鮨食べる人 アメリカ人

On this evening the regular course had 7 uni - 3 aka uni, uni risotto, and then this trio. They are interspersed throughout the meal and reappear almost at random, sort of like the head melody in a long jazz piece. I can understand why Yasuda-san emphasizes so much uni - the quality here was exceptional for every variety that was served on this night. In this picture there are murasaki, bafun and ensui (seawater preserved) sea urchins, all with completely unique flavors and richness. Less

All the luxury flexes. Clearly Yasuda-san has a predilection for @louisvuitton and @hermes. The staff even wear Hermes headscarves.
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This is indeed part of the "show" here. For example, that huge "quarter" of maguro isn't served at the meal. It gets unwrapped, placed on that vintage LVMH luggage (next to the Yamayuki label, naturally) and then put back away as soon as all the guests snap pictures. The maguro section of the course is served from the saku that are already broken down.
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Is this garish? Many, many sushiya and high end washoku pride themselves on serving on vintage @baccarat plates and glassware (@sushi_ikko famously has glass Baccarat vessels for his shoyu). This isn't very different. My take on all this is that as long as the "show" doesn't disrupt the pace or quality of the food, it's all fun. Yasuda-san knows his audience, and is in on the joke - he quipped that he needs to wear Hermes because other scarves give him a headache 😂. Maybe someday there will be a taisho whose staff wear all Balenciaga, like they're about to attend a staff meeting on the Death Star. Less

On this evening the regular course had 7 uni - 3 aka uni, uni risotto, and then this trio. They are interspersed throughout the meal and reappear almost at random, sort of like the head melody in a long jazz piece. I can understand why Yasuda-san emphasizes so much uni - the quality here was exceptional for every variety that was served on this night. In this picture there are murasaki, bafun and ensui (seawater preserved) sea urchins, all with completely unique flavors and richness. Less

All the luxury flexes. Clearly Yasuda-san has a predilection for @louisvuitton and @hermes. The staff even wear Hermes headscarves.
.
This is indeed part of the "show" here. For example, that huge "quarter" of maguro isn't served at the meal. It gets unwrapped, placed on that vintage LVMH luggage (next to the Yamayuki label, naturally) and then put back away as soon as all the guests snap pictures. The maguro section of the course is served from the saku that are already broken down.
.
Is this garish? Many, many sushiya and high end washoku pride themselves on serving on vintage @baccarat plates and glassware (@sushi_ikko famously has glass Baccarat vessels for his shoyu). This isn't very different. My take on all this is that as long as the "show" doesn't disrupt the pace or quality of the food, it's all fun. Yasuda-san knows his audience, and is in on the joke - he quipped that he needs to wear Hermes because other scarves give him a headache 😂. Maybe someday there will be a taisho whose staff wear all Balenciaga, like they're about to attend a staff meeting on the Death Star. Less

It's rare to find even one type of aka uni in a sushi course, although if you're at a high end sushiya between June and late September there's a decent chance you'll encounter it. Aka uni is smaller and more delicate than even bafun uni, and doesn't travel nearly as well, especially outside of Japan. The flavor is less uniformly sweet than bafun uni and oftentimes, notably smoky.
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Unfortunately, these pictures were from almost a year ago and I didn't take detailed tasting notes or other facts on brand/origin/etc (@bootsy_gi who was with me, might remember better). What I do remember is that all three varieties were absolutely pristine in texture and flavor, with distinctly different notes of sweet, smoky, and briny flavor. I am pretty sure the one on the right (with the most nondescript box) was my favorite, coming from the Yamaguchi area. This was a type I only had the opportunity to enjoy once before when I was in Kokura back in 2017, so it was pretty special to encounter it again. Less

It's rare to find even one type of aka uni in a sushi course, although if you're at a high end sushiya between June and late September there's a decent chance you'll encounter it. Aka uni is smaller and more delicate than even bafun uni, and doesn't travel nearly as well, especially outside of Japan. The flavor is less uniformly sweet than bafun uni and oftentimes, notably smoky.
.
Unfortunately, these pictures were from almost a year ago and I didn't take detailed tasting notes or other facts on brand/origin/etc (@bootsy_gi who was with me, might remember better). What I do remember is that all three varieties were absolutely pristine in texture and flavor, with distinctly different notes of sweet, smoky, and briny flavor. I am pretty sure the one on the right (with the most nondescript box) was my favorite, coming from the Yamaguchi area. This was a type I only had the opportunity to enjoy once before when I was in Kokura back in 2017, so it was pretty special to encounter it again. Less

Maybe not surprisingly, the sushi course here hits every traditional edomae technique. Konbujime for shiromi, sujime for hikarimono, oboro with kurumaebi. Tuna and uni are part of the course and not centerpieces or featured items (in fact, uni was only offered as an add-on on this evening). No branded boxes or broker labels are displayed. The entire meal lasts a little more than an hour, even with some additional add ons. Some might call this experience "casual" (which wouldn't be wrong) but the better descriptor feels like "typical" - the same word you might hear throughout Europe if you're looking for a local restaurant rather than a tourist destination. Less

Maybe not surprisingly, the sushi course here hits every traditional edomae technique. Konbujime for shiromi, sujime for hikarimono, oboro with kurumaebi. Tuna and uni are part of the course and not centerpieces or featured items (in fact, uni was only offered as an add-on on this evening). No branded boxes or broker labels are displayed. The entire meal lasts a little more than an hour, even with some additional add ons. Some might call this experience "casual" (which wouldn't be wrong) but the better descriptor feels like "typical" - the same word you might hear throughout Europe if you're looking for a local restaurant rather than a tourist destination. Less

Tsukada-san's sushi is beautiful. Slicing, draping and shari size are all in excellent proportion. I would say the neta selection tends towards richness, but overall the progression was very well balanced. Standouts were local saba, nakazumi (served instead of kohada), and raw botan that had just been lightly shocked in ice water to firm the flesh. Ingredient quality across the board is excellent. Less