I forgot to add that prices have gone up a bit since December. The basic nigiri omakase is now $110 and the basic regular omakase is now $130 and comes with fewer appetizers. The very similar (in terms of number of pieces) premium nigiri omakase we got in December was $140/head.
Oh, and I should say that comparing with Chowseeker’s meal from not too long ago it seems obvious that we didn’t get any price reduction for not getting three pieces of bluefin, and that we didn’t get anything very far out of the ordinary as a substitute. Not sure how I feel about that.
Sadly, I have seen how often things get nasty on this board (and in life) when politics become a part of the discussion (particularly when one expresses their politics and expects others to feel the same way).
So, I am slightly hesitant to take this up and mean no offence to your point-of-view. But, I am curious as to why you are curious.
I put an asterisk by the ones that were highlights in the original post but if I had to narrow it down to fewer, I’d say both the unis, as different as they are, the sakura masu and the shiro ebi. The kamasu and the scallop were pretty damned good too and the ikura was just pristine. The salted cod roe was just a bit too salty for my taste and the anago and the tamago were perhaps closer to the mean than everything else. The two variations on tamago we got in December stood out more.
Sorry, I wasn’t trying to start anything or push my views on anyone. I also hadn’t realized this was a political issue–I know some people who just didn’t have much awareness of it. It’s only in the last two years that we’ve stopped eating bluefin so I can’t be too virtuous about it anyway. We stopped because our understanding is that the species is quite endangered*. I was curious if others disagree with this notion or if it’s just the case, as with Ns1, that they’re not very concerned about it. I can live with whatever answer anyone has–I’m not on a crusade here. For example, I’m happily eating at restaurants that obviously feature it and, like I said, I’m sure there are other endangered/vulnerable species I’m eating as well (though if I knew that I’d try to stop as well).
*I could add a little more detail here but that might make me appear more judgmental of people who’ve made informed decisions otherwise and, as I said, I’m not on a crusade here or as worked up about it as Michael Cimarusti ( The Secret to Saving Bluefin Tuna Is to Just Stop Eating It ).
Very well said MAO, and also very interesting. Thanks for the clarification. I don’t follow sustainability arguments (on either side) very much myself and I guess I am willing to eat anything that is legal (and tasty). I totally respect your choices and ns1’s.
I’m with you @MyAnnoyingOpinions. I probably eat endangered fish, because I just don’t know. But if I did I would probably stop. But I’m cool with people who don’t have the same feelings about it. My husband says “It’s already dead.”
Interestingly, at both our dinners at Mori we were served anago, not unagi. If that’s consistent with other people’s experience there then it suggests that there’s one endangered fish they’re already not serving.
We were served unagi at our lunch omakase at Sushi Tsujita last summer though and at Sushi Sushi. I’m guessing this is North American freshwater eel.
Also, I just checked my sushi meal reviews and it’s actually been less than a year since we stopped eating bluefin altogether: the transition from awareness to deciding not to eat it to remembering to always specify it when sitting down apparently took some time.
Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen it being served in many places lately. After a few bad experiences I had stopped ordering it. Because if it’s not cooked right it’s really a bummer.
Yah, sadly it’s been gone for a while. It kind of disappeared with a whimper (quietly), and you almost don’t even notice it’s gone. I haven’t had it at Shunji or Mori in a while now.
Wow @Chowseeker1999. We’re so used to getting what we want, when we want. We hardly think about the consequences. I remember when sushi became mainstream in L.A. You didn’t dine at a sushi restaurant without ordering unagi. Who knew?
It only took five months but I finally wrote this meal up on my blog if anyone wants to see the pictures of our meal. I’m curious as to whether anyone has been since our dinner in July and if so, if there’s any update on the development of the new apprentice chef who was a little shaky at our meal. I don’t believe there have been any more reports on FTC on Mori since then–perhaps because Porthos, lamentably, no longer participates here.
Also stumbled upon this restaurant last year in Osaka (Grand Front Mall/Station), great if you need your fix of guilt-free bluefin Kinki University Fisheries Laboratory Osaka
