Mori Sushi October 2018
This is my first “pictorial essay” all photos with iphone 6. I admire all who have posted pictorial essays here as I discovered that taking photos and remembering the food is very difficult while socializing with friends and consuming several bottles of wine in the process.
Please forgive this first-timer for any screw-ups related to this post.
Maru-san was warm and welcoming, as always. The dinner was perfect, in every aspect. At times it felt like watching an artist at work.
Blank “canvas”
Home made Tofu
Seasonal Appetizers (even though he went over every item I could not bring myself to remember it all)
ebi/mushroom (maitake, I think)
Tai, marinated in kelp I believe.
Scallop from Hokkaido
Saori
Octopus
Hata (grouper)
Aji
Copper river salmon (slightly smoky)
Buri
Shima-aji
Orange Snapper (forgot to ask Japanese name)
Zuke Blue Fin Tuna (from Boston)
Toro
Kohada
Sanma
Iwashi
Kamasu
Maru-san demonstrating “fan” ebi. Forgot the name as by this point I was difficult to stay focused because I was in sushi nirvana.
The above “fan” ebi
Uni
Ikura
Kinmedai
Toro-maki
Desert
At $240 per person with $25 corkage(x4) plus tax and tip this was about $1400 for 4 people.
Not inexpensive, but all 4 of us, and we have dined with Maru-san many times before, felt that this was one of the top sushi dinners we ever had and out $$$$ were well spent.
Ask Maru-san for a pencil and their menu so you can number the order of the fish you were served.
On another note, as much as I love Maru-san’s nigiri, I always felt that their seasonal appetizers and soup don’t reach the same height.
Also, how did you like Mori compared to Shin?
Appreciate your comments, Last night seasonal appetizer were excellent and soup a solid A- (I have had better there), but yes, nigiri was sublime.
As to Mori vs Shin, Maru-san, especially last night, was in a different stratosphere entirely (I guess the price point reflected that as well). I would say that main differentiating factor was shari (consistency, amount, and packing quality) as well as perhaps superior knife-work. Shin nigiri was really good, Mori was divine.
Same here. I feel that Shin is at about 75% of Mori in terms of quality and satisfaction but at 50% less in price.
True indeed. So why do we do it? Because me must. 
Also true. I’m jealous.
Fantastic report! Thanks so much. I really miss this place a lot!
One thing that I find is helpful is you have your phone ready in video camera mode, if anything to capture the audio of what is said, and if you hover you phone over the dishes (e.g. the apps plate) as they are being pointed at and introduced by waitstaff or chef, you can also chime in and ask for the Japanese name. Much easier than way than open up notepad and type it all in.
Maru san’s cooked dishes are perfect for me, hopefully they haven’t changed much since my last visit. He was trained in Kansai style kappo ryori/kaiseki and the flavors tend to be a bit more subtle but for what I’ve experienced overall, really top quality and refined kappo skills (cutting, deep frying, grilling, curing, dashi, the whole 9 yards). If I were a betting person, the tamago near the center of the apps plate is the Kansai style date-maki (to be more technical its origins is Nagasaki), though instead of a roll, it’s stuffed with…(can’t see…my guess will stop here)… very elegant presentation. Nice touch with what looks like a fig near the front with sesame sauce (persimmons would be even more classic). The grilled fish looks a little bit like shishamo (my first guess was mehikari / green eyes but the body does not look like it)…but it’s not just grilled, it has the general feel of sun or air dried at least overnight, then rehydrated/grilled with sauce so the flavors are more intense. The overnight or 12+ hour drying would be ichiyaboshi, and if dried even longer would be considered more himono. Of course this is all but a guess, but it looks darn delicious either way!
Dropping knowledge! No idea why I had never thought of that. I’m gonna start doing that with all the tasting menu format meals. Thanks!
Does anyone just memorize stuff with their brains anymore?
I’ve been foolishly typing in what I can recall on my phone right after the waiters finish explaining what a dish entails…
The more we drink, the more we remember how the details were fuzzy… undiluted cask strength sake for the win!
OK figured it out
It’s called Uchiwaebi うちわえび or kanji 団扇海老 and Uchi 団扇 is indeed a fan
It’s also referred to as Ibacus, and is more known as Flathead lobster, Slipper lobster、Sand crayfish at times.
Common preparations including steam/boil, grilled, sashimi, or in miso soup.
Cute little sucka, hope it was delicious!
You got it exactly right!