Had one of my better meals at Shibumi the other night.
japanese caviar - karasumi, scallop cured in koji
This was delicious, it had a nice chewy texture and paired well with the sake. However, with only three paper thin slices of karasumi and maybe one scallop it was pricey at 16 bucks.
scallop cured in koji
karasumi
seki sabazushi - kyoto style sushi, cured mackerel topped with kombu on top of vinegared rice
This was an off-menu special and was the highlight of the night. I’ve never seen sabazushi on a menu in LA before so I would order this if it’s offered. The mackerel was soft and fatty and the rice was perfectly seasoned. It was served with aged soy sauce and pickled ginger.
iwagaki oyster, fresh yuzu, shiso flower, mountain caviar
This was yooge, definitely bigger than donald trump’s hand. The oyster was cut up into about six kumamoto sized pieces and tasted super fresh with some nice acid from the yuzu.
broiled sanma skinny mackerel, black vinegar
spines
They threw me a bone and gave me two orders of spines.
dengaku of japanese sweet potato, crusted with yuzu miso
This could have been a dessert
steamed iron pot rice with ikura and dungeness crab
I thought this would be a Kamameshi, crab and ikura mixed with rice, but instead i was served three separate bowls of rice, ikura and crab. This would have been better if the ingredients were actually mixed in the iron pot and then served.
japanese chizu-keki, quince
This japanese cheesecake was light and airy and went great with the sweet quince.
