Deja Food: Sushi bar @ Sushi Nakazawa

Sukiyabashi Jiro is a small restaurant in Tokyo which garnered three Michelin stars and the reputation of the world's best sushi. I came to know about it from friends and after watching Jiro's Dream of Sushi. Though I wanted to try it, I was not able to justify the price as I am not a sushi person. Instead, we tried Nihonryori RyuGin instead. Anyway, we were excited to try Nakazawa when it first opened in NYC, except that it was challenging to get a reservation.

After religiously checking Open table almost daily and every midnight, we finally got reservation for its 10-seat sushi bar. Only 20-courses omakase menu is served ($120 or $150 per person).

Priced $30 more, I would recommend people to aim for the sushi bar if you like to (1) see behind the scene, (2) have your sushi prepared by Chef Daisuke and (3) have more interaction with the chef.

Overall impression:
I came to Nakazawa with a high expectation due to my Sushi Dai's experience. There were some memorable moments and the so-so moments. Ultimately after considering the meal value, Sushi Dai still left me with the best impression, for the best bang for the buck and the freshness.

1) Sushi Dai -Tokyo (~$40 for 11 sushi depending on FX rate)
2) Sushi Nakazawa - NYC ($150++ for 20 sushi)
3) Sushi Yasuda - NYC (expensive and over hyped)

Daisuke Nakazawa personally prepared the sushi to those who ate at the bar ($150 per person). On the other hand, his assistants prepared for the patrons in the dining room ($120 per person).

Seating is based on first come first serve basis. We came 5 minutes late cause we saw a review saying that Daisuke's station was at the end. Well, I guessed he swapped daily as he was now in the center. There was more interaction if you sit right in front of him, but nevertheless, he also tried to strike conversation with others too

Wet towel to wipe your finger after each sushi

Torch is used frequently, unlike other sushi bar I've been

Using dropper of some sort (left); adding pinch of salt (right)

Sushi are presented in the following chronological order. As a start, salmon from Hokkaido was presented. It was ok but there was a little hint of stale fishy smell.

Second was smoked salmon from Alaska. Much better than the first and has nice smoky flavor to it.

Dancing Scallop. After placing it, the chef gave it a little nudge and we saw it moved. Acknowledgment of its freshness. This was one of my favorites. It was tender and has a nice spiciness.

Mich played with her scallop further

Washington clam- lightly torched- it was ok.

Spotted grouper- It's ok and a little chewy.

Golden eye snapper with a little salt and lemon- Nice with little crunch.

There are 3 step process for the patrons in dining room.

Assistants cut and assemble sushi before handing it to the last assistant. He then transfers and arranges the sushi to a new plate. It will then be passed to the guy or girl in suit, who wipes the plates of any mess.

An assembly line indeed.

Fashioning duck face- jk- he's just explaining what the sushi was

Marbled flounder from Tokyo Bay- Pleasant with subtle flavor

Horse mackerel- soft and tender. Mildly flavored

7 day aged mackerel with japanese mustard- packed with more flavor but has a little fishy smell. Didn't know you can age fish.

Stone crab with roe and crab brain. Creamy and explosive with flavor. I found a crab 'shell' on mine and silently put it at the top of my serving plate.

At some point, the chef noticed the glaring white speck and asked if it was the crab shell, upon which I replied yes. He took it away and bowed apologetically "Sorry, I did the crab".

Should have said, "It's ok, what about discount?"

Chef Daisuke was a jovial person, often giving jokes and laughing.

Hammer shrimp- chewy.. a little overcooked perhaps?

Golden stripe yellow tail - Fresh, mild flavor

Bonito from Nagasaki Japan- Taste similar to the smoked salmon, has a nice smoky flavor.

Blue fin tuna 3 ways, 3 different cuts from the same fish.

Starting from leanest (left) to the fattiest (right). It was good, but I was hoping for the melt-in-your-mouth experience for the otoro by placing the fish directly on the tongue. Didn't have such experience

Finally, the uni

Sea urchin from Santa barbara- known for its creamy, buttery but distinctive taste. I feel it still pales in comparison to my Sushi Dai experience in Tokyo, where it was more pleasant tasting (less fishy smell).

Steelhead roe (?) from washington state, soaked with soy. It was a delightful burst of flavors.

Tuna handroll. There was a little too much wasabi or mustard on mine

Sea eel. Perhaps I took too many picture by the time I ate it, it was lukewarm and not satisfying for me.

Finally, the much anticipated tamago where it was claimed that it took Daisuke over 200 attempts before it was approved by Jiro, bringing him to tears.

A one-of-a-kind tamago. Its sweetness is similar to the tamago from Hatsu hana, but its texture is unique, and can be easily mistaken as a sponge cake.

Don't expect it to be a life changing experience though.