Review: Sushi Sho

25 April 2024

My long and fun trip is finally coming to an end. The weather has been miserable, rainy non-stop since I arrived in Stockholm. Unfortunately I think some of it seeped into my phone as it acted all weird. It was already acting weird during the day when I stopped at Noema for that nice dairy cow steak lunch.

The afternoon I kept going, visiting a few places I wanted to see before heading back to the hotel to pack up. I was running on fumes at this point, as this has been an exhausting yet wonderful trip. Tonight it closes with dinner at Sushi Sho, the Michelin-starred omakase that’s become extremely popular.

Although it has a very Japanese feel, a good amount of the ingredients are local, which makes it even more interesting. As I was about to head off, I noticed my phone shut off. Oh goodness, this thing may be zapped. I don’t have a bucket of rice to try to save it, but a little tinkering got it back working.

I got to Sushi Sho and we had to wait until the previous seating finished. It’s a boom-boom operation, very little cushion between their seatings. I was there for the final, 9pm one, which hopefully makes it more relaxing. I got a space in the middle of the counter, got a beer and asked for a sake pairing.

I am going to write very little on this review because of the aforementioned water issue with my phone, for some reason my notes on this dinner got destroyed. So with my memory a little foggy now, I’m not going to risk writing something wrong. And sadly, you’ll also see many of the photos seem to not focus very well. My apologies.

We began with some delicious sashimi, then an aromatic chawanmushi.

The photo of the handroll was totally messed up, so here’s the daikon. As a daikon lover this was great.

A few dishes and we get into nigiri. The photo of the scallop was also unusable, sorry.

Then into the tuna series, including a supplement.

As you can see, the photos have gotten worse. But the food was fantastic. We had some interesting local fish like halibut and trout, as well as the traditional tuna. Every dish was fabulous. The sake pairing was okay, a little off-synch with the food, if that was my only criticism of this evening.

The rice was excellent, the seafood fabulous, very friendly crew. It’s not as fast as people make it out to be, it was paced quite well. Maybe the late 9pm seating made it more relaxing?

A nice final tipple and I thanked the crew and took the long stroll back to my hotel. I think this was the only 25 minutes of walking in Stockholm that was not raining, so I enjoyed that. What I will not enjoy is my 4am alarm in just a few hours!

This has been a wonderful trip, and I’m a little sad to be going home, but at least I get a long layover in Copenhagen to visit a few places and have lunch with a friend, so that will be a great way to close this trip.

Sushi Sho
Upplandsgatan 45
Stockholm, Sverige

Review: Kado no Mise

29 March 2024

I got into Minneapolis early this Saturday morning. I knew the Twin Cities took a major snow hit last week after a nearly dry and almost-too-warm winter, but I was surprised it hasn’t melted off with the rain like it has in Chicago. Oh well, that may put a major damper in my plans today…

Yeah it did. I had to improvise a little, ended up hiking through at-times calf-deep snow and ice, so I got in a good workout. Sadly a poor lunch at a very hyped place didn’t help (I’ll write about this in a few days). So I was looking forward to my dinner at Kado no Mise, a much heralded Japanese restaurant located very close to the much-missed Bachelor Farmer.

Kado no Mise apparently do a kaiseki night on Tuesdays, which is too bad as it’s something I definitely would have loved to try. But I have high hopes for this place as I rolled in on my Lyft and headed up the stairs. And I sense a good evening, as I was seated at the counter where Chef Shigeyuki Furukawa was stationed.

Honestly it didn’t start too well. Just before I was about to use the hot towel to wipe my hands, the server took it away…geez, really? And the first sake pour was a little light. However, once I saw the first dish, I was far happier.

Now this was a welcome sight, hotaru-ika (firefly squid). Not had this in awhile, as you can still taste the essence of ink as you bite into this. Tasty dish, good start. A different sake was poured and the very hot chawanmushi was next.

Subtle, took awhile to bring this out, from the shiitake to the dashi. I thought maybe this particular sake ate into this dish a little due to its subtlety. Whatever the case, I enjoyed it more without the sake, drinking it all afterwards.

A plate of other snacks showed up, with the botan-ebi as a delicious bite. The celery was interesting, once again, subtle and nuanced. I fear this may be lost on some diners. At this point a larger sake pour happened as we enter the sushi segment. Chef Furukawa got to work and we have a series of breams to start.

The tai (sea bream) was quite nice, but the kasugodai (baby sea bream) was really fantastic.

Lovely stuff. Then the sakuradai (cherry bream).

Tasty morsel that’s for sure. BTW the rice is excellent, a good balance with the fish and consistency about perfect. And the bream series ends with kinmedai (golden eye snapper).

I’m not the biggest fan of kinmedai, but this was rather good. I enjoyed that series, you don’t often get a bream set like that. Then with another sake, we have the tuna series. Of course it starts with akami.

One of the better lean tuna I’ve had in a long time, really delicious.

The chutoro was excellent, really lovely flavours that just melted in your mouth. Again, the excellent rice made it even better.

The otoro was good, but I think the chutoro was the winner of this series. Good stuff. Another sake pour and we have the more distinct flavoured pieces.

Shimesaba (cured mackerel) didn’t work as well for me, as I thought the ginger was distracting. As a mackerel fan I really don’t like this adulterated. Oh well, a rare miss tonight. Then a nice surprise, sagoshi (young Spanish mackerel).

You don’t see sagoshi too often, and this was quite delicious. And of course, kohada (gizzard shad).

Again not one of my favourites, something that often comes on the early side of an omakase, so I kind of like this order.

That was a good set. But it’s not over yet because I ordered the more extensive menu. So next up was some uni.

In a wee handroll, delicious. You can so taste the sea here, just wonderful.

Then we have some delicious tuna, just a great way to ease into the last item…

Yep, wagyu, something that’s pretty common in omakases these days. I don’t remember nikuzushi ever ending up in these things except in trendy non-edomae places, but it seems to have spread. Delicious.

That was quite good! And it was clearly the end as the tamago was presented.

Quite good, with some quality of care in making it. Chef Furukawa asked if there’s anything I wanted, and I thought let’s do one more saba as a palate cleanser…

Well, I forgot about the ginger. Oh well, I guess it did work as a palate cleanser!

I probably didn’t need one as this miso soup was absolutely delicious! Chef said they use a combination of three different red misos, and the depth and complexity of this soup was astounding. A wonderful way to end the night!

A nice dessert closed the dining experience, as well as a wonderful conversation with Chef Furukawa about various topics, from interesting kaiseki around the US to the state of the restaurant business. A really good chat.

I thanked Chef Furukawa and headed out…well, not quite yet. I dropped into the whisky bar connected to the restaurant and wanted to see how it is. A cocktail and a less-well-known Japanese whisky later, I was happy and ready for my Lyft back to my hotel.

Kado no Mise definitely passes the test and it’s quite excellent. I really now want to try to come back on a Tuesday to do their kaiseki, so that’s on my list for my next trip to the Twin Cities. But gotta figure out how to do this on a Tuesday without missing that much work…

But this is highly recommended! Is my luck on this trip turning around?

Kado no Mise
33 North First Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Review: Tei Tei Robata Bar

24 February 2024

I’ve been to Dallas many times over the years, but when I landed on Friday night at DFW, it was a unique experience…

I’ve never been here before.

Not many major airports in the world, or minor for that matter, I can say that. I can safely say I’ve flown in/out of several hundred airports, including a few defunct ones. But one of the biggest in the country?

Not a big fan from first exposure, but what can you do? I left a snow shower in Chicago to head into unseasonable warmth in Dallas. Goody… A busy Saturday, got a good 20,000 steps in, even with the heat. Only interruption was lunch, of which I will describe in the next post. But with all that walking, I wanted a good dinner.

When I was doing research for this weekend trip, I couldn’t decide on where to eat. I finally chose Tei Tei Robata Bar. The menu won me over, as it does not look like something typical at all. In fact, reminds me a little of my haven in Chicago after work, Cocoro.

I got there and was seated at the bar, where there was sushi and robata. I like this. I quickly ordered a bottle of delicious junmai and knew I was gonna be feasting. I decided I wanted to start with raw tonight.

So for a little bit, I sat and relaxed, enjoying my sake. Then it started to arrive. First the sashimi plate.

Oh my, this is making me drool. They serve 5 pieces per sashimi order, and these were incredibly generous pieces – especially the hotate (scallops) and toro. The hamachi (yellowtail) was smaller, but delicious. But the hotate was absolutely excellent. The toro was ridiculously generous and fabulous. All with some freshly-grated wasabi, and I was damn happy.

And also appeared are some nirigi. The ikura was pretty good, but it was the kamasu (barracuda) that really won the day. Rarely do I see this outside of Japan, so I was very happy. Next round will be from the robata!

I ordered and chilled with my bottle of sake, still enjoying it. Then it started to arrive.

Could you not guess I would order shishamo if I had the chance? Delicious, although not quite as good as the ones I had at Cocoro just very recently, but still addictively good.

This enoki mushroom dish is addictive, swimming in a buttery sauce of pure joy. I was eating this like some divine noodle dish. So ridiculously good…

And this grilled pork jowl was really good as well. One my my favouite cuts of pork, it was a sizeable portion and I enjoyed it heartily.

Oh this is good! I usually would have way more food, but I think the Dallas heat has zapped my appetite. But I had room for one more. As much as I wanted some of the collars, I feared they were too big, so I went with another helping of…

Yep, shishamo. I am messed up mentally by this fish. So good all evening.

A nice dessert focused on matcha ice cream, which was very much needed. Goes well with some nice Japanese whisky as well.

What a surprisingly wonderful evening! I thanked my excellent server and the team behind the counter as I headed out full and happy.

If you are ever in Dallas, do check this place out. Heavily recommended!

Tei Tei Robata Bar
2906 North Henderson Avenue
Dallas, Texas

The 10 Best Dining Experiences of 2023

One of the joys of travelling again is being able to experience so much good food. Of course, that also means treading through some mediocre (and some just awful) stuff as well. Of all of 2023, these I believe represent the 10 best dining experiences of my 2023.

Now before you start asking questions, this is obviously very subjective. And this represents the entire dining experience, not just one or a few particular dishes. I will have a “10 Best Dishes” list as the next post, so save your appetite for that as well!

As always, click on the photos for a larger version. And read the original reviews by clicking the title.

I hope you enjoy this little trip back through 2023!

1. Nuta (Warszawa, Polska, 7 October)

It’s been years since I’ve been back to Warsaw, and what I missed greatly is tasting the wonderful creations of my dear friend Chef Andrea Camastra. Since my last visit he shuttered his Michelin-starred Senses and opened Nuta, which has quickly earned a Michelin star as well. I predict it will become a 3-star restaurant sooner than later. The last time I made this prediction was many years ago about a certain Maaemo in Oslo, and you can see what happened there. Just look at some of these dishes, the intensity of flavours, coming to the edge of overwhelming you but never stepping over the ledge, shows what magic his kitchen can create. Absolutely groundbreaking stuff, and these photos or words can’t describe these flavours. You really need to experience for yourself.

2. Off Alley (Seattle, Washington, 1 December)

This turned out to be one of the biggest and best surprises of the year, a wonderful night of excellent service and amazing food in a converted alley. Reminds me a little of the legendary eel restaurant Kabuto in Tokyo, but a little more forgiving for the knees! Every dish was stunning, from the black cod to duck, from the grilled foie to the foie ice cream. However, the tripe and dungeness crab is easily a candidate for dish of the year. So good, it may force me to look at using Seattle as a springboard to any West Coast/Pacific travels in the future!

3. Pulejo (Roma, Italia, 29 March)

This is the dinner where I had a “terzo” – asking for a second helping of the amazing capitone. But overall this Michelin-starred restaurant is one of the best, from service to food. I usually avoid Michelin places in Italy, but Pulejo is truly a gem. Each of the dishes were spectacular, from the cuttlefish to the tortelli. But goodness that eel, it’s beyond memorable. Truly worth its star in an age where Michelin has become degraded, with some of the best and friendliest service in the continent.

4. Nasime (Alexandria, Virginia, 23 November)

One thing I miss most about Japan is being able to have a kaiseki dinner at a counter. Nasime is about as good as it gets without the $1500 tickets to Tokyo. Amazing quality and cooking, and a vibe that remains as authentic as it gets without it being stale or static. Chef Shimomura’s cooking is always fantastic and boundary pushing, without losing the overall characteristic of an excellent kaiseki experience. From the foie miso grilled lamb to the yuba-wrapped Chilean sea bass, each dish was stunningly good as usual. And likely the most affordable kaiseki in North America, not to mention one of the very best. So good to be back…

5. Piatto Romano (Roma, Italia, 29 March)

This lunch inspired me to revive this blog. On my first trip to Europe since 2019, it not just helped to revive this blog, but this Piatto Romano experience was so quintessentially Lazio it made me love food and travel again. The beef heart was amazing, and eating the pasta made me tear up. Something very special about this lunch that really kicked me out of the 3-year deluge I’ve been in. Probably the first time I smiled so carefree since 2019 whilst sipping on that grappa…

6. Cocoro (Chicago, Illinois, 10 May)

Cocoro has become my hideaway, especially after a long day at the office. This is my comfort food, just feasting on Japanese delicacies, from the addictive shishamo to some excellent nigiri (their hotate is always fantastic), and the always spectacular saba sashimi. But with so much on the menu, as well as my favourite shochu (Tantakatan, made from red shiso leaves), it’s no wonder it’s become a perennial favourite of mine. But it was this first visit that made me fall in love with this place, one that I now have a “usual” table.

7. Kiln (London, England, 12 October)

Kiln has been a staple for me in London, and it has never disappointed (unlike most other London eateries). Love the vibe and music, sitting at my “usual” corner seat in front of the turntable, enjoying amazing dishes. This time the culled yaw was exceptional, as well as the always-good sausage. Throw in a scrumptious bavette, rich monkfish swimming in ankimo curry, and delicious cockles, this lunch became a 2.5hr epic. Absolutely best place to eat in a London that has ebbed and flowed for years.

8. Bayan Ko (Chicago, Illinois, 17 August)

Getting to Bayan Ko involved an unpleasant post-work ride on the disgusting Red Line and perpetually delayed and overcrowded Brown Line, but it’s worth it. My first visit on this stormy summer day was the best of them all, as sadly my most recent visit showed a noticeable decline in quality of food. But this particular visit was just breathtaking, from the scrumptious sisig nigiri to the lamb belly, not to mention the palabok and the duck. Let’s hope 2024 brings this quality back when they shift formats to a tasting menu!

9. Leichi (Santa Clara, California, 2 September)

I think left coasters have so many great choices when it comes to authentic Asian cuisine they don’t truly appreciate it. For me, finding a place like Leichi during my domestic travels – with some extremely authentic izakaya items that I’ve not had since Japan – is truly a treasure. From the chicken cartilage to fermented squid innards, it was truly a night when for a tiny second felt like I was back in Tokyo, or even Hakodate… Makes me miss Japan plenty, but this was about as close as it gets to being back.

10. Aji (Chicago, Illinois, 25 October)

Many of my long-time followers will be surprised with this one. Although I generally don’t like overly-creative omakase sushi experiences, being an edomae traditionalist, I have really grown to like what Aji does. They don’t overdo it, respecting the fish – which so many places don’t do properly (including a place in St Louis I choose not to name again). But of all my 2023 visits, this October one turned out to be spectacular, not just for some excellent pieces like the kampachi, aji, and the fabulous toro-uni hand roll, but also for the unexpected appearance of my favourite fish, nodoguro – which I’ve not had since I was in Japan many years ago.

It was very hard to put this list together, as there were many runners up that made the second half of this list very hard to compile. Some will be represented in the next (“10 Best Dishes”) list, when certain dishes just transformed a dining experience.

What were your 10 best dining experiences of 2023?

My Own Version of the Feast of Seven Fishes (Review #3: Cocoro)

18 December 2023

Although this was the start of the last week of work for 2023, I knew it was going to be busy as I had planned to finish off a few things before the close of the year. So a busy day in the office, I headed out for a rewarding treat.

And of course I would choose Cocoro, the best Japanese place in Chicagoland that doesn’t require a lengthy shlep to Des Plaines. And it’s casual, which is what I need after this busy day. I still remember my first visit upon discovering this place…it was game changing for me, especially days I go into the office.

I got there after a nice walk in the nicely chilly and windy weather and was seated at my “usual” table. Soon a bottle of sake greeted me and not long after a few drinking snacks to start.

At this point nothing is very chronological as I decided to do a huge feast as a holiday gift to myself. Screw it all, I’m gonna eat! The shiokara (salted squid innards) does a wonderful job in getting me more thirsty, while the gingko helped to temper my appetite. Plus the takowasa (raw octopus with wasabi) was as good as always. I may have had more orders of some of these items as the night went along, just to keep the sake flowing…

I always order shishamo here, and it’s always good. Always addicting. Again, I may have had more than one plate of this…

And I may have also had more than one plate of this amazing saba. I love mackerel, and they always do an amazing job of it here.

Some nigiri, which led me to order the hotate separately.

They always get wonderful scallops, and these were just dreamy…

And of course, the hamachi kama. Fish collars are always excellent, and when you get one from a yellowtail you usually order it. And it was quite nice.

After a bottle of good sake and a few glasses of special shochu, I was pretty good. I ordered an ice cream and they comped me some mochi.

A wonderful way to end the night. And they were nice enough to comp me on a few other snacks throughout the night as well, but I probably ran up a tab for a table for four this evening, so this was a mutual appreciation thing.

I headed out happy, having enjoyed my own version of the Feast of Seven Fishes, although I had more than 7 different fishes…

So good. After so many bad “izakaya” experiences around the US, from NYC to Seattle, so good to have this place to enjoy here in Chicago, and just a 20-minute walk from the office…

Cocoro
668 North Wells Street
Chicago, Illinois

An Excruciating Sushi Experience (Review: Sado)

12 November 2023

I made a quick visit to St Louis as there was a few things I wanted to do this weekend, including catching a non-staged performance of Cavalleria Rusticana. But really, it was a cheap Southwest flight that did it, a rarity these days since they jacked up all their prices earlier this year.

As much as I was busy all day Saturday, I was looking forward to an early, pre-concert dinner at Sado. This is the new project from Nick Bognar, who created an excellent dinner for me during my last visit at his popular eatery, Indo.

I got back to St Louis mid-afternoon and quickly checked into my hotel and got my bearings before heading out for an early seating. I got there and a line built up, but quickly I was led to a corner at the sushi bar. This should be good.

A cocktail in hand and I poured though the menu. Goodness, they have nodoguro! I was nearly in tears from the nodoguro at Aji just a few weeks ago, so I’m definitely doing that. In fact, I’m just gonna do all nigiri tonight. So I ordered and finished my cocktail.

Took a little to get my server’s attention to get some sake, but it soon arrived, and we begin with the aforementioned nodoguro.

It’s been a long time since my heart sank so drastically so quickly… What did they do to this fish? Why so much adulteration, with an incongruent spicy? This didn’t work at all, and it really saddened me. I don’t think I’ve had nodoguro that made my frown before in my entire life. I was almost in tears for the wrong reason here…

Maybe it’s an anomaly, they just overthought the adulteration for a seasonal fish. Let’s hope that’s the case. At this point they comped me itoyoridai.

It’s okay, but nothing special. Again, it’s overwhelmed by all the noise on top of this fish, far more intense and intrusive than most modern omakase places. What’s wrong with complementing the fish instead of fighting it? It’s like how modern chefs drive me crazy, they think they know better than mother nature on taste. Instead of bringing the fish out, they just overwhelmed it with other stuff – ostensibly to show that they are doing something?

That was confirmed with the saba. So much unnecessary work on this, plus the texture was ruined by the misplaced sesame seeds. I could barely taste the richness of the mackerel here. Are they hiding bad ingredients? I don’t think so. But why all this? And it’s not like Aji and other top modern omakase places around the country, this is wholesale “let’s change the taste profile of the fish” adulterations.

Two more minuses. The rice is barely keeping together, and there’s some poor knife work here, especially on the back side of this (thankfully not shown).

They comped me a bowl of brussels sprouts, and I had to admit this was quite good. And I sighed, as this turned out to be the best part of the dinner.

A rather meh unagi was next, and I was just waiting to finish this dinner and get out of here. Plus service has collapsed, so I was nursing my sake knowing it’ll be impossible to get another drink (or even my server’s attention) before I am done here. And the next item made the evening even worse…

This was just poor knife skills. The otoro was nearly shredded, and it fell apart in my hand. Oh, did I mention the rice was poor, and it was barely intact all night? This shows you how poorly this beautiful fish was cut.

This piece literally fell off the fish. So ridiculously bad this evening, I almost forgot I had one more item, uni.

I won’t even comment, I’m done.

Took ages to get my server’s attention to get the bill. And it comes. And it’s more expensive than that excellent omakase at Aji. In fact, 10 pieces of sushi here, and some sake, cost more than any omakase I’ve been to in years, including in more expensive cities. And 10 pieces of questionable stuff, from bad rice to terrible cutting to just ridiculous adulteration. And they already tack on a mandatory 20% service charge…for absentee service? Friendly, nice, but when you cannot get service, nice just doesn’t deserve 20% on an over-the-top expensive dinner for terrible quality.

Oh, I’ve not had such a bad dining experience for a long time. I think I need to avoid St Louis again…

Sado
5201 Shaw Avenue
St Louis, Missouri

* It’s a shame, since Cavalleria Rusticana turned out so good this evening. What a damn shame…

“Please Don’t Cry” (Review #2: Aji)

25 October 2023

Another long day at work, and I was trying to figure out what to do about dinner. My original plans changed last minute, so I was stuck on my own. But luckily I saw there was an open slot at Aji, which is conveniently on my way home from the office. So got a 6pm slot and made my way there.

Thanks to some traffic, my bus actually arrived just before my reservation time, so it worked out. It was good to see the fabulous duo, although for once I was seated not in my usual seat. No biggie, but every time I’ve been here (from the first visit, where I wrote up a review, to subsequent times when I didn’t but posted on IG), I’ve been in that seat, so it’s a different perspective for this omakase night!

It seems everyone else is stuck in the same traffic I faced, so I had a few extra minutes to enjoy a cocktail before the omakase evening began. A now-traditional starter item here, hotate.

Their scallops are always good, and I’ve come to enjoy their rendition of it. Today was some chives and a tiny bit of yuzu aioli that worked well. Next up, again very frequently here, hirame.

Often in Japan these omakase sessions start with the fluke, but I do like their incorporation of engawa (fin) into the piece. Simple, with sea salt and a very light lime zest. Another piece with their prep that has really grown on me. Next, another fish I see here a lot, kinmedai.

They do like their “pearls” here, this time with yuzu on this golden-eye snapper. Delicious. Then to another regular item, ika.

Beautiful squid as usual, and again I’ve started to come to enjoy this rendition with the grape mustard. Good stuff. Then we have kampachi.

A fabulous piece of amberjack, the best piece of the night so far. We get shimaaji next.

More pearls, this time a sweet touch on the striped jack. Then a piece they always do well, sake.

Salmon, when good, is fabulous, and this was excellent, helped on with some trout roe. Then we move a little into the strong section with unagi.

An excellent rendition of the eel they always do well with shiso butter, delicious! Then we move to the hon maguro.

Lean tuna sometimes leads to the progression of the tuna trinity, but not today. A good lead into aji.

A good piece of horse mackerel, another staple here (their namesake) that they do extremely well with smoked soy, negi, and ginger. This sets up the next piece, which was an amazing surprise.

NODOGURO! Oh my goodness, my favourite fish, one I’ve not touched since I was last in Japan 5 years ago! I was nearly in tears. Chef kept saying, “please don’t cry” looking at my face. Oh my goodness this is pure heaven. I’d trade toro with nodoguro any day, this is just as good as it gets…

I needed a breath here, and a big gulp of sake before we move onto amaebi.

Although the shrimp is good, my mind was still stuck on the nodoguro. And I’ve finished a few different sakes by now, as well as a few servings of fresh-grated wasabi – my “snack” of choice whenever I enjoy sushi. Oh this has been a good night, and knowing we’re nearing the end, we get a different take on the uni-toro combination.

Hand roll today, and it was delicious. A very generous serving of both, rich and awesome. A piece, like the nodoguro, where I just spent a ridiculous time letting it melt down my throat…so good.

And of course we approach our final piece, and it was another of the “melt down my throat” pieces, a beautiful A5 Wagyu.

Now this was another heavenly piece, just barely needing to chew, squeezing the beautiful flavours down my throat slowly, nurturing every tender moment until it was gone.

Another excellent evening, and we close with a dessert and a nice scotch tonight instead.

They have a buy-out for their second seating, so we didn’t mill around. I thanked the dynamic duo and headed out, having enjoyed another excellent night of their innovative omakase. As someone who usually prefers very traditional, edomae stuff, this stuff is slowly growing on me – but not always. Aji, however, knows what works for me.

Highly recommended, as always!

Aji
3809 North Broadway
Chicago, Illinois

Not-Quite-a-Review: Hachi Ju Hachi

3 September 2023

A long Sunday. Did some morning hikes, visited with relatives most of the afternoon, so have not been doing the same almost-10-miles-a-day of hikes for once. Then a very nice dinner at Hachi Ju Hachi with a friend.

I’ve had a great meal here before, but didn’t get photos. I’m not in a writing mood today, so I’ll let the pictures (click on them to expand, as always) speak for themselves today…

Needless to say, very highly recommended.

Hachi Ju Hachi
14480 Big Basin Way
Saratoga, California

A Great Place to Hide – Review #2: Cocoro

It was a long day at the office and I was trying to figure out where to go for dinner. I wanted to unwind somewhere not too far, so had several options. At the end, I thought of doing Japanese, as it’s been awhile.

What was supposed to be a stormy late afternoon turned into a humid-as-heck one, and I was soaked after the 20-minute fast walk to Cocoro just as it was opening for the evening. After my first visit a few months ago, this place has easily become the to-go place for me for Japanese food.

I relaxed at my now-usual table, looked over the sizeable menu, and ordered the first round. I know there’ll be multiple rounds as the food is always so good. I chilled out and kept an eye on the weather, as the aforementioned storm appears to be regrouping and headed towards Chicagoland.

My sake arrived soon and was glad to have a glass down my throat after this long day. They brought out some spiced pistachios as a free snack.

Good drinking snack, I love the spice on it. Then quickly we have kinripa renkon, some delicious sliced lotus roots.

Love the flavour on this, worked so well as a side to the seafood that was starting to also appear, like my favourite shishamo.

I just love these things so much. I can eat this absolutely non-stop. The lovely mix of bitter and savoury, especially when these things are filled with roe. So good.

That balances out with this beautiful saba presentation. I always crave mackerel, and this was a great way to get my fix for one of my favourite fish. The slices were thicker than usual, which with a large heap of wasabi and quick dip in soy, was just heavenly.

Oh, of course I was nibbling at the wasabi all evening, from this plate and from the next.

A small selection of nigiri here: hamachi (yellowtail), hirame (fluke), and hotate (scallop). They didn’t have toro this evening, but this made due. The hamachi was rich and delicious. The tamer hirame worked well with the shiso. But once again, like last time, the hotate was just crumptious. Huge and sweet, these were absolutely a steal. So good.

That was a wonderful first round. As I was finishing it, and my sake, the skies were turning pretty ugly outside. I kept an eye on the weather by phone as a tornado watch was on for Chicagoland. Oh, fun.

I ordered a second round, and switched to shochu, which was an inspired choice. I just love the Tan Taka Tan, which is distilled from the red shiso leaf. This worked well with the start of the second round, takowasa.

I love octopus in any style, and this was one of my favourite preps – raw in wasabi. Delicious drinking snack. And sets up the big dish of the night…

It’s been awhile since I’ve had aji no hiraki – one of Japan’s most iconic dishes, salted horse mackerel. Lovely flavours, something I’ve not had since I last visited Japan – which has been way too long. I need to get back there…

As I was working on this delicious fish, everyone’s phone blew up with sirens. Great, now it’s a tornado warning. Kept an eye on it and kept at this delicious fish. Some people are not patient enough to get through the bones, but if you are, it’s a fine reward.

Although I was somewhat full, the weather was a mess so I decided to stay for a final round, my version of a “dessert” I guess. I switched to a stronger shochu made from barley and made my last order.

The skies were just clearing up when the first item arrived…

You knew I was gonna get another order of these lovely things. So good. Again, I wish I can get more! But have to exercise some self-restraint, after all, as it’s only Wednesday! As I sadly finished the third shishamo my real “dessert” arrived…

And I forgot to take a photo. But it was another order of hotate, as plump and sweet as the first. And also a pair of unagi – a fitting dessert, both nice and sweet in their own way.

I thanked the wonderful staff as it was nice and clear now and I headed out to catch my Lyft home. That was certainly a wonderful evening and reaffirmed that Cocoro is my to-go-to Japanese place. Delicious, simple, modest, what’s not to love? It truly reminds me of being back in Japan.

As always, heavily recommended!

Cocoro
668 North Wells Street
Chicago, Illinois

Just What I Needed – Review: Cocoro

10 May 2023

Tuesday was a frustrating day working at home. Hybrid has its advantages, but it also has some disadvantages – especially when you have bloody idiots meandering around for two ridiculous hours using society’s most anti-social implement: the leaf blower. The noise is deafening and annoying, especially if you have meetings.

So I naturally went into the office on Wednesday to work in person, which I do once a week minimum anyway. And it was a very long and busy day. From about 7.15am until I left at 4.45pm, I only left my office twice – both times to use the facilities and grab a cup of coffee. Having skipped lunch, I was hungry, not to mention tired.

I had an errand to run in River North anyway, so I went to check out a place I had wanted to try since I came to Chicago: Cocoro. Ironically it was on the same block as Asador Bastian, where I was last week for that good but expensive dinner.

Cocoro is an old-school, Japanese-family operated place that has an extensive – and authentic – izakaya menu. Just looking at the menus you can sense this is authentic, with things that you find in izakayas in Japan – not what Gen Z “thinks” izakayas serve without having spent time in Japan. So I drooled over the menu as I asked for a small bottle of a nice ginjo.

I ordered my first round – knowing there will be more – and relaxed by sipping on my sake. Didn’t want to drink too fast considering I’ve not eaten in 24 hours. It was still relatively early, but there were people trickling in already on this sunny and warm Wednesday. Then soon the procession of food arrived.

First up was a plate of saba. I absolutely love mackerel as my frequent readers know, and this wonderful sashimi plate hit the spot. Lovely stuff. As I was enjoying it, more food came.

I love gingko, it’s one of my favourite things to snack on in Japan. Pricey but worth every morsel. Done well here.

Then the buta kakuni came, which was quite nice. It was not as visually appealing as it can be, but I suspect they trimmed off some of the skin/fat to placate the local audience. But it was good, with plenty of fatty bits below. A touch of Japanese mustard shows that this kitchen know what pairs with what traditionally.

I was enjoying the dishes and was winding down on them when a plate of nigiri arrived.

Oh these were fabulous. The hamachi (yellowtail) in the middle was the first morsel, and it was excellent. Then the hotate (scallop), which were massive and absolutely delicious. Then the toro on the left was scrumptious. High quality seafood but with price tags far less than even in the suburbs? Wow. I need more!

I eventually finished that set of food. That was a lot, but I was still hungry – no thanks to not having eaten since the previous day (and that was an early dinner too). So with my small (300ml) bottle of sake empty, I ordered another and another set of food.

Why the heck not, today was a monster of a day at the office, and I needed a self-reward. Soon that second small bottle arrived and I enjoyed it as I awaited the second round of my feast. I already sense this will be a place I visit often, especially convenient if I go into the office!

The next round dishes, which I focused more on drinking snacks, started to arrive, and first up was shirasu oroshi, or baby whitefish with grated daikon. I love good daikon, and this is clearly sourced better than the stuff I get at the Asian market near where I live. The tiny fish works so well with the daikon, the textures complementary with the savoury of the fish and sweet of the daikon mixing perfectly.

Soon came shiokara – which by being offered on the menu tells you what kind of place you were in. It’s about as close to being back in Japan as it gets. Wonderful squid fermented in its own salted viscera. An acquired taste (and texture) but works so well to increase sake consumption! Love it!

And of course, my favourite thing to eat, shishamo. Lovely grilled ones here. Too bad they weren’t too laden with roe, which makes them absolutely addictive. But these were delicious, so happy to have them. It’s been years since I’ve enjoyed them!

I also added a small plate of sushi here. Escolar is always good, but you need to eat it in moderation. The unagi was also done quite nicely. Works for a dessert…or does it?

I relaxed and had a bit more sake, so I nursed it. I checked my phone and there was a stupid surge charge on rideshare, no thanks to the weather and early hour (people still commuting home), so I decided to hang out a little. The restaurant is now getting full despite the relatively early hour and sunny weather.

When I told the proprietress that I appreciate the menu items as many are hard to find in what people call “izakayas” in the US, even Chicago, she told me she had the same problem, which is why this place opened! What a wonderful idea, and they definitely earned a loyal customer in me. As I finished off the sake, the surge has not receded, so I thought, why not a third round? So my server smiled when I placed an order for more.

Soon a wonderful shochu arrived, one I particularly enjoy – tan taka tan, made with red shiso leaves in Hokkaido. Such a unique taste. And after a little, my final (yes, final!) round started to appear.

I had to get more nigiri as this was darn good and cheap! The hotate on the right were gigantic and absolutely delicious, while the toro on the left were melt-in-your-mouth excellent. The great thing about this place I can treat it as the wonderful edomae-ish sushi place I’ve been looking for in Chicago (instead of the adulterated sushi omakase experiences), and also as a place for all these wonderful izakaya dishes.

And of course, one last round of shishamo. I can’t just have one plate! They are so addictive!

After all that, I was beyond full and crazy happy. This was an awesome discovery! I relaxed but then sighed when I see rideshare having trouble locating cars, and mine happened to be a ways away. So I got a dessert after all…

One that I can handle with a very full stomach – green tea ice cream. I happy (and slowly) consumed the ice cream and settled my (understandably) hefty (but very worth it) tab as my rideshare approched. I thanked the crew and headed out just as the car pulled up. A near-perfect end to a near-perfect dinner!

Very highly recommended!!!

Cocoro
668 North Wells Street
Chicago, Illinois