Presented with an opportunity to get away from it all in Tofino, how could I say no? What I didn’t realize that my time there, I’d really be getting away from it all. Spotty cell service and limited ability to connect to wi-fi meant I was forced into disconnecting from the world. Those who know … I decided that the best way to get from St Pete’s to Miami was by renting a car and driving. I looked at the map and saw it was a 4 hour drive and tried to see what adventures could be found along the way. I would be driving through the Everglades, but knew I’d … Over a year ago, I took my parents to see the movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It was fantastic documentary filled with gorgeous food imagery that immediately inspired me to seek a similar sushi experience in Tokyo. I’ve been fortunate enough to eat some great sushi throughout my life but after watching the movie, I … We are on our way from Washington DC to Boston on a road trip I’ve dubbed “Roadie ’12”.  

In 6 days, we’ll cover over 700 miles and travel through 8 states and a District. Leaving Washington DC in the morning, we drove towards Philadelphia to make it in time to watch a Phillies game that … I felt a lot of pressure to eat well for my birthday this year.  Looking back I think that’s kind of  funny because as you can probably tell from my posts, I eat well almost every meal, but on my birthday I felt like people were expecting me to step it up a notch.  What do you do when a teammate shows up in the dressing room at hockey with 4 live crabs?  Well the proper answer on a beautiful summer’s evening would be to call up a bunch of friends and have a crab boil .  But what do you do when you have 4 crabs given to … One of the meals I remember eating from my last trip to Hong Kong 5 years ago was a special spicy crab dish that I had in Causeway Bay.  If memory served me correctly, the crab was very garlicky, very spicy and somewhat addictive.  When I was planning my food adventures in Hong Kong, the …

I’ll cut to the chase. This was by far the best sushi I’ve ever had outside of Tokyo. The absolute highest quality ingredients, faultless in presentation and execution, underpinned by the most charming service from chef Toro Osumi.  Bear in mind that the original Shinji by Kanaseka in Kyoto has two Michelin stars, while the one here is more than deserved. City of Dreams has its owner, one Mr Lawrence Ho, to thank for convincing Kanaseka to open a branch overseas. At lunch there are 3 menus at either $688, $988 or $1,688. Now I know this is a fair chunk of change, but in my estimation it’s one of those experiences that you’ll never regret. I’d be most surprised if anyone can fail to be wowed by the food or charmed by the experience. Think of it as one very special meal instead of two underwhelming ones at a generic Hong Kong sushi joint. You know the ones. I’m not going to try and pretend to describe the intricacies of every fish. Instead, with approximately 20 dishes, I’ll run through them as best as I can recall. 

All the fish is flown in daily from Tsukiji Market – and none of it is kept in the fridge because naturally that impacts the taste. It’s served either at the sushi counter or in one of the four private rooms. order yo sushi online dubaiI don’t understand why you’d go somewhere like this and not enjoy the interaction of the counter, but anyway.sushi bar jogo online Herring roe and tuna marinated in soy sauce was the first of many. jiro dreams of sushi movie streamI asked how  the roe stick together and was told that it comes like that from the fish. jiro dreams of sushi trailer germanBut that’s the beauty here – there’s no standing on parade, no freaking out if you break some unknown rule of sushi etiquette.

Many are to be eaten with the fingers and are passed straight from chef’s nimble digits. The staff are friendly and chef Osumi even has a range of dictionaries tucked under the counter. Japanese service knows no bounds. The only time he stopped smiling was for this photo:As with any sushi omakase, you start lighter and get heavier, so fish like eel come at the end of the meal.  Before hairy crab on tofu skin. Wayyyy better than it looks. ‘Medium tuna’ bought two thin pink folds which I can only liken to eating tuna air. Utterly extraordinary how they disappeared when touched by a tongue. Lean tuna marinated with soya sauce and yuzu skin was mind-bendingly good. Just look at the colour and shine. This was a very happy and healthy fish, until very recently. Then there was the tuna belly. Neptune and other gods of the sea were truly smiling on us. Swordfish obviously had more bite, in a tiny package of joy: Steamed octopus was cut with ridges to let the marinade penetrate it before being steamed for an hour and then marinated again.

Forget any notions you had about octopus being rubbery. This was a revelation. Amazing sweet custard – the wonderfully-named chawanmushi – with fish. I was clueless – until Osumi-San showed and told me – that wasabi is impressively ugly and takes at least two years to grow. The upper parts are less spicy, while the real heat is towards the root: Saury bought crisp skin to contrast with soft flesh: At this point I’m told that the impossibly beautiful counter we’re sitting at is a piece of 220 yr old hinoki wood –  the same as used by Shinji by Kanaseka in Tokyo.  So don’t even think about staining it with soy sauce. Different knives are used for different fish, while the ultimate bad boy – that wouldn’t look out of place in the hands of a samurai – took a year to make. Each dish also meant a succession of beautiful porcelain, all different and all handmade. Their rice – the key to the greatest sushi, sometimes more so than the fish – is cooked in spring water imported from Japan.

Japanese eggs are used, kept between 38 and 40 degrees, the same as a human’s body temperature, so they taste and feel familiar. Back to it with horse mackerel topped by green shiso leaf: Japanese sardine – think of it as the king of boquerones. Salmon roe, just as vibrant on the palate as to the eyes:Some people don’t like sea urchin. Especially when it is passed directly from chef to diner’s hand. A perfect egg square with baby shrimp inside – creamy texture like a soft brûlée. No word if it needed 200 attempts to get it exactly right, as in Jiro dreams of Sushi. Thereafter came three kinds of miso mixed in soup, the last savoury hurrah: To crown the meal in the Crown Towers, orange jelly in grapefruit skin, Shizoka melon-from Honshu’s Fujiyama province with sake ice: And then everyone’s favourite – except mine, oddly – dorayaki: This was truly a triumphant meal, a sushi masterclass. Next time you think about going for mid range sushi in Hong Kong, don’t.