The sushi master

We proceeded methodically: we listed all Japanese canteens in Manhattan and tested a good number of them. Guess what – you can stop looking. We (eventually!) found the best sushi bar in NY. It’s named Kura and it’s nestled right next to Tompkins Square Park in the East Village.

In Japan, when you say “Omakase” (お 任 せ) to the chef, it means “I leave it up to you”. The chef is then given free rein for selecting the menu and surprising his guests. So if you are feeling adventurous, rush to this tiny restaurant hidden behind Japanese curtains on St Marks Place. It’s a haven of serenity: sleek decor, exposed brick walls, hush minimalism at a single 4-seat table and the 12-seat bar.

With chef Ishizuka you’re in good hands – that’s the least you can say. At 70-something, Norihiro Ishizuka welcomes you in a traditional robe with bonhomie. He invites you with a broad smile to sit in front of him. Every night at the counter of this intimate sushi bar, he leads the show. Under your stunned look, he slices marinated turbo with surgical precision, caresses his razor-sharp knife on the pearly flesh of a charred swordfish, delicately cuts a tender sea eel, minces caramelized seared scallops. Norihiro Ishizuka is an artist and his sushi edible goldsmith masterpieces. Purists and fellow sushi-lovers will appreciate what he has to offer.

The menu is composed of three Omakase formulas: 12, 15 or 18 pieces. Kampachi sushi, a nigiri duo with Pacific saury and flounder… having dinner at Kura is also diving into the marine life’s encyclopedia. Every bite prepared by the chef is an ode to refinement and Japanese gastronomy. When you leave Kura, you tell yourself you didn’t truly know what sushi was before.