. Giant fresh tuna. Massive torpedo's of the sea. They are lined up in an huge arena and auctioned off. In the surrounding stalls there is every type of sea creature that I have ever seen and many, many more that I have never even imagined. In the decades of travel to Japan and well over a decade of living here and popping by periodically I never tire of the Tsukiji Fish Market. Walk around at 4:30am and take it all in. At 5am? It is time to begin to line up outside of Dai-Wa Sushi. Located within the confines proper, it is a tiny place which does not disappoint.

This time? Basic. In after a short 20 minute late and then belly up to the counter. The seats seem to get smaller and closer with each visit. The sushi master sees me as yet another 'gaijin' (foreigner) and smiles to greet me with a big 'hello!' Quickly 'oshibori' steamed hand towels are brought out and steaming hot tea comes out. The counter is beautifully polished white wood. I order the requisite sushi 'omakase.' The goods. His 'chu-toro' is better than the 'o-toro' I get back at home in California.

I pop a lovely, buttery 'hamachi' in my mouth and look around me. There are no business men here with their Blackberry's. There are no suits. None. This is not a spot for entertaining clients. This place is for locals, drunks and tourists. Several people come in and seem a little drunk. They order beer. Others are older and appear familiar with the sushi chef. They order all kinds of esoteric bits and pieces all the while chatting with the sushi chef about everything from the weather to politics. I love this place. If you are planning to come to Tokyo you need to wander the fish market and find this place. Worth the effort? Yes. Worth the trip? Well, I certainly think so. Do you like sushi? Have you been to Tokyo? Please tell me the answer is 'yes.' If you haven't been to Japan (or been to Kuruma-zushi in NYC) then it's quite likely you haven't had the real deal. Put down the mouse, log off this site and book a flight. Is it really that good? Trust me on this. There is something magical about a pre-sushi wander in the Tsukiji Fish Marget. It does wonders for the imagination as you stroll past massive crates of live king crab from the Northern waters of Aomori. Buckets of live eel. Soft shell crab, salmon, sea cucumber... It is an aquarium of treats and to eat sushi within the very heart of the market? Words can not describe. I salivate at the thought and hope you will too... Sushi? It all starts at the Tsukiji Fish Market. If you are eating an amazing hand roll at 'Uchi' in Austin I can guarantee you that 24 hours earlier it spent a bit of time at the Tsukiji Fish Market. If you eat at Dai-wa? Chances are good it's spent much less time clearing customs in Texas!

A few basic ordering tips

Sushi Savvy -

OK, I've probably said this before... If you are at a sushi bar and want to get the best of the best you really need to put yourself in the 'chef's hands.' 'omakase' or 'chef's choice' is the way to go. At some places this can be a pricey and somewhat dangerous move. "Hey, who put the poisonous blow fish on the menu!?" [just kidding. very, very unlikely that you would get 'fugu' on any 'omakase' without warning] Yes, there are places where you can add that safety net caveat of, say, a specific price ceiling... "omakase, and can we do $50 each?" This is a fine approach and seems to work well in and around the Americas.

What about those days when you just want a couple of very specific slices of fish? You can certainly order a la carte. I'm not sure if this is deep seated tradition or just what I was raised with in Japan. Generally, I like to go with some sashimi followed by a few nigiri (simple fish on rice *not* a roll) followed by the tamago(egg omellette) Generally your local sushi bar in America will have a photo menu where you can identify the fish you are familiar with and these are named both in English and in Japanese.

Light meal with some good options? For a small dinner I generally go with maguro (tuna), hamachi (yellow tail), uni (sea urchin), unagi (grilled eel) and... also, it's generally a good idea to be open to options. Order a few. Ask the chef what's fresh or what's good today and go with the directives. This will generally ensure you get the good stuff that's really fresh. Also, if you are going to get a few rolls I would opt for 'o-shinko-maki' which is a roll made generally from the yellow Japanese pickle. It's a perfect palate cleanser. 'Inari-zushi' is sweet rice surrounded with a brown tofu bi-product. It's another delightful palate cleanser. Some places make these incredibly well, and I'll always give a new place a try to see if they are up to snuff. If the sushi bar offers 'miso' soup you might want to add that to the mix as well... Any rolls that come with fresh Japanese 'shiso' leaf are also generally a good idea. The 'shiso' leaf has an unreal flavor that's similar to basil only with an unusual and particular finish.

Experiment and have fun. Generally a good idea to learn some of the Japanese names for the fish you like. Hamachi and Maguro are pretty basic. If you pick up some of the more esoteric names, like 'meji' your sushi chef will see that you have done your homework and likely done some of this homework in Japan. There are a lot of options out there and your chef and wait staff should be happy to help with your ongoing education process.

You'll find that in many places they will serve your sushi in the order you place it. If you really want the 'tamago' to come at the *end* of your meal you might need to mention it in some places.

So, you are ordering a few at a time and want more? Ask and they will keep em coming. Final tip of the day? Tea. You are at the sushi bar, possibly in Japan, where the wait staff and chef are actually Japanese? Looking to score style points? When you ask for tea skip the standard 'o-cha' and ask for 'agari.' This is how you order tea when you are at a sushi bar in Japan. Kinda geeky? Esoteric? Sure, but the bar staff will know that you know your stuff. Gotta take the points where you can get em!

Have fun out there and enjoy the fish!

Don't Hog The Bar

Sushi Savvy - Mike Skurko



OK. There’s this general notion in Japan that “only foreigners” will camp out at the sushi bar. The Japanese approach, and possibly the polite and correct approach, is to get in at the sushi bar and eat your meal and get out. It sounds pretty simple, but again, I’ve seen more that a few blunders in this area myself.
Let’s start with a place I know of in Tokyo. This sushi-ya is very popular. What exactly does this mean? Yes, they take reservations.. By the half hour. Sure, they can set you up with two half hour time slots, but generally speaking you get in there for your half hour time slot, you eat your amazing sushi and you get out. Nothing personal, but that entire European notion of spending as long as you like over an espresso at the bar is right out the window here. Sure, there are places that would be more than happy to have you camp out at the bar and knock back bottles of high end sake all night. Usually the ones that are not that busy. Turnover equates profits…
Once again, let’s keep this one flexible. Be aware of your surroundings. If you are in a sushi-ya that is really packed and there is a line of people waiting for your seat? Then you do the right thing and try not to waste time lingering over tea at the end of your meal.
On a recent visit to Dai-wa Sushi in Tsukiji in Tokyo I wound up sitting next to a couple from San Francisco. As we ate and chatted they called for their check and smiled. “This is our first trip to Japan. They told us that only the foreigners linger at the bar.” I guess they got the memo. I wonder if they are the only ones or if “we” foreigners are finally starting to get it? No need to gulp your tea and choke on your final bites of ‘inari-zushi,’ but be considerate. Chances are good you will be waiting outside in the rain some day and will be happy to see an efficient crew at the bar and nary a one holding court over their fifth cup of tea.

Shhh... no shouting @ The Sushi Bar

Sushi Bar Savvy – Keep your business private at the bar

By Mike Skurko

On a recent business trip I was having lunch alone at Karuma-zushi in New York on 47th. This is quite possibly one of the best sushi bars. Not just in Manhattan. Globally. It is as good as it gets and, yes, compares to anything I’ve had in Japan. It’s painfully expensive and a perfect place for a power lunch. This is not a ‘first date’ lunch spot unless you are Donald Trump. The bill for my ‘chef’s choice’ (o-makase) sashimi lunch with a single (small) beer was $380 (before any gratuity). It is sashimi of the gods. This is where you take someone who you do the big deals with. Regularly…

As I was enjoying my solo meal and chatting with Uezu-san I couldn’t help bust notice some business was going down at the sushi bar and it showed a serious lack of savvy. I had a five thousand dollar custom suit to my left and sitting next to him a more casual gray haired guy. It became *quite* clear that the ‘suit’ was from one of the larger investment banks and the casual guy was his client. Ah, private banking and a high end meal to cement the ongoing relationship. Still, having spent the past four years in the IT/Security space I sat there and watched one of the larger power lunch blunders I could imagine. Private banking is about trust and privacy. No one needs to know your financial business. So? You really should not be having this type of meeting at the sushi bar. Especially if you can’t keep your voice down. Nope. There are private dining rooms at Kuruma-zushi. Use them if you are there to delve into private matters. Not all power lunch meals involve trade secretes or issues of national security. However, if you are a banker with a client you should never, ever sit at the sushi bar and discuss the specifics of your client’s portfolio. It’s really dumb. So, as I sat there eating another buttery slab of hamachi I couldn’t help but tune in. The banker was talking about moving a seven figure amount from one fund to the next. He was talking about the total projected value of this man’s portfolio. He ran a few numbers with a calculator. (note: never use a cell phone, calculator or laptop at a sushi bar. Ever. It’s very bad form) I couldn’t believe this. As I glanced to my tea cup there was the printed portfolio placed next to my elbow. On the counter! I could read the client’s name, phone and account number. Oh, this is really stupid. I was almost tempted to interrupt, but instead re-engaged in chatting with Uezu-san, and happily tucking into another beautifully marbled pink wedge of 0-toro with freshly ground, light green wasabi.

So, here’s the sushi lesson of the day. Be aware of your surroundings. Your business is your business. Keep your voice at an appropriate level and never put confidential business documents on the sushi bar or any other place where they can be seen. You can discuss business at the bar, but run numbers back at your office. Doing business at the sushi bar is fully appropriate, but delving into the specifics of a stock portfolio at the bar is certainly rude to the sushi master and also a serious breech of business privacy.

Sushi 101 - The Basics

Sushi Savvy - The Basics
by
Mike Skurko

If you consider yourself to be a sushi master you might want to skip this. I am about to describe some of the basics of the sushi bar. Real basics. Sushi 101 for those of you who are still new to this and/or any of you who have not had sushi in Japan. Yes, there are some "basics" that come from a culture that has been eating sushi for a really long time now. So, there's some simple stuff and some slightly esoteric things to consider. I once had a teacher tell me that "we are all beginners at one point," yes this is true, but it's still kind of funny watching an adult learn how to ride a bicycle. (really, it is.) So, let's get you to the bar looking like an adult shall we?

So, you go to the sushi bar and take a seat at the bar. Here's my first pointer. If you are going to the trouble of getting good sushi and want to ensure that you are getting the best cut of hamachi you should always sit at the bar. I am not sure why this works this way, but if you get to the bar and come across as, well, not a complete ass you have a very good chance at getting some guidance. Sit at the bar. Show some respect. You are a guest. Behaving accordingly. So, you are at the bar and, for the sake of this particular piece, let's just call if your first visit ever to this sushi bar. If there is an option for 'omakase' or chef's choice then this is absolutely what you should order. This allows the chef to pick and choose what is fresh and good. Granted this can be expensive. If there are limits to your lunch budget you can ask for a range and/or just ask what the 'omakase' will cost. In some circles this will have you pegged as "cheap," but having a lovely lunch for one and a bill that is over five hundred dollars can be unsettlingly at the best of times. If you are not going with a full blown chef's choice then always ask what is fresh/good today. Let the master guide you. This shows respect and if you only insist on 'maguro' you will never learn about all the colors in the master's palate. If you have any specific aversions by all means speak up. I know there are a lot of people who squirm at the thought of that slimy-yellow sea urchin. You can mention this to the chef. If the wasabi is something you prefer in small doses let them know at the bar.

All right. You are at the bar and you are well behaved. You are in the hands of the master. The first piece of nigiri is offered on a small plate. You are at the bar. You are *not* at the table. It is perfectly acceptable, in many cases preferable, to eat with your hands. Yes. Not at the table, but at the bar you can palm that o-toro placed on the rice and deftly turn it over as you dip the fish side of the sushi into the soy sauce. This is really critical and I can not tell you how often I am at a sushi bar and watch some hapless fool drop the nigiri rice side down into the sauce. What happens? The rices comes apart into the sauce and that perfect, bit sized moment is lost into a clump of inky black sauce. With your chopsticks or by hand you *always* need to flip that piece and lightly apply sauce before bringing it to your mouth. Ahhh, now the other moment of potential contention. Do you bite the piece in half or go for the entire chunk? OK, this one is not so terribly black and white. It works like this. If you can easily, without choking, take an entire piece then by all means do so. If you are prone to panic and might, just possibly choke? Then nip the piece in half and quickly eat the other piece without dropping *any* rice or bits of flesh on the counter or back into the soy sauce.

Here's a bit more than the absolute basics. If you are at a place that is known to be really, really good then you should do the following without fail. Go with the 'omakase.' Ask them to start you with sashimi and then end the meal with sushi. The really high end fish is amazing and should not be mixed with rice or much, if any, wasabi or soy sauce. There is a high end that is amazing and should be best taken straight up - no chaser. The same goes for sake. If you are drinking really good sake then the last thing on earth you will *ever* want to do is to have that 'junmai daiginjo' served hot. (trust me on this. you will look like an absolute idiot if you walk into a sushi-ya and ask for a hot bottle of their best sake.)

Here's another really basic tip. I am not sure where you are eating your sushi. Sushi can be found in incredibly land locked places and thanks to unreal logistics it's quite possible to have sushi in Chicago on Tuesday that was auctioned off at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo on Monday. That being said here is a very basic rule of thumb. If your sushi smells fishy then it is not going in your mouth. Fresh fish does not smell fishy. Ever. Yes, I know, this is terribly basic. It is however a very good thing to consider if you are snapping up sushi at the buffet in Vegas or at a small sushi-ya in Wisconsin. (and yes, I have had perfectly delicious sushi in both of those places) So, if you are at a reputable sushi-ya this will never be an issue. Sometimes you will find yourself at a somewhat questionable place that is not even close to a source of fresh fish. Your sushi smells strongly of fish? Put down that ‘nigiri’, you need to order something off their grilled menu! Possibly chicken. Yep.