175 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003
Website, please also refer to my May 2016, Dec 2016, Mar 2017, and Mar 2017 – 2, Postings
There are so many sushi yas in NYC, so why do we keep frequenting the same ones? Because it’s GOOOOOD! Kanoyama has been consistently great in all categories that matter, variety, freshness, preparation, cost, and even the category that I don’t value enough, atmosphere. The staff is professional, knowledgeable, and FRIENDLY. Sounds silly, but restaurants seem to think there is a greater appeal when their staff keep their noses high up in the air. Wrong!!! No matter how many months between visits, the staff at Kano remembers us, treats us kindly, and takes wonderful care of us. Kano is our super reliable go-to.
Our Omakase tonight:
- HIRAME KOBUJIME (Flounder marinated in seaweed) – Amazing! The flavor, the tenderness with a tiny bit of chew, really good.
- HATA (Grouper) – Another great piece
- KISU (Whiting) – Served with dried seaweed. This one melted in my mouth, the seaweed was such a wonderful addition. I love this place!
- KASUGODAI (Baby seabream) – I didn’t understand the crushed egg yolk topping at first, but what do I know? YUMMMM!
- ISAKI (Grunt) – Looks like a KAMASU taste like an ISAKI. With the skin ABURIed (torched), this fish was so lovely. I have to say, I preferred the bite without the plum sauce topping better than with…
- HOTATE (Scallop) – Out of this world!
- TAIRAIGAI (Penshell clam) – This tasted nothing like the TAIRAIGAIs I typically have. I asked Chef Iso multiple times, but he insisted, so again, I guess I know nothing! While I typically do not enjoy TAIRAIGAIs, this one was plenty good, so who cares. Yum!
- BABY KANPACHI – Looks like an AJI, tastes like a mild KANPACHI with the signature gumminess. Lovely!
- MADAI (Seabream) – I tasted a good amount of nuttiness, so asked how it was prepared. Chef Iso said that this was marinated in a “plum sauce”. Does plum sauce equal nuttiness? Again, fantastic, so who cares!
- AJI (Japanese Mackerel) – Served with sea salt and SHISO (Japanese mint). Never ever have I had AJI served this way. It’s always either served solo with a touch of the chef’s soy, or additionally topped with grounded ginger & chopped scallions, which was my preferred way. After the first bite, I thought Chef Iso may have converted me. But shortly after consuming the entire piece, there were reminisces of AJI in my mouth. Maybe we need to stick to the tried and true, the traditional ginger & scallion…
- BOTAN EBI (Spotted sweet shrimp) – For all RAW EBI lovers, know that Chef Iso always slightly cook his BOTAN/AKA/KURUMA EBIs. Different, but just as delicious!
- KINEMEDAI (Golden Eye Snapper) – Another buyer beware note – Chef does not ABURI. Anything that is typically ABURIed, is taken to the kitchen, and handled there. His KINEMDAI is always slightly blanched, as opposed to being ABURIed. Delicious, but still prefer the traditional method…
- SHIMA AJI (Striped Jack) – Served with dried seaweed. YUM!
- SHIRO EBI (Baby white shrimp) – SHIRO and AMAEBIs are the only EBIs that Chef Iso gives you 100% raw. Delish!
- KATSUO (Bonito) – I’m not a huge fan of KATSUO, so I’m super critical. This was ok. But to be fair, the one and only place I’ve ever loved my KATSUO is at KURUMA ZUSHI.
- OTORO (Super fatty Tuna) – Very good, no funky aftertaste, no veiny chewiness. Lovely!
- HOKKAIDO UNI – Fantastic! In our year of not so good UNI, Chef always comes through with beautiful HOKKAIDO UNI. Funny though, even when Santa Barbara was abundant (years prior), Chef really didn’t stock it. He seems to be preferential to Maine (yuck) and Hokkaido (yum)…
- HOTATE (Scallop) – Chef Iso always allows you to choose your last piece. Rules are always, not UNI, not KINMEDAI (the pricier pieces). For our choice piece, we chose another HOTATE!
- NEGITORO hand roll (Fatty Tuna with scallions) – Very good!
Add Ons:
- Arctic char – Boyfriend had this, I didn’t. Not a huge fan of the salmons…
- AOYAGI (Orange clam) – Looks pretty, but had no crunch…
- AKAMUTSU (Rosy sea perch) – This was YUMMY, but expensive for a white. $16 bucks a piece!
- BOTAN EBI (Spotted sweet shrimp) – So yummy that we needed to do a round two. $15 bucks a piece, which is not out of the norm.
Overall Thoughts:
As we stated earlier, Kanoyama consistently comes through as one of the best sushi yas in my book. Always a great meal, great value. Kano went up a point in today’s meal. Total of 33 out of 35!