“I carefully select and present only those things I love to eat myself and can serve with confidence.” So says sushi chef Hisashi Udatsu, proprietor of a restaurant in Tokyo’s Nakameguro district. From the day he hung out his shop curtain in 2019, Udatsu has devoted himself to crafting sushi that brings smiles to customers’ faces.
Udatsu’s caviar of choice is N25.When he first sampled N25 caviar, this accomplished chef was bowled over by its smooth, rich flavour profile. Previously, Udatsu had offered dishes combining flavoursome sea urchin with caviar. But for N25, he sandwiches the caviar in wafer cakes with sweet potato, ensuring that his patrons can enjoy its quality to the fullest. In the mouth, the saltiness of the caviar and the sweetness of the sweet potato complement each other beautifully .
Of the two set menus that include caviar wafer cakes, Udatsu serves N25 caviar only in the menu to which he devoted most of his energies, following a standard herb roll. “I serve it second, precisely because I have such confidence in it”, he explains. “It’s the first highlight of the meal.”
Udatsu is also deeply committed is his efforts to pass sushi culture on to future generations. As part of his training of young sushi chefs, Udatsu sets aside one day of the week for his apprentices to form and serve sushi. “Training young chefs is vital to prevent the decline of sushi culture”, says Udatsu. “Our generation needs to step up to support the prosperity of the sushi business and pass it on in good shape.”
