86 Pine St #1
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 441-8844
Having spent the final 46 years on the cutting-edge of the Seattle sushi scene, Shiro Kashiba is undoubtedly Seattle’s godfather of sushi. Again in 1970, Shiro established the primary full service sushi bar at Maneki a Japanese restaurant that dates again to the flip of the 20 th century. After working there for a few years, Shiro struck out on his personal and opened his first restaurant, Nikko. He ran the restaurant for the higher a part of a technology earlier than promoting the identify to the Westin in 1992. He remained with the restaurant for little greater than a yr earlier than the company grind drove him tender his resignation. In 1994 he began the eponymous Shiro earlier than feeling the 20-year itch and retiring once more in 2014. Apparently retirement did not sit nicely with the venerable Kashiba and it was little greater than a yr earlier than there have been rumblings of a brand new restaurant within the works and in late 2015 Sushi Kashiba was born.
Located one block north of the Pike Place market the restaurant has a small a la carte seating space in addition to a snug nicely appointed bar, however to get the complete expertise omakase on the sushi bar is a should. Seating on the bar is strictly first come first serve so although I like to recommend you present up earlier than the restaurant opens or be ready to attend.
Binnaga – Albacore Tuna
Akami – Lean Bluefin Tuna
Zuke – Marinated Bluefin Tuna
O-Toro – Fatty Bluefin Tuna
Omakase meals sometimes begin with lighter fishes like halibut or snapper however Kashiba selected to open with a quartet of tuna. Beginning on the fitting, we’ve got a young slab of albacore, the delicacy of the fish’s texture is heightened by it is plentiful oiliness. Apart from the Albacore was a chunk of traditional bluefin tuna, the fish was on the lean and steely facet with a gentle chunk of wasabi on the end. Subsequent up was marinated tuna, with a softer suppler texture and intrinsic salinity, this was was far superior to the usual Akami. Final however actually not least was the toro; totally totally different from its leaner cousins, the decadent oiliness suffuses the palate and lingers lengthy after the tasty morsel is gone.
Madai – Snapper
Hirame – Halibut
Engawa – Halibut Fin
The snapper had the traditional delicate taste, however was a bit flabby for my liking. The halibut was extra interesting with a contact of crunchy firmness and a daring spicy chunk from the pickled radish. The Engawa was by far the perfect of the trio with a dense muscular chewiness and deeper taste not seen within the different two white fish nigiri.
Beni Jake – Sockeye Salmon
Sake – King Salmon
The duet of salmon opened with a richly coloured sockeye salmon, which was markedly leaner with a contact of steeliness as a substitute of the buttery sweetness of the extra widespread King Salmon. Kashiba’s preparation of Sake enlivens the ever present sushi fish with a crisp succulent sprig of candy onion and a nutty strip of nori.
Sake Toro Tataki – Seared Salmon Stomach
If the common salmon had loads of oily goodness, the stomach raises issues to absurd ranges, however the searing helps burn off a number of the oil and infuses the fish with a rush of heady smoke.
Mirugai – Large Clam
Hotate – Scallop
It might be a sin to go to Seattle and never have recent Mirugai. Kashiba’s preparation has a multifaceted dense but snappy texture in addition to a wonderfully balanced candy saline rigidity. The Hotate was a bit of extra ahead with a straightforwardly buttery sweetness in addition to a silky gentle texture.
Saba – Mackerel
Sawara – Spanish Mackerel
Aji – Jack Mackerel
I used to be anticipating loads of oily goodness from the trio of mackerel and the fish actually did not disappoint. Ranging from the fitting was primary Mackerel, texturally the leanest of the three fish, with a contact of sliminess across the conventional dense barely dry mouth really feel. The Sawara had a smoked hammy taste and consistency with the pliant chewy including a contrasting textural observe. The Aji was my favourite of the trio, snappy and lightweight the Aji additionally evidenced essentially the most nuanced slate of taste.
Wakasagi – Ocean Smelt
I really mistook this for Sayuri once I first noticed it however this was really a type of smelt. The fish has a delightful jellied texture and delicate taste that labored fairly properly with the spicy grated ginger.
Nishin – Herring
Having completed the essential omakase our itamae started taking requests. Once we requested for Kohada he knowledgeable us the season had handed however he provided us their home marinated herring as a substitute. The fish has the identical pungent taste of vinegar and fish oil however with a softer extra succulent texture.
Amaebi – Candy Shrimp
Stay Amaebi ready a la minute is sort of at all times a standout and this actually did not disappoint. The shrimp exhibited a lusciously crisp creamy texture together with a candy clear salinity, sadly the general preparation was a bit sloppily performed. Loosely packed rice had been an ongoing problem all through the evening however it was notably dangerous right here with half the rice falling again onto the plate as quickly as I picked up the nigiri
Uni – Sea Urchin
Ikura – Salmon Roe
Subsequent up was a traditional duet of roe. The uni hailed from Hokkaido and golden pouches of creamy candy richness left me wanting extra. The Ikura was served a bit hotter than I used to be used to however regardless of the temperature, nonetheless had a pleasant pop and traditional smoky taste.
Hamachi – Yellowtail
Kampachi – Amberjack
In my sushi infancy Hamachi was my go to fish although I infrequently order it anymore. The traditional candy oily twang reminds remains to be fairly interesting however the gentle fleshy texture feels a bit one-dimensional. The Kampachi was undoubtedly extra spectacular on that rating providing a slick and snappy texture accompanied by the same however milder taste because the Hamachi.
Tokobushi – Abalone
This was my first time having Tokobushi, a species of abalone that tends to be smaller than the extra generally discovered Awabi. The Tokobushi has a softer extra pliant texture and milder taste that lends itself nicely to showcasing the dashi it was cooked in.
Taraba Gani – King Crab
Zuwai Gani – Snow Crab
For our ultimate savory we opted for nigiri Deadliest Catch fashion with a tasty duet of king crab (proper) and snow crab (left). I are likely to favor King Crab over Snow Crab and Kashiba’s choices proceed that development. The Taraba Gani has a meatier texture and its taste tends to be a contact sweeter the place the Zuwai Gani has a leaner stringer really feel and earthier taste.
Tamago – Egg
The meal closed out on a powerful observe with a dense cake-y tamago that deftly balanced the smoky-sweet eggy taste with a slight trace of savoriness.
Given Kashiba-san’s pedigree and popularity I used to be anticipating a transcendent expertise and got here away a bit wanting. Maybe my expectations have been unrealistically excessive because the fish high quality was constantly superb and other than the overly unfastened rice there weren’t any overt flaws. In the end, I’ve to say {that a} journey to the sushi bar at Kashiba is a no brainer for any sushi fan visiting Seattle.
My girlfriend and I had deliberate to have back-to-back dinners at Sushi Kashiba and Shiro. Having missed the primary seating at Shiro, we opted to seize a small chunk at Kashiba to tide us over.
2016 Yamazaki Sherry Cask
I nearly could not convey myself to order a shot of the Yamazaki Sherry Cask, however I figured this is likely to be my solely alternative to attempt it. This extraordinarily restricted bottle grew to become much more elusive after it was named World’s Finest Whisky by Jim Murray in 2015. This yr a mere 26 of the 5,000 bottles launched have been shipped stateside and apparently Kashiba-san had the pull to attain one from his distributor. The deep reddish coloration and barely viscous texture are in line with an aged Sherried Whisky whereas the aroma provided notes of syrup and dried fruit the palate has a nuanced restraint that exhibits off the sherry with out being drowned in it. What shocked me most in regards to the drink was how a lot my girlfriend, who sometimes likens Whisky to color thinner took to this dram. Nevertheless at $2,000 a bottle, I do not really feel inclined to indulge her budding curiosity in Whisky any additional.
Oyster on the Half Shell – Kumamoto oysters sprinkled with shaved frozen ponzu vinegar
Being in Seattle the Kumamotos have been an absolute should. Fished recent from the native waters the candy briny morsels are coupled with a punchy tang from the ponzu vinegar.
Agedashi Tofu – Flippantly fried tofu served with grated white radish and grated ginger and bonito flakes in a savory dashi broth
One of many extra elegant preparations of Agedashi tofu I’ve had shortly. The tofu was brilliantly gentle whereas the broth had a brooding weighty savor perked up by the bitter daikon and chunk of the ginger.
