Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

I was recently invited to Fushimi in Brooklyn, an incredible Japanese restaurant I discovered end of 2013, that is now proposing a tasting menu or omakase kaseiki. Omakase literally means put your trust in me, and, after the spectacular dinner we had at Fushimi, we did not have any problem to trust Chef Chul Ke Ko that we met again the day we went.

So, this time we went to their Williamsburg location. From the exterior to the interior, you can feel right away that it is not your usual Japanese place. There is something elegant and clubby to it, with its red and blue colors.

The entrance has these large sake barrels, as well as the shisa, the guardian lions that are protection against evil.

Then, after you pass the bar area, you arrive is the large dining room, where booths replae regular tables, making the experience comfortable. But, of course, if you prefer, you can sit at the sushi bar to observe the team preparing delicious food.

But I guess, one of the main attractions is in the back; it is called the tunnel and brings you to the...unisex restrooms...

So, let's talk about the food. their tasting or kaseiki is something new that they have launched this year. Know that the menu, based on seasonal products, may vary. In this menu, Chef Ko took traditional Japanese dishes and elevated them, adding some ingredients from other cuisines, such as cumin, creme fraiche or orange juice. 

I should probably mention their large selection of sake, but, most surprising, was their sake sangria, mainly made with strawberries, blueberries, sake and plum wine.

For the amuse bouche, we got a seafood bisque and a risotto ball. The bisque, made with a crab base, was deliciously creamy. Even Jodi, who does not like seafood, ate it. The risotto ball was crispy and also creamy and cheesy inside. This was a good way to start!

Then came a large wooden box. When they opened it, there were six assorted appetizers.

It was composed, from the top left to the top right, of:

Scallop sashimi with red radish, kizami wasabi and ponzu sauce:

Seasoned sushi rice with baked fresh water eel, kabayaki sauce and rarima sansho:

Organic heirloom cherry tomato in yuzu jelly (great at the end, as a palate cleanser):

From the bottom left to right:

Sea grape seaweed in amazu (sweet vinegar sauce). I should mention that I am not a huge fan of seaweed, but finished it...

Botan ebi (shrimp) tartare with ginger, uni (sea urchin) and dashi soy:

Chilled vegetables with saikyo miso:

After that, came the sweet soy glazed Chilean sea bass. It was served with a lobster stuffed zucchini blossom, pickled red onion and a black sesame ponzu purée.

The third dish was called Chawanmushi. It is an egg custard in which Chef Ko put some lobster and shrimp, as well as shiitake mushroom.

Then, was the Chu Toro tartare, that is tuna tartare with seasoned seaweed, ikura (salmon roe), aonori (green seaweed), creme fraiche and ponzu, served with toast.

The next dish was simply called beef. It was a filet mignon with an orange and cumin carrot confit, carrot purée, asparagus, heirloom cherry tomato, fig, mash potato ball, in a port wine reduction.

The sixth dish was tempura. It was composed of six different varieties:

There were French beans, shishito pepper, a julienne of mixed vegetables (sweet potato, zucchini and onion), as well as a coconut and macadamia crusted shrimp with tartare sauce. But the most surprising was the shiso leaf and sugar dusted rice puff that added a nice sweetness to the dish.

I started to get full and was glad that they brought us some green tea made with roasted brown rice.

After the tea, we were ready to continue our discovery of the kaseiki...The sashimi plate that came was beautiful and had a little light underneath, adding a bit more to the presentation.

It was composed of:

Yellowtail and king salmon:

Kumamoto oyster with ponzu:

Seared tuna with 5 spices and sweet miso, maul onion salsa with peach:

Uni (sea urchin):

It came with some fresh wasabi that Chef Ko grated for us.

Then, we got our last dish before dessert: kamadaki rice. It was served in a piping hot bowl, with lobster meat (lots of it), chive and corn. Next to it was a miso soup and some pickled vegetables.

When dessert came, I regretted that I was not wearing stretch pants...We got to try the two desserts they propose in their kaseiki menu. The first one was a creme caramel with raspberry sorbet and fresh berries.

The second one was a green tea ice cream (so creamy) with azuki beans (sweet), baby mochi and yuzu gelée.

Spectacular, incredible, sublime...There are not enough words to describe this extraordinary tasting. Chef Ko is so creative and his dishes not are only beautiful, but delicious, making this culinary experience one of the best I had so far. Fushimi is definitely a place to know and you do not need a passport to go to Brooklyn: it is worth it!

Enjoy (I surely did)!

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