Cycle 4 – Item 331
2 (Mon) December 2013
Special Nigiri Sushi Set
3.5
at Tuna Momotori Sushi
-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-
with DJ
Momotori is a Japanese restaurant. Specializes in sashimi/sushi, not necessarily tuna, despite what the English signage would suggest. The latest addition to the ever-growing Oksu dining scene. Just a few tiny tables plus an itty bitty bar, seating capacity of maybe a dozen customers packed in. Mid-range, prices from 15,000 to 40,000 won.
As I was crouching to tabletop level for a good angle on the soju, the chef half-jokingly said that I was making him nervous. In Korea these days, restaurants are painfully conscious of the influence that internet reviews can have on business, especially from food bloggers.
DJ’s been wanting to try uni ever since watching Monsters University, which features “stinging glow urchins.”
Here, the uni sushi was served in individual mini-bowls, deconstructed without laver wraps. While the uni did stand out, I kinda missed the laver.
The chef gave us a the deep-fried fish on the house, asking me to be generous in my review. It was good. I wouldn’t mind paying money for it.
The nigiri sushi was largely hit, slightly amiss. As shown in the featured photo, the special set comprised: 3 salmon + 2 aburi (torched) salmon + 4 engawa + 2 toro + 4 flatfish + 1 ama ebi. The pieces were cut extra thick, at least double in size – “traditional,” the manager explained – making the platter a decent value. However, each piece was so big that, when taken in a single bite, it was quite literally a mouthful but not a very pleasant mouthfeel. Particularly the flatfish, which is inherently chewy and thus “traditionally” sliced thin. And being so big, the fish totally overwhelmed the rice, negating the whole point of sushi, as opposed to sashimi. That said, the quality of the fish was excellent: briny/sweet in taste, juicy/succulent in texture, and irreproachably fresh. So, when cut into smaller pieces and eaten as sashimi, I couldn’t complain. We’ll definitely be back for more.
(See also BOOZE)
(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)
(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)
