Sushi Amane was one of the most anticipated restaurant opening of the recent years in NYC because of its connection to Sushi Saito in Tokyo (more to come about this, in the following lines).
Sushi Amane’s Chef (Chef Shion Uino) was working for more than 8 years at 3 star Michelin Sushi Saito (of Master Takashi Saito) in Tokyo, before deciding to move to New York city and man his own Sushiya.
Master Takashi Saito is known, in the elite circles of sushi connoisseurs , as one of the best Sushi Masters of Tokyo, if not the best, his Sushi shop being the highest rated on the Local Japanese database of restaurant reviews Tabelog with a whooping 4.69 over 5 (which is, considering the high standards of the demanding Local Japanese clientele a close-to-perfect score). Just to give you an idea of how highly praised Sushi Saito is: the Sushi shops of the legendary Jiro and his son are rated with a 4.11 over 5 score on Tabelog. Master Takashi Saito’s mini empire consists of his own 3 star Michelin in Tokyo, Taka by Sushi Saito in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia as well his 2 star Michelin sushiya in Hong Kong. As for Sushi Amane in NYC, it was awarded with 1 Michelin star.
It is virtually impossible for the normal diner (99% of us, meaning the anonymous diners) to score a seat at Saito. I tried hard last time I was in Tokyo and realized that it was impossible for the normal anonymous diner to eat there. Therefore I went to see what his disciple, Chef Shion Uino, did learn from the great Saito. According to the restaurant’s web site, Chef Uino was, I quote ”’ placed in charge of the nigiri sushi at the second counter, directly under the master himself ” – usually, a sign of an incredible talent, in the highly competitive Sushi scene of Tokyo.
Before going there, some local Sushi connoisseurs did suggest that I try Sushi Ginza Onodera instead, arguing that I would have more bang for my money at SGO. I have to say, SGO sounds and feels more spectacular, more grand, indeed both in the decor as well as the food offerings (wider variety of food items). It is also a better rated Sushiya than Amane (2 Michelin stars for SGO, 1 star for SA). But in this instance, Sushi Amane felt like the type of laidback Sushi shop I wanted to try.
I will NOT assess every single food item that I have sampled (the purpose of a blog like mine is not to brag about what I ate and to do an inventory of every single thing I put in my mouth. The purpose of my blog is to focus on what needs to be extracted from a given dinner, the technical skills on display, reviewing the important things that that we, for some reason, discard …such as the influence of the geographical environment on the food that you are eating as to avoid surreal expectations such as ”I need my food in NYC to taste exactly the same as in Korea….'”…whoaaaa!!! ).
Sushi Amane is traditional, and that was evident in the progression of the dishes as well as, the absence of superfluous toppings and techniques, the presence of most of the original edomae dishes (Akami, Anago, Kohada, Ebi):
-Akami (lean tuna) marinated and preserved in Japanese soy sauce (Shoyu). The cheapest (price wise) part of the back and belly sections of the tuna, but highly praised by most patrons for its appealing intense red color and hard to miss fine meaty taste. Here, competently marinated and rendered.
-Anago (sea eel in Japanese) was simmered , which makes it more delicious. But this was actually …unusually delicious even by the standards of an elite sushiya in Tokyo. It had plenty of enticing flavours among which you had an exciting smokey taste, elevated by a delectable sweetness coming from a dazzling tsume. The maritime flavor kept intact. For people who are seriously into Sushi, and I am one of them, this would pass as a tour de force of high end sushi. This time the rice’s body temperature was the perfect match for its topping. A world class piece of anago. 10/10
-Kuruma Ebi (Japanese tiger prawn) was boiled in this case. It has a natural sweetness and plenty of umami. That is what is usually advertised. Alas, the reality rarely match the advertisement, even at some of the best sushiyas of Japan. But here, again, the flavour of the Kuruma Ebi showcased the great palate of whoever is cooking those pieces. Delicious Kuruma Ebi, but the rice crumbled and was, this time, dry (SA had some inconsistency issue with their rice, during this specific meal, as you will see on the reviews of the other food items — and that is why my overall rating of SA will not be high…). 8/10 for the genuinely delicious Kuruma Ebi. 0/10 for the rice. And obviously the work of the rice is the most important aspect at a sushiya.
Of the original edomae items, the venus clam continues to be missing in action at most of the sushiyas of NYC. And in the case of SA, you truly miss it. IT and many other exotic seafood that can still be found at plenty of traditional Japanese sushiyas who cater to Non Japanese as well as Japanese…..
-Japanese butter fish/ punzu sauce. A world class piece of cooked fish with memorable intense maritime freshness enhanced by a divine broth with tones of fresh citrus. Exciting. 9/10
-Sea urchin (Aka uni – from Kyushi, murasaki and bafun sea urchin from Hokkaido). The bafun uni, firm and sweet with a vibrant, bright color and a delicate ocean freshness. The murasaki, creamy, with a mildly expressed salt-of the-sea flavor. Prime quality sea urchin as you would expect from a sushiya of this reputation, but they did not keep the sea urchin enoughly chilled, which is what you have to do for sushi. Consequently, the sea urchin had a melting texture when it was served.
-Amadai (tilefish) with daikon – Their cooked fishes do have the edge over the cooked fish at many ambitious tables specializing in seafood in NYC, thanks to the great sourcing and the necessary witty skills to make them tasting great. 9/10
-Japanese horse mackerel (Aji) featured superb flavours, but the rice was dry, this time. Very very dry. Again, at times, the temperature and doneness of the rice was out of control as it was the case here. As well as with the Ebi. 9/10 for the fish, 0/10 for the rice of that nigiri.
-Hairy crab (kegani) from Hokkaido, boiled then shredded crab flesh mixed with aged vinegar (from Japan). You can see that the Chef is afraid of shocking non Japanese palates as here, he did refrain from mixing it with the guts of the crab (which is typical of one classic Japanese rendition of this dish ). This was still tasty as you would expect crab meat to be. 6/10
-Japanese pen shell (Tairagai) – only its adductor is consumed. The flesh firm, the taste not as sweet as the Japanese scallop. I was afraid that the grilling method (which was used here) would diminish the pleasure of eating the Tairagai as its flesh is naturally packed with lots of umami that is better enjoyed when eating it raw. But this was still delicious. 7/10
-Sushi is of course the rice (shari). Vinegared rice, that is. Served mostly at body temperature during this meal, the seasoning of the red vinegar (Akazu) expressing a mild flavor that was delicious, but sometimes the rice was dry, sometimes it would crumble under barely no pressure, etc. A sushiya of this caliber should ensure that does not happen.
-As it is customary at virtually all the fine sushiyas of NYC, the wasabi is of the fresh grated sort. A world away from the … toothpaste greeny … “crap” that passes as wasabi at most of the sushi shops across Canada.
Tamago – The tamago – Japanese egg omelet made of eggs – here had a pudding texture. Perfectly legit (there is not just one version of the tamago) but those who did practice with this type of tamago vs many other versions of it will know that this —technically — is the easiest rendition of the tamago and would pass as unidimensional compared to , say, the version done at mizutani/sawada or even the one that Sushi Azabu did craft during my last visit there. It is nice, it is tasty, but it is not the most complicated tamago to craft.
Pros: The cooked items, during this visit, were genuinely great. Not just good, but Great!
Cons: (1)The rice, during this meal, suffered from inconsistencies that should not be experienced at a sushiya of this reputation as I railed at, all along this review (2) The big majority of the classic sushiyas in Japan and abroad have long figured out a way to trust the palate of their Non-Japanese clientele by offering to that crowd most of the exotic items that they do also offer to their Japanese patrons . During this meal, I felt as if the Chef thought that we were still in the 1990s when the Gaijin was starting to discover edomae style sushi and could therefore not appreciate the plethora of exotic pieces that can be found at a classic sushiya. It certainly did not help that he was feeding, at times, his Japanese patrons with exotic pieces of seafood all along this meal while the Non-Japanese crowd had to content themselves with the basic / common food items of edomae style sushi as well as some few mundane/safe variants on them. Chef, you seem young, humble and very amicable, indeed, but we are in 2019 and at the big majority of the Edomae styled sushiyas, the Non-Japanese fans of edomae style sushi are, by now, accustomed to most of the exotic food you seem to think that they will not be able to enjoy. That is not a concern anymore since…a very long time!!
Bottom line: Lots of great potential here (the superb flavours of some of the cooked food items sampled during this meal would be a tough act to follow even for an elite sushiya in Japan. For my taste, the cooked food took the cake.) but they need to fix the inconsistencies of the rice that I found during this meal and start trusting the Non-Japanese palates. Overall food rating by the elite Sushi standards of NYC: 7/10 (The inconsistencies of that rice should not happen at this level. And the work of the rice is …obviously…the most important aspect at a sushiya….) Service: 8/10. Sushi Amane Addr: 245 E 44th St, New York, NY 10017 Phone: (212) 986-5300
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