Sushi Komatsu Yasuke
Sushi Komatsu Yasuke, originally uploaded by snapperwolf*.
The first thing we did when we arrived in Kanazawa was to find out where this elusive sushi restaurant was. I had it scribbled in my notebook, transcribed from a magazine travel article following Tetsuya around Japan.
I practiced how to say “May we please have a reservation for 2?” in Japanese whilst walking down the street to the non descript restaurant sheltered in a business hotel in downtown Kanazawa. With the help of notes and sign language, we were granted a quick lunch date the next day from the obliging waitress.I felt like we were going for a job interview as we loitered in the hotel lobby at 11.20am ready for our 11.30 lunch appointment. A group of well dressed ladies that lunch gave us the once over and I wished I wasn’t wearing my regulation travel kit.Ushered in and seated, the waitress wrote down the price on a post it note and asked if this was okay? We nodded happily, quickly converting in our heads. A bargain lunch at $45 a head. There was no menu, only a 9 part selection chosen by the chef.The sushi spoke for itself. Each piece was perfection. The seafood so fresh and delicately seasoned. We were told what to dip in soy and how each had been seasoned. My favourite was the conger eel hand roll. The nori was toasted, the eel umami and the rice melted away in warmth. A unique combination of crunch, sweet and savoury delight.The theatre of sitting at the bar watching the master in action was fascinating. The deftness of the knife work, the precision of the seasoning and the repartee between chef and customer was wonderful to observe. The sushi chef chatted to each customer and I noticed that other customers were receiving different combinations to us based on his whimsy.Ending with a warm bowl of miso soup and green tea to warm our bodies. We were thanked effusively and bowed out of the restaurant back into reality from an efficient 40 minute visit into the world of high class sushi.
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