The Shota
My friend Tin and I had the lovely opportunity to dine at The Shota. The staff was warm and kind from the moment we walked in. Head chef Seth was incredibly humble and patient, explaining every item we were about to consume.
The Shota offers a pre-fixed course of Edomae-style omakase sushi, otsumami, and sushiYa dishes. This means that the chefs use traditional-Edomae style aging, curing and marinating techniques to treat their seasonal seafood caught from Tokyo Bay. This meal also includes traditional Japanese finger foods and appetizers using fresh seasonal ingredients.
Seth noticed I was taking notes on what we were eating and sweetly repeated things for me even though he was tending to other folks, it was obvious he genuinely respects every customer and wants everyone to enjoy themselves.
We had:
sushiYa:
Sweet Shrimp: I’ve never had shrimp in this form before!
Kanocha and Squash Soup: Perfectly balanced bowl of gold
Japanese Braised Octopus: Smoky and braised to perfection
Eel, Littleneck Clams, and Steamed Egg Custard Soup: The texture of this is wild, I was in awe of the flavors at play here. It was such a rich yet subtle at the same time, by far the best soup I’ve ever had and I wish I could eat it every day
Spanish Mackerel: We had several different kinds of mackerel that night and honestly they were all amazing
Aka Mutsu (Daikon Radish Sea Perch) - Similar to bass but more fatty (yes please!)
Squid
sushiYa
Sakura Masu and Shiro Ika (Cherry Trout and Squid)
Uni with Dry Mullet Roe (dry fish eggs cured with fish eggs) + caviar
Smoked Onion Ponzu Sauce
Ensui Uni
Honmaguro Akami
Honmaguro Chu Toro
Negitoro and White Sturgeon Caviar
Horse Mackerel
Akadashi and Ma Saba (Mackerel)
Dessert
Seriously everything here from start to finish was stellar. From the moment I walked in, I appreciated the aesthetics, staff, food and sake. We lost track of time because we had so much fun and felt comfortable. You can tell the chef really cares about his selection of ingredients and your journey as a client. I hope to come back here more in the future!