The master at work. Staring with his otsumami he produces great food. First course was cured ikura. Hardly anybody serves you the perfect combination of popping ikura with a highly acidic sauce which matches perfectly the ikura. At Saito this is expected and will will be routinely served. Followed up by a wonderful dish of crab meat, shirako and an excellent kue (longtooth grouper). In between some succulent ankimo, but probably the highlight this time was the an anago. Spongy, but crispy, served with Japanese plum, fresh wasabi and some finely sliced cucumbers topped with a little sesame, it was one of the best anago I have eaten for a long while.
His nigiri are always top, the texture prefect, sometimes soft, sometimes a little chewy but always releasing plenty of umami.
Interesting fact, I noticed that he served the kohada earlier than normal. When asked, he said he does not have a fixed order. He decides on it when he thinks of the sequence and they way he would like to eat it. That simple, but always genial.
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