After scrolling up and down for days on the booking tool of the restaurant’s website, a slot became miraculously available. Sushi Kashiba is a hot spot for first-class sushi, near the bustling Pike Place Market, next to Seattle’s waterfront.
Drawing a vast crowd, Chef Shiro Kashiba is Seattle’s grand sushi master and three-time James Beard nominee for outstanding chef. After honing his skills under the watchful eye of Jiro Ono, he set up his original restaurant Shiro´s in the Pacific Northwest. Instead of calling it a day after 20 years and resting on his laurels, Shiro came out of his semi-retirement to open this latest venture in the liveliest corner of Seattle.
He has fished and foraged in and around Puget Sound for decades, embodying the highest standard of shun [in season] philosophy. Another pillar of this culinary ethos is Edomae style where master sushi chefs – like Shiro Kashiba – and their teams carry on the tradition of intricate curing and marinating methods. Our evening at Sushi Kashiba started with local oysters topped with shaved frozen ponzu dressing, followed by slabs of blush-coloured albacore tuna. Grilled black cod and crispy fried Rex sole with grated radish marinated in sake lees and miso were equally delightful. The extensive nigiri menu then offered a selection of scallop, king crab and sockeye salmon – arguably the finest, freshest and best sushi on the West Coast.
Front-of-house service is formal, yet personal and exceedingly knowledgeable. The wine list is small but international, offering apt wine pairings from all corners of the world. Sushi Kashiba displays an impressive amount of attention to detail which – like all true efforts – seems effortless. I am already scrolling to find the next slot.
Reviewed by Manuela Prieth
