Memories of Spring Part 2: 15 East (food)

Even though sushi is now flash frozen and shipped from everywhere in the world, great sushi chefs still put an emphasis on what is fresh, with seasonal delicacies especially prized. My favorite sushi restaurant is 15 East, and on a visit several months ago, chef Masato Shimizu put together a wonderful Spring menu.

AMUSE: EDAMAME TOFU
Besides being green in color I didn't notice anything particularly interesting.

The signature slow poached octopus in all its glory. 15 East is not just about sushi. They excel at many different things, which is why I usually ask for a combination tasting menu of everything, including sushi, sashimi, and cooked foods.

SLOW POACHED OCTOPUS WITH SMOKED SEA SALT, JAPANESE CONCH SIMMERED IN DASHI, FIREFLY SQUID WITH EGG YOLK MISO
The octopus was tender as always, while the conch and firefly squid were items I hadn't had before and full of umami.

Sneak preview of the chef's cuts of tuna, featuring lean, medium fatty, fatty, and collar.

SASHIMI PLATE: CHERRY SALMON, SPANISH BLUEFIN OTORO, BOTAN EBI (SWEET SHRIMP), COLD SEARED ISAKI (GRUNTFISH), KAMPACHI (AMBERJACK), HIRAME (FLUKE), AWABI (ABALONE) AND FLUKE LIVER WITH PONZU AND SAKE.
Everything was delicious, but the side cup of liver cooked with ponzu and sake was especially unique and flavorful.

SAKURA SOBA
The house-made soba was a unique seasonal preparation, with sakura (cherry blossom) actually ground into the flour for the noodles. It gave the noodles a slightly softer texture.

KURUMA TEMPURA
Accompanying the soba was this huge shrimp tempura. The batter was a little thicker than regular tempura batter, making it in between tempura and katsu in texture. The batter was also seasoned, giving the whole thing great flavor.

After the cooked foods, the procession of sushi begins. Most if not all of the pieces were pieces I've had before and in the regular rotation. More detailed descriptions can be found by searching for my previous 15 East entries.

SHIMA AJI

SEA PERCH

SEARED KINMEDAI

CHUTORO

OTORO

SABA

BABY SNAPPER WITH EGG YOLK

SAYORI

IKA WITH SUDACHI

SHIRO EBI

There were two types of uni available that day, from Santa Barbara and from Hokkaido

SANTA BARBARA UNI

HOKKAIDO UNI

ANAGO

TAMAGO

After all that sushi comes dessert, another area which 15 East excels at because of their connection with Tocqueville. The pastry chef has experience from Jean Georges, so is adept at using Western techniques with Eastern ingredients.

STRAWBERRY PANNA COTTA, MANGO SORBET, PINEAPPLE, AND BERRIES
A refreshing and light spring dessert

MIGNARDISES: PISTACHIO FINANCIERS, DARK CHOCOLATE CARAMEL, MILK CHOCOLATE PUFFED RICE

These meals were great tributes to Spring, but Summer is officially here and I'm looking forward to some great summer meals as well.