Why isn’t there a sushi chef behind the bar? We think the experience of talking to a sushi chef behind the bar is a great thing. However, when we examined the impact it could have on our guests, in terms of quality, value, and time, we decided to replace that part of the experience with a concept that delivers the highest quality sushi at a price and a pace that was more consistent with what our guests want. Why do I have to wait until my whole party arrives before I am seated, even when the restaurant is mostly empty? Our restaurants are very small, and that helps us to control the quality of the food and deliver the intended SUGARFISH experience to our guests. Because we’re small, we, of course, don’t have many seats, and if we seat people whose parties are not complete, two things happen: 1) Our other guests may end up waiting longer, sometimes much longer for a table; and 2) Our ability to run our restaurant efficiently will be impacted, which in turn affects our ability to keep our prices reasonable given the high quality sushi that we serve.

Even when there are only a few tables occupied, our restaurants can fill up very quickly. venta de sushi en santiago centroWe realize not everyone agrees with this policy, but we do it to be able to continue to deliver great sushi at a fair price.sushi dash online Why can’t I order a bowl of rice when you allow kids to do it?how to get sushi high roller Our rice is a very important component of the SUGARFISH experience.  how to roll sushi austinWe make our rice in very small batches, and in order to deliver Nozawa’s signature warm rice, we make a fresh batch at least every 30 minutes, discarding any unused rice from the prior batch.

If we allow all guests to order extra rice, it will slow our kitchen down and cause other guests to have to wait for their food. (For several months, we allowed extra rice orders, and although the volume was not great, we found that our ability to serve all of our guests in a timely fashion was significantly impacted.) We allow side orders of rice for children because some are not yet eating sushi, and we think that feeding hungry children is a good thing for everyone’s dining experience. It’s true that making a single exception — “just one bowl of rice, just one time (for you!)” – wouldn’t be disastrous, but if we made exceptions for everyone, our kitchen would slow to a crawl. Because of this, we don’t make exceptions for anyone to ensure that we are fair to everyone. Why can’t I get more ponzu? We know that some of our guests will not agree with this answer at all. It is very important to us that everything at SUGARFISH is served exactly as Chef Nozawa intends for it to be eaten, and therefore we cannot honor requests for extra ponzu.

Each detail in preparing the items on our menu has been considered and is vital to the SUGARFISH experience. Of course, this attention to detail extends to the type and quantity of sauce provided, with the sole intent of offering to our guests sushi prepared in the way that we believe is the best. We are passionate about serving great sushi that people will love. Our adherence to Nozawa’s principles of tradition and quality do not allow us to make exceptions to where and how we serve sauces with our fish. We know that some of our guests will disagree about this limitation on extra ponzu — and we understand why — but we can’t waver on our basic philosophy of being faithful to serving Nozawa-style sushi. Why can’t you give me the fish without the rice? We have several sashimi dishes (without rice), and many nigiri dishes with rice. The nigiri cuts are for nigiri, not for sashimi. Serving those nigiri cuts without the rice does not make them a dish, and again, we are dedicated to serving dishes as Nozawa intends for them to be served.

We understand that some of our guests prefer not to eat rice, so we currently have 4 or 5 daily sashimi dishes on the menu. Where does your fish come from? Is any of it farmed? Our fish comes from all over the world: Japan, the South Pacific, Boston, and beyond. We get the best the market has to offer. Some of our fish is wild caught and some is farmed. Please see our page called Sushi and Sustainability for a discussion about fish and sustainability. Please see our page called Sushi and Your Health for a discussion about fish and health. Where did you get the name SUGARFISH? Nozawa is known for “melt in the mouth” sushi that’s a “wow” experience for most people. Imagine a child eating his first sugar cube. We wanted a name that would evoke that simple, pure, “wow” sensation. Is the whole Nozawa family involved?  What are their roles? Chef Nozawa is responsible for our food. He selects all of our fish and creates our recipes. He works hand-in-hand with his son, Tom, to make sure our sushi is up to his standards.

In addition to working with his father on our menu and selecting our fish, Tom is responsible for the operations of all of our kitchens. Additionally, Nozawa’s wife, Yumiko, who has worked side-by-side with Chef Nozawa for the last 25 years, played – and continues to play – an important role in the planning and strategy of the business. Why does your rice fall apart? And why is it served warm? Warm, loose rice is a signature of Nozawa-style sushi. We think the airiness and temperature of our rice is one of the key components to great sushi. It may be a little more difficult to handle, but we think it’s worth the effort. If you find it too hard to use the chopsticks, don’t be afraid to use your hands. Whether it's a birthday, a Japanese-themed New Year's Day party, or just for a lunch or dinner party, I like to celebrate with sushi. It’s fun to make hand rolls with friends and to experiment with taste combinations. You may be surprised at just how easy it can be to roll your own vegetarian or vegan sushi.

The main task is assembling all the ingredients. Sushi is delicious, satisfying, and healthy, and, with a little practice, it looks as good as it tastes. You can eat it with your hands or with chopsticks. Sushi can be served as an appetizer or light meal, or as a main course. It goes great with miso soup and seaweed or cucumber salad, and, as for drinks, water, tea, beer, sake, and white wine all go well with sushi. According to the Sushi Encyclopedia, sushi has its roots in Southeast Asia where fish and meat were salted, then fermented for  long periods of time" with rice.  Originally, when the fermented fish was taken out of the rice, only  the fish was consumed and the  fermented rice was discarded. About a hundred years later, vinegar was "added to  cut the preparation time." The version of sushi that we know today evolved from a version  created by  Hanaya Yohei around 1824 in Edo (now Tokyo) - it "was not fermented (therefore prepared quickly) and could be eaten with one's hands."

Sushi has been popular ever since. According to Food and Wine magazine, sushi began arriving in the US a "decade or so after World War II. A sashimi dinner in the 1950s at  Miyako in San Diego, if you knew to go there, would run you $1.25. By  the mid-1970s the chef at Tokyo Kaikan restaurant in Los Angeles had  invented the California roll." Spring is a great time to experiment with all the tender veggies available and make vegetarian sushi. To get started, all you need are a couple of tools and a few basic ingredients. Once you have these in your pantry, you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand to make delicious and interesting sushi. Sushi Tools: You really only need two special tools: a bamboo mat for rolling and a rice paddle. You could get by without them by substituting a big wooden spoon for the paddle and instead of making maki rolls, let everyone make their own temaki (hand rolls). If you decide to make rolls, a bamboo mat is inexpensive and can be found at a Japanese market, kitchen specialty shop, or online.

For $4, you can order a Joyce Chen Sushi Kit on amazon  – that gives you both the bamboo mat and the rice paddle. Sushi Pantry Items: (most of these can be found at a Japanese market or well-stocked grocery store) Sushi Rice (short or medium grain white rice) Sushi Vinegar (or make your own with rice vinegar, recipe below) Nori (seaweed in sushi sheets) Pickled Ginger slices (for garnish) Soy Sauce (each person should have a small dish of soy sauce to dip in) Wasabi Paste (if you like this spicy mustard) Suggested Vegetable Sushi Recipe Mix-and-Match Fillings: Cucumber (skin left on, cut into thin long strips) Shiitake Mushroom (if dried, soak for 30 minutes then squeeze water out, remove stems and slice thinly) Bell Pepper (cut into long thin strips) Carrot (cut into long thin strips) Asparagus (lightly steamed; if small, it can be left whole, if not, cut lengthwise into strips) Daikon Radish (cut into long thin strips)

Pickled Plums (seeds removed) Shiso Leaves (these have a strong taste, tear into tiny pieces and use sparingly) 1 cup short or medium-grain white rice 1 1/4 cups cold water Sushi Vinegar (*store-bought or make your own, recipe below) Place rice in strainer. Rinse under cold water until water runs clear. Transfer rice to heavy medium saucepan. Add 1 1/4 cups fresh cold water to pan. Cover and let soak 30 minutes. Uncover and bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until water is absorbed and rice is just tender, about 15 minutes. Let stand covered 15 minutes. Transfer rice to large glass bowl. Drizzle sushi vinegar over rice. Gently toss rice with vinegar mixture using a rice paddle or a big wooden spoon. Cover rice with clean damp towel and let cool completely to room temperature (do not refrigerate). Homemade Sushi Vinegar* 2 tablespoons rice vinegar Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in small saucepan.

Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Vegetarian Sushi Preparaton: Now that all your ingredients are ready, invite your friends to make their own hand rolls, which is very fun. You may also prepare some rolls to serve on a platter. If you are making rolls, remember to keep your hands moist so that the rice won’t stick to them so much. Keep a bowl of water and a couple of damp towels nearby. TEMAKI - Hand Rolls Cut Nori sheets in half. Have each person place Nori in their left hand (unless they're left handed, then their right) and add a small amount of rice. Add a little wasabi, if desired, and veggie filling of choice. Wrap Nori around the filling and roll on the table from left to right. Dip into soy sauce and eat and enjoy! MAKI - Sushi Rolls Soak the bamboo mat in water for a bit so it will be less sticky. Dry off excess water so the bamboo mat is just damp. Put a piece of nori on it and cover with a thin coating of sushi rice.

Near the middle of the rice, put a thin row of vegetable ingredients horizontally. (Hint: don't put too much filling until you get the hang of rolling.) Roll up the bamboo mat, pressing it forward and shaping the nori to create the roll. Unroll the mat and place the roll on a cutting board. If the edge of the nori is not sticking down and making a seal, use your finger to wet the edge with some water and roll it again. Wet a sharp knife with a wet cloth. Cut the sushi in half, then cut each half into three pieces to end up with six pieces. Arrange maki on a platter. Eat with your fingers or chopsticks - dip into soy sauce and enjoy! When you're finished making rolls, soak the bamboo mat in water for a bit, then use a brush to clean it. Vegetarian sushi rolls can be made ahead of time. Arrange rolls on a platter, and then cover in plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. Leftovers can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and eaten for lunch the next day.