I’m still as in love with Sushi Yasuda as the day I first tasted their sushi. I’m still getting new pieces on each visit and it’s exhilarating to know such a place exists. On our 8th visit, we had tamago, the omelet, so this time, we tried the Custard, which Chef Tomura described as having shrimp and potato. The texture is still smooth like Tamago, so you will not find pieces of shrimp and potato but you will taste it, in the very tender custard.
If you like Fatty Tuna, you must try the Cheek of the Fatty Tuna, it’s even fattier! You can see the marbling and it just melts away in your mouth.
On my 3rd visit, I had the Uni from California. This time, I tried the Uni from Alaska. Chef Tomura told me that it is the same species but I guess the environment makes a big difference. The Alaskan Uni is not at all briny, still creamy, but very gamey, in a fishy way. I prefer the California Uni because it was sweeter and I like some brininess.
Lon wanted to have the soft shell crab again and it was a lot smaller (like half the size) than when we had it on our third visit, but it is coming up on the end of the season. That’s why you have to listen to the chefs and let them recommend what to eat.
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My husband and I had our version of your Sushi Yasuda when he lived in Boston. We went to this place called Fugakyu (in Brookline, Mass)at least once or twice a week. Now that we are in NY, we haven’t found another sushi place that we like as much. Morimoto NYC and Blue Ribbon Sushi in Brooklyn comes close. Now I can’t wait to try Sushi Yasuda!
Guess this must be for you what candies is to me…going by the number of posts you have written on it
Ellen, I’ve been meaning to try Blue Ribbon Sushi but we’re not fans of Morimoto, although, we didn’t eat sushi there. We were really upset by the whole experience!! Please let us knos what you think of Sushi Yasuda.
Knife, I only hope Candies makes you as happy as Sushi Yasuda makes me.
I went to Sushi Yasuda tonight and cannot contain my disappointment.
The good: I liked the tiny freebie appetizer, the tea, the presentation of the food, the utensils, the eel bone crackers, the fact that the appetizer menu was made from bamboo, the outrageous wide runway to the kitchen where there are usually tables, the roses in the bathroom.
The bad: For a $63 omakase, I was definitely expecting more. It reminds me of my Tomoe experience: fresh but that doesn’t mean that it’s good. The fatty sushi melted in my mouth, as it’s supposed to, but the taste of the fat wasn’t there. It tasted rather bland and (like Tomoe) sour. I’m referring, for example, to the chuutoro, the ootoro, bonito and the yellowtail. I had thought my taste buds were playing tricks on me until I got a second opinion. I didn’t sit at the bar with Tomura or Yasuda, but a great chef can’t do much with fatty tuna that doesn’t taste like what it’s supposed to. I had just gone to Ushiwakamaru the night before and that became the best sushi I’ve had in New York, beating out Sushiden handily, so I had a baseline (and probably an unfair one at that) to go up against one of the most highly rated sushi restaurants in the city. I’d have to go back to both to validate the consistency, to be fair.
Anonymous, sorry you did not enjoy your experience. I am quite surprised since I’ve never had a bad experience in my 9 visits and I can think of at least 15 people off the top of my head that have gone on my recommendation and have made it their new favorite place.
If you do feel like trying it again, I want to stress the importance of sitting at the bar with a chef. I learned from Chef Tomura that he feels the flavor degrades in just minutes so he does not recommend take-out/delivery/etc. When you sit at the bar, they pace out your pieces so you can eat them as they are made.
I’ll have to try Ushikawamaru….
Candies definitely makes me happy. There is someting about the place which makes me feel like a child
Since I believe Tuesday is delivery day for sushi, it should remove any doubts about fish quality. I revisited Sushi Yasuda today and was surprised to see that Tomura is a young chef. My experience was slightly better this time around, but overall, it’s really not what I had expected it to be. It scores on presentation, etc, but the fish could be a lot better for its price. The egg custard was huge (I wish the fish was anywhere near that size) and the best I’ve had. I figured out that the frequent use of lemon in the fish made some of the pieces sour — I really wasn’t a fan of that because it takes away from tasting the fish similar to the reason sushi chefs shun overdipping in soy sauce. It’s probably my last Yasuda visit. In my opinion (and it’s a minority one at that) Yasuda is very good, but not great, and greatly overpriced. I’m sure if you ever go to Seattle, you’ll understand why. So Seattle aside and afar, I’m hoping that Ushiwakamaru is the real deal when I go back to confirm. Still to try are the others in the Yelp Top Ten…
C, I guess we just have different taste. I actually love the freshly squeezed lemon juice with a little sea salt on the appropriate pieces and I also prefer that my sushi and sashimi not be giant slabs of fish. If you’re looking for quantity, I suggest Funyama (24 Greenwhich Avenue)which has fresh and large pieces of fish. Not a pretty place though.
I know you’re not going again but for anyone else concerned about price, Omakase is expensive anywhere, good or bad, but I keep costs down at Sushi Yasuda by ordering a sushi sashimi combo (4 pieces of sushi and 3 types of sashimi and 1 roll, you choose the sushi pieces and roll off a list and it includes soup or salad)for $22.50, then I add a few more pieces, always the peace passage oyster and 2 or 3 more of Chef Tomura’s choice…my meal is always under $50.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m not all about volume. But when the fish is cut so small and thin, one struggles to taste the fattier fish. After all, isn’t fat content what folks in Tsukiji pay a big premium for? But in terms of taste, this reviewer sums it up for me:
“They were going for fresh and not fatty…”
Nevertheless, there were pieces I had enjoyed, like the mackerel. One more thing about Yasuda — and that’s it has a large variety of sushi.
I’ll give Funayama a try when I want to test my appetite!
I had thought Ushiwakamaru was pricy (not big pieces, and not as small as Yasuda), but some of its pieces made me change my tune.
Almost no more time for NYC sushi this month… I’ll see in a couple weeks how Tsukiji is!
C, I actually think their fatty tuna is wonderful…and if you ever go back, the cheek of the fatty tuna is sublime. We brought 2 of Lon’s co-workers last week and Melinda kept wanting more of the cheek.
Still, fatty or not aside, freshness is paramount in raw fish for me.