Redefin·ning: Sushi Ota

This section of my blog is dedicated to good eats, dining, or particular food related events in my personal life worthy to be reminisced. A chapter somewhere in my life that shaped and formed who I am today. A game changer. A eye opener.  Ahhh!! All so unforgettable. I apologize now that some of these recollections might not have images(or low quality ones), vague descriptions, or blur remembrances.  But it is my account of what happened so take it in as is.  Please leave me a polite feedback or a correction if any factual error appears. 

お任せ ..utter those magical words and open sushi-me you go

Oh-mah-kah-say.  That is what the above Japanese character loosely translates into, it means that you entrust your chef with your meal.  Wise words from a smart women:" When your traveling to a place unknown and you are hungry for ethnic food.  Japanese cuisine should always be your default chow."

Now back to the food and the place; Sushi Ota, Located right next to a 7-eleven and Planned Parenthood in Pacific Beach area of San Diego.  You would never think an award winning top-rated restaurant would reside nested between the two and actually be any good, but assumptions be gone, this place is DAMN good! After a 2.5 hour long meal here my palate changed for the better because now I know the difference between just okay and exceptionally oishii(delicious/very tasty) sushi.

This sort of place is what I define as California Japanese fusion.  What is Cali-Japan fusion you might ask? To me it is a cross between quality authentic Edo-style sushi and creative, sometime outrages offensive, California roll-style sushi.  As always the best sushi in America are still found/located in some nondescript mall in a seedy part of town.  In which it's certain, with their unattractive exterior appearances they have to represent with the quality and caliber of their food.

Fortunately for me,  my personal experience with sushi started a fairly young age. My mom, convinced by my aunt, turned from eating from well-well done cooked meat to raw fish.  To my acknowledgment they found the flavors and textures quite satisfying.  Although, my family loves quality sushi it is still very much a luxury to dine out at a nice Japanese restaurant. Rest assured Japanese food is NOT cheap.  From high cost ingredients to the chefs' highly trained craftsmanship its a given to be pricey affair. I broke down the average price range for a meal at a decent Japanese restaurant, and for a party of two dining in and ordering à la carte it would cost around the realms of $30(inclusive of tip and tax excluding alcohol). But if you sit at the bar and order omakase it would set you back from a not-to unreasonable $70-90 a person to the shockingly ridiculous $450/pp MASA in NYC.

The Food: 

Plate 1: Starter (2 squid salad) 

Hotaruika(firefly squid) and Ika(white squid) mixed with spring veggie

Plate 2a: Raw

Assorted Sashimi Plate (hamachi, chu-toro, sweet shrimp, uni)

Plate 2b: Fried Treat

Fried head treat from the sweet shrimp on the sashimi plate accompanied with some momiji oroshi

Plate 3: Tempura Vegetable 

Tempura yamaimo and sayaingen with wasabi powder

Plate 4: Grilled and Fried

King crab leg(center), Local vegetables(bottom left),Tempura takenoko(bamboo shoot)(Top left),
Grilled half-dried Spanish mackerel. Saba?(bottom right)

Nigiri 1:

Seared toro

Nigiri 2: 

Sayori aka Halfbeak

Nigiri 3:

So soft and tender..but forgot the name of this fish?

Hand Roll:

Negitoro hand roll

Soup:

Miso Soup with venus clams

Dessert: Ume/Green Tea Ice Cream

No Pictures :(

Ending notes~

This is my virgin experience or at least it feels like it with eating sushi at the bar and served omakase style. Thank you Ota-san and Kaz-san for a personable and inspirational experience.  I now see why, sushi, good or bad is a 'dangerous' type of food.  I almost see it comparable to MDMA or crack; Daydreaming and drooling are common withdraw symptoms.  It's easily addictive and once hooked, it becomes an endless trail to a financial black hole.  Oh the irony! sometimes when I see those sexy succulent pieces of fish my craving kicks in immediately,  yet I know the price to pay once I'm confronted with the bill its going to be a stomach full of damage. But please, believe the hype and give Sushi Ota a try.  And if you do, do it right and order omakase at the bar and be prepare to be lost in translation, laugh a lot, and indulge all the nom nom in front of you, basically, its a fucking good time. Guaranteed.

My 2¢:

• Make a reservation( if they have one)
• Order some sake and/or beer to go with the food
• The Chef is your best friend for the night
• It's common custom to share with the chef(your best friend after all) a sip of what your drinking
• Let the chef know your food preferences.  i.e. allergies, likes, or dislikes
• When your full, be sure to tell the chef to stop or else they'll continue to feed you at your own expense
• Go with an open mind
• Enjoy the experience with some close/personal company
• Don't be a stranger to your neighbors when siting at the sushi bar
• Don't' ask how much it is, instead, tell your chef before hand what your price range is they'll politely work with you. But keep in mind $60-70/pp is usually the norm starting price point
• Believe that a few pieces of raw fish/shellfish is going to fill you up 
• The flavors are delicate and never bland. So please don't drown your fish in soy sauce or other unnecessary condiments 
• Don't overeat. "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach", especially true when it comes to sushi
• Savor the memories til your next adventure 

Sushi Ota

4529 Mission Bay Dr
(at Bunker Hill St)
San Diego, CA 92109

(858) 270-5670

**Much thanks to my girlfriend for re-introducing me to Japanese cuisine.  I dedicate this post sincerely to your influences :)