Sitting at the counter leaves you a bit cramped for space, however it's worth the squeeze as you'll get to see the chefs in action. Watching the itamae in front of me hard at work- skillfully slicing sashimi, lovingly molding rice into beautifully-formed shari, brushing citrus zest over his sushi masterpieces (interesting!)- served as wonderful entertainment while I waited for my order to arrive.
Sushi Bento ($30.90++) After photographing the bento, I looked up to see the itamae with a bemused expression on his
face. Jovially, he said "I'll help you to take a photo!" Never thought I'll hear that from a chef lol!
I got a photo of Chef Watanabe too haha (:The Sushi Bento is one of the several value-for-money lunch sets available, perfect for folks with shallow(er) pockets. It included tempura (two pieces of okra, a piece of eggplant and two prawns), miso soup, and a cup of superbly smooth chawanmushi with a refreshing twist of yuzu. While the batter of the tempura wasn't greasy, I found the them to be just alright.
But it doesn't matter, because the reason why I came here was for sushi.
♥The toro and kappa makizushi here were the most delightful ones that I've ever had. (I'm a secret fan of kappamaki). Equally good was the sweetish and spongy tamogoyaki, as well as
the California roll, sprinkled with fresh tobiko which happily popped away in my mouth.
Aburi otoro sushi But everything pales in comparison to the exotically-decorated aburi otoro sushi which I ordered in addition to the set lunch. Superbly tender, rich and smooth are the adjectives I'd use to describe this absolutely ambrosial piece of torched flesh. If only it didn't cost $18++ per piece (minimum order of two pieces)...
I'm convinced. I'll be going for the Tokusen sushi set, or even omakase during my next visit to Tatsuya!!