The sushi and sashimi section occupies more than half of the user-friendly dinner menu, which has many pages of photos illustrating the restaurant’s dishes. But from anywhere in the restaurant, if you show interest in the fish displayed in the refrigerated case, the helpful waitress will point out what’s particularly special that day. Of course, customers sitting at the counter and ordering a piece or two at a time can watch their choices being custom-made, as it were. While that may sometimes be true - especially when the sushi chef directs you to what’s new or seasonal - at Fujinoya, the restaurant is so small and informal that the sushi counter and the dining tables are as good as merged. Love all things sushi? Check out Eater’s show Omakase for everything from Michelin-starred to barbecue-inspired sushi.IT is a widely held notion that the best sushi in a Japanese restaurant is served at the counter. But the beauty of the chirashi bowl is that it requires no special occasion at all. There’s a time and place for the omakase experience: an anniversary, a visit to Japan, a splurge meal in a major city. That flexibility is another hallmark of the chirashi bowl: As someone who’s generally more interested in the fish than the rice (but who doesn’t want to totally forgo well-executed sushi rice in favor of straight sashimi), I can also customize each bite as I eat it, usually leaving some rice behind. If you really want some sort of festive roll to complete your experience, have one on the side. I usually order a few nigiri as an appetizer to get a sense of a chef’s skills in that department, especially if there are interesting-looking specials on the chalkboard (bonus points if the restaurant makes a good live scallop). Keep in mind your lunch or dinner doesn’t have to consist exclusively of chirashi. Chefs are usually more willing to customize chirashi bowls to your needs (I’m not a whelk fan, and the kind chef at the sushi bar down the street is happy to leave it off my chirashi). Once you build a relationship with a restaurant or particular sushi chef, sit at the sushi counter, and you’ll find that the chef might be inclined to send along something rare or special in your bowl. But the chirashi bowl is even a better tool at restaurants where you want to become a regular. I love ordering the chirashi bowl to get an initial impression of a restaurant during a first visit - there’s a sense of adventure as you wait to see which fish selection will grace your plate, even though the dish itself feels comforting and familiar. And like a chef’s omakase, it also gives you a window into their particular style and talents: what garnishes they choose to use, whether they’re homemade pickles, rolled omelet, tiny vegetables and herbs, or bejeweled heaps of roe. Often costing about $18 to $30 (depending on the price range of the restaurant and what part of the country you’re in), it’s not a menu item one would describe as “cheap eats,” but it’s my go-to move, a more affordable way to experience some of the freshest fish the restaurant has to offer. Enthusiastic, open-minded sushi fans on a journalist’s salary (like me) order the chirashi bowl instead.Ĭhirashi, a collection of sliced sashimi set atop a bowl of carefully prepared sushi rice and garnished with a variety of extra touches, is a fixture of most sushi restaurant menus. Īmbitious, deep-pocketed, serious sushi fans always order the omakase experience (the chef’s tasting menu) when they go to a sushi restaurant. This post originally appeared in the Decemedition of The Move, a place for Eater’s editors to reveal their recommendations and pro dining tips - sometimes thoughtful, sometimes weird, but always someone’s go-to move.
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