Omakase at Shuko

Shuko is right around the corner from the apartment but not exactly easy to find with the nondescript door.  Took a bit of planning to secure the reservation but finally managed to check off another omakase from the list.

The menu was simple enough, a straight forward sushi only omakase or a kaiseki experience with both small plates and sushi.  We of course opted for the kaiseki but that wasn’t all though.  We were then given the choice of upgrading our experience with a few supplements, playfully drawn out on a small menu.

Once the hard decisions were made, we just sat back and waited until the plates started to arrive.

First, a homemade mochi bite with pistachio, miso and shiso.

Followed by refreshing salad of dungeness crab with cucumber yuzu.

Next was a decadent ball of chopped toro with Beluga caviar and a side of homemade sweet milk bread.

The Spanish mackerel with bonito sauce, shiso and daikon was followed with a beautiful plate of ocean trout with spicy mushroom, ikura and crispy trout skin.

Next, we moved onto some hot dishes.  Warmed lobster pieces were served on top of carrot puree with savory bacon bites and snap peas.

We had unknowingly ordered more lobster from the supplemental menu, a plate of spicy lobster with green and white onion and lotus root to share.  More lobster never hurt anyone right?

The last of the hot kaiseki dishes was a small plate with buttery veal with ramps and baby turnips.

A small bowl of consomme before we move onto the sushi portion of the meal.

A nice fatty piece of toro to start things off…

then skip jack…

and dorado…

and spanish mackerel (one of my favorite pieces of sushi)..

That was followed by fluke with seaweed..

… a piece of sea bream with ume…

… striped bass with bright yuzu…

And a lovely sweet piece of scallop.

A beautiful piece of uni was up next.  Always a favorite at any omakase, this was no exception.

While we savored the uni, we watched as the chef worked on meticulously removing meat from a tuna bone.

A hand piece with singed toro was deliciously decadent.

Soft shelled crab made an appearance on a sushi piece.

And was followed by a delicious piece of spicy sea trout crispy rice.

A simple tuna roll…

And a one bite of ume and shiso wrapped in paper thin lotus root marked the end of the sushi service.

A sorbet palate cleanser was followed by a slice of warm apple pie with bay leaf ice cream.  A bit of Americana touch to a traditional kaiseki meal before we were sent on our merry way into the night belly full of sushi.

Shuko | 47 East 12th Street, New York, 10003 | https://www.shukonyc.com/