Be Brave And Sit At The Sushi Bar!
When I first started out on my sushi adventure, sitting at the sushi bar was a scary idea. I didn't know how to order anything other than a California Roll and the knife-wielding sushi chef was intimidating.
For some reason, I always felt safer hiding behind a table and a menu. But one day I got weary of listening to the endless requests made by fellow diners for California Rolls. I sucked it in and sauntered up to sushi bar.
It was well worth the effort and I promise it will be the same for you. Bring a friend or two if it might seem too much of a challenge. The fun part of leaving the safety of your table is that you never know what the sushi chef is going to serve you at the sushi bar.
Ordering
In traditional sushi restaurants, there are no waiters or menus. There are three ways to place an order, as follows:
Okimar - this is Japanese for "it's been decided". The sushi chef will serve you a selection of sushi that he chooses at a set price. Everything is served at once.
Okonomi - this is Japanese for "as I like it". You get to choose from a selection of fish that is available that day. It is served one-by-one. At a sushi bar the sushi is usually nigiri (hand-formed rectangles of sushi rice with a slice of raw fish placed on top).
Omakase - this is Japanese for "I leave it up to you". This is where the chef gets to impress you with his best ingredients. He decides in what order your sushi will be served. Choose this option if you're not concerned about the price.
Eating
If you chose "okonomi" or "omakase" the chef will place your nigiri on a wooden stand named a "geta". He will also include a small mound of pickled ginger which is meant to cleanse your palette.
In my home city, sushi restaurants also include a mound of wasabi (horse radish). This is not done in Japan, because the chef already places a small amount between the fish and rice.
You'll also get a small bottle of soya sauce for dipping. If it's a really fancy restaurant, the sushi chef will mix the soya sauce with dashi broth, sake and mirin. Dashi is a stock made from dried bonito (sardines) flakes and mirin is sweet and sticky sauce.
Pick up your nigiri with your fingers and pop the whole thing in your mouth. Don't use chopsticks because this will break your sushi. If you plan to use soya sauce flip it over and dip the fish side into the sauce. This way the rice won't crumble into the saucer.
In my neck of the woods everyone seems to stir wasabi into their soya sauce. Don't do it! They don't do this in Japan because, as mentioned above, the chef has already placed a bit of this horse radish on your nigiri.
Sashami is slices of raw fish. It is usually served with a side of wasabi and you are supposed to eat it with chopsticks. Just don't rub them together to get rid of splinters. It's considered an insult by the sushi chef!
There you have it! Now you can sit down at any sushi bar with confidence.