Edomae Welcome to Tradition

lease allow us to take you on a journey through traditional PEdo-style sushi. We hope you enjoy Hatsu’s exceptional fish and artistic preparation. We also hope that you learn something about Japanese food and culture that you didn’t already know.

“Making sushi is an art, and experience is everything.”

– Nobu Matsuhisa

Nigiri Versus How to Eat Sushi

o understand the comparison between ushi is generally eaten with the Tnigiri vs sashimi, one needs to know Shands. Steamed towels what is sushi. Sushi is basically vinegared (oshibori) will be brought after you rice served with a variety of dishes. When are seated. Clean your hands and sushi is served with a single fish topping it is neatly roll, or fold the towel and called as nigiri. When a single thin slice of keep it aside for later use. Lighter raw fish is served without rice, it is called tasting ingredients should be sashimi. consumed early to enjoy their delicate flavors. When seasoning Sashimi is often served as an appetizer the sushi with , try to season the or a palate cleanser at the beginning of a fish (or the main ingredient), rather than the meal. The fish is very thinly sliced and is rice. Tilt the sushi while holding it securely usually served with an array of garnishes and with your fingers. Although rarely done, sauces. Pickled vegetables such as ginger, sushi should be consumed upside down, shredded radish, and toasted with the main ingredient facing down. (a type of seaweed) are some common Soy sauce should not drip, since only a small garnishes for sashimi. Sashimi is also served amount should be used in the first place. with soy sauce and . Oftentimes, ground ginger root is added to wasabi for an After eating the sushi, wipe your fingers added flavor. that were used to hold the sushi. Simply rub it against the towel without picking it up. Some Sashimi is always made from saltwater good sushi restaurants prepare special fish, rather than freshwater fish. The reason dampened cloths that are folded, and placed is, fresh water fish contains some parasites near you just for this reason. Before you move which are capable of inducing intestinal on, eat a piece of pickled ginger () to wash problems. Fresh fish is always preferred or “reset” your palate. Sipping rice wine for sashimi, though frozen, thawed fish () is effective as well. Repeat the cleansing may sometimes be used. , , of the fingers and palate after each sushi. bass, bonito, fish , snapper, mackerel, shad, prawns, octopus and squid are some Try not to make your dishes dirty. commonly used fish varieties for making The dish is considered an art of its own, sashimi. Fresh fish ensures that the fish so defacing it is considered a bit rude. used in sashimi retains its flavor. Reputed So, don’t mix and smother wasabi in the restaurants and sushi bars have their soysauce dish. Simply put a piece of it on own saltwater tank which enable them the sushi before lightly dipping it on the tray. to take fresh fish as per customer’s or- You should not replace food that has been der. At sushi bars you can see the dish bitten already on a dish. All sushi should be prepared right in front of your eyes. eaten in one bite. A good sushi chef should be The chef skillfully slices the fish and able to estimate a bite size for each removes bones from it. The dish is then customer by looking at them, so they don’t presented with an assortment of garnishes have to bite the sushi in half. So if the sushi and sauces, as mentioned above. is too big, then it’s not your fault.

Nigiri on the other hand is a true sushi Sushi is sort of considered as an art dish as it is served with a clump of vinegared as well, so try to eat it as is. Don’t drench rice or sushi. A small rice clump is made by your sushi with soy sauce. First of all, this hand and a thin fish slice is pressed on top is bad for your health. This also masks of this rice. This fish topping is also called as the flavors of the sushi, and makes the neta. The whole mixture may sometimes sushi look like it fell in a bucket of soy be tied together with a toasted nori. sauce. Only a drop or two of soy sauce Often, wasabi is placed between the fish should be used. Dip the sushi at an angle topping and rice clump. The fish and just barely touch the soy sauce. topping used in this dish can be raw, If you are eating a nigiri simply support it grilled, batter fried or slightly smoked, with your fingers and turn your wrist so depending upon the variety of fish used. the sashimi side touches the soy sauce. Smoking or grilling kills the parasites and This is not just etiquette, but the best way makes the fish safe to eat. to taste your sushi. Menu

NIGIRI (2 pieces per order) URAMAKI (Inside out rolls some topped with – 6 pieces per order)

Ebi (cooked shrimp) $4.25 Roll $5.50 Tako (octopus) $5.50 Yam Roll $5.50 Bincho (albacore) $5.50 (crabstick, avocado) $6.50 Hamachi (yellowtail) $6.00 $7.00 Ika (squid) $4.25 Vegetarian California Roll (egg omelet, avocado) $6.50 Maguro (yellowfin tuna) $5.50 Spicy Roll $7.00 Toro (fatty tuna belly) $6.50 Sakekyu (salmon, cucumber) $6.50 Inari (bean curd) $4.25 Maki (river eel, avocado) $7.50 Suzuki (sea bass) $5.50 Tekkakyu (tuna, cucumber) $6.50 Hotate (spicy & flying fish roe) $6.00 Tempura Shrimp Roll (tempura shrimp, avocado) $7.50 Kanikama (crabstick) $4.25 Hirame () $5.50 (flying fish roe) $6.00 Saba (mackerel) $4.25 Amaebi (sweet shrimp) $5.50 Masago (smelt roe) $5.50 Tamago (sweet egg omelet) $4.25 Hokkigai (surf clam) $5.50 Smoked Sake () $5.50 Sake (salmon) $5.50 TEMAKI (hand rolls – 1 per order) Ikura (salmon roe) $6.75 Tai (red snapper) $5.50 California Hand Roll $6.50 Uni ( eggs) $7.00 Spicy Shrimp Hand Roll $6.50 Hotategai (scallop) $5.50 Salmon Skin Hand Roll $6.50 Unagi (river eel) $5.50 Awabi (abalone) $6.50 Vegetarian (tomato) $4.00 Assorted Sashimi Box $13.00 Assorted Sushi & Sashimi Box $16.00

Prices are subject to change without further notice. There will be an extra charge for substitutions.

MAKI (6 pieces per order)

Kappamaki (cucumber roll) $4.25 Negihamachi Maki (yellowtail, green onion) $6.00 Oshinkomaki (pickled radish roll) $4.25 Futomaki (crabstick, egg, cucumber, gourd – 4 pieces) $6.50 Kanpyomaki (gourd roll) $4.25 (egg, crab, cucumber) $5.50 (4 pieces)(soft shell crab, flying fish roe, avocado) $9.50 Tekkamaki (tuna roll) $5.75 Dragon Roll: (tempura shrimp, avocado, eel) $10.50 (tempura shrimp, avocado, salmon) $9.50 Sakemaki (salmon roll) $5.75 (assorted slices fish on top of a California Roll) $10.50 Salmon Skin Shallot (salmon skin, green onion) $5.75 Philly Roll (smoked salmon and cream cheese) $7.50 History of Sushi

ike some cuisines in Japan, the sushi fermented. A fresh water fish such as to people, since nare sushi in general has a Lincorporated many foreign influences. was often used for this type of sushi, and was very pungent smell, and was not widely Most of these dishes don’t even have a called the nare sushi (ripe sushi). The rice appreciated by many, even though it was hint of the original influential cuisine aided in the fermentation process and made (and still is) considered a delicacy. since they have evolved into entirely it quicker to prepare than the original sushi. From here on, less and less fermentation different recipes through hundreds of The rice was discarded after the fermentation was required to create nare sushi, and years. The Edomae sushi (Edo style sushi; was complete (a period of 2 to 3 months eventually a new type of sushi using only Edo is the old name of Tokyo), or plain depending on the season) and only the fish fresh vinegar and cooked rice began to “sushi” known to the world today, is a was consumed. evolve. This began a trend of new types of combination of vinegar-flavored rice and sushi being evolved in local areas, such as the Japanese sashimi. All the original During the , or 15th the style sushi, Oshi sushi,chirashi ingredients were local to the Edo bay, century, the nare sushi began to divide into sushi and nuku sushi just to mention a or the present Tokyo bay. two types, the hon nare (true ripe) and nama few. All of these are still popular in Japan. unfamiliar to raw fish. More and more nare (raw ripe, or pre-ripe). The hon nare Westerners started to eat raw fish and many Sushi is often confused with raw fish is the original version of the sushi, Although sashimi or slices of raw fish adaptations were made to the Edo style sushi and rice. This is correct if referring to the which began its roots in the were consumed in Japan for centuries, it was to adapt with western culture. Edo style sushi, but originally, sushi was 10th century. not until between 1827 and 1829 when sushi a term for fermented meat or fish, which The nama and raw fish were first combined. The history of sushi is very long, and the was prepared for the sole purpose of nare is the This became what is known as the interesting thing about it is that the sushi preservation. It is believed that sushi has same type Edo style sushi. This is the sushi evolves through time. Without the advice its roots in Southeast Asia where fish and of sushi, but widely known to the world and comments of Western customers, meat were salted, then fermented for long it is consumed today. It was initially created as it would have been difficult for a conservative periods of time. Records of similar prematurely. This way an inexpensive fast food to cater sushi chef in Japan to create all the new types methods of are first seen the rice stuffed inside the fish the busy streets of Edo, and proved of sushi that are now made today. Some things, in Chinese scriptures in the 2nd century. to aid the fermentation process to be a success from the beginning. which were considered taboo in the Edo style It also seemed that it wasn’t the most became somewhat edible. The nama The vinegar rice resembling the naturally sushi tradition actually turned out to be very popular dish at the time. This type of nare sushi is distinct from the hon nare in fermented sushi rice helped the sashimi from good. At the present, the tradition of sushi sushi is documented in Japan in the 7th a way that it has a more pleasant sour taste. spoiling too quickly, and the fast preparation has spread world wide, and is in the fusion century. It was later in the Heian period Eventually the nama nare became more made it ideal for such a business. style sushi, or American style sushi phase. or during the 10th century when uncooked popular for its quicker preparation and its It has been this way for almost 20 years and rice was stuffed inside the fish after they extra side dish, the fermented rice which had During the late 1970s, Japanese is starting to level off at its peak (as a culinary were gutted, and cleaned with sake or a mild tangy flavor to it. About a hundred businesses started expanding to the United evolution), since there has really been no wine, before they were years later, vinegar was beginning to be States, and more and more sushi restaurants revolutionary “breakthroughs” like the added to cut the preparation time even opened to serve the Japanese businessmen California roll. Many new rolls are seen here further. This way, only minimal time living locally. Besides catering to the local and there, but they are only different was required for fermentation, Japanese, sushi chefs in the United States combinations of existing ingredients with since vinegar was added later tried hard to introduce sushi to Americans, different names given to them. Fusion or to artificially create the tangy but it was difficult to persuade people to try American style sushi is more of a new taste. This was not done just eating raw fish. Soon, the California roll was versatile attitude towards sushi, and once to cut time and cost for hon invented, and sparked a new trend towards again, it has been proved to be an evolving nare or nare sushi production. fusion sushi. The California roll was the cuisine. It will be interesting to wait and see It was actually more favorable perfect introductory sushi for people what the next trend in sushi will be like. Arigato Gozaimasu

TOYOTOMI HIDEYOSHI, Master Chef