We wanted to do a fancy lunch and looked for a place close by. The Hannari was the winner with great reviews, close proximity to both our hotel and the medical Center and of course it was SUSHI! The above picture gives a hint of the creativity and artistry of Chef Heroyuki Nakasuka. We pre-ordered our lunch, a Kappou style meal which known for showcasing the creativity of the chef. We wondered about the pre-order but when we arrived we saw that there were only 10 seats and so then it made perfect sense. The Kappou style of eating allows the chef to tailor the menu both to the seasonal availability of the items as well as the personal preferences of the diner. That is why when I mentioned saba (horse mackerel) his eyes lit up and he pulled out a fresh mackerel and served us each two pieces. We indicated an allergy to sea urchin at the start and the manager, Haziman, pressed us on that. Was it a true allergy or a preference, we confessed that we did not like sea urchin so much but were not actually allergic. So he talked us into trying the Chef's signature piece of sushi and we were so happy that we agreed to it. Paper thin strips of squid and sea urchin on rice with some wasabi, yummy! We were there for two and a half hours enjoying all the goodies that Chef Hero gave to us.
Fine dining is an understatement
Just us for the first hour and a half
It is a small place
A dried Bonito fish. In the lid of and box, was a blade that was used to shave off slices. Imagine sliding the fish along the top of the box and super thin slices peel off into the box
Our bonito fish soup
Left to right, bamboo shoots, duck, fish cakes, shrimp from Hokkaido, sesame tofu and otoro tuna
Oyster and torched belly meat from the tuna resting on a shiso leaf
The flowers from the shiso plant, the Chef kept his hands cupped and then clapped them together. Once he opened his hands back up the smell from the flowers had intensified
A fish cake soup. He sprayed a liquid on the top before he put the orchid flower in it
With a dendrobium bloom on the top. The liquid on the lid would show if anyone had opened the lid before it was served
The fishcake had Yuzu peels on top
A mix of chili peppers, mountain pepper and red chili flakes left to right
All of them were very good
Boiled sweet potato and cuttlefish
I ate half of my omelet before remembering to snap a picture
A pallet cleansing sorbet
Braiding the kohada fish filet
What a thing of beauty
The fresh mackerel. The Chef usually serves it only to Japanese customers
It has a strong flavor and an interesting texture
The Chef sliced a slab of squid and got paper thin slices. He then made very thin strips of the squid and served it on rice
The Sea Urchin is peeking out from under the squid strips, it looks like a brain
The squid was super creamy and not chewy at all
The Chef had a bowl of botanical garnishes, mostly leaves and flowers
Assistant #2 was ready to fetch anything that the Chef needed
Shima-aji fish
With the shiso flower
Sweet shrimp and salmon roe. Hero added the roe just for me as I said it was my #2 favorite sushi
A handy guide to reference all the cuts of the blue fin tuna
#3 please...
the wasabi was freshly ground up
Flounder fin meat torched with sea urchin
We have not been served a piece of sushi this way. A mix of a hand roll and a regular sushi roll more like a sushi taco
Four other folks had arrived and they were getting Monk Fish Liver. So Chef gave us some too
Out happy anniversary dish
Thanks to this man for our finest lunch in ages
Lucas and John. They assisted the Chef. For instance each time he was making some sushi pieces, either John or Lucas would bring in fresh warm sushi rice and take out the rice that had not been used.
The manager and the waitress
Tangerines mochi coated strawberries and cantaloupe
So beautiful
The logo out front
In Japanese
The obligatory hanging at the door
Off we go!
