One of the good valued (still very good) quality food in there (goes for about $80)

A game video from a very ancient game called Parappa the Rapper.

Real version! Equally entertaining

One of my favourite seashell sashimi. The Akagai (or “red Shell fish”) is red colour because of its abundance in iron and haemogoblin. It has a chewy texture but it is not at all rubbery. In terms of taste, I think it taste better than oyster (better texture), mussel (fresher), clam (a stronger taste).

The best time to eat it is during summer, after the mating season of the akagai shell.

The parts that you are eating in sushi bar are the legs, the overcoat and the ligament (called the himo, or the fringe). All the rest of the seashell will be discarded(like the intestines and whatever nasty stuff). I think it is rather hard to prepare and cut the seashell well, so I’ll just order it in a restaurant. Maybe I will learn how to do it myself later.

I think this will pair well with hokkigai. You can eat them together and probably you should save these 2 seashells(or seashell in general) to the very last or else you can’t really taste the milder fishes.

*This is how the clam is prepared. This is a Youtube clip on how to open a Akagai shell and how to prepare it into a presentable form.

Ikura is the Japanese word for salmon roe.

The name comes from “ikra” the Russian word for (caviar). It is a high value seafood and people have treated it as a delicacy in different cuisines.

In terms of taste, ikura taste very fishy, and the strong fishy taste would definitely turn off a lot of non-seafood lovers. Caviar (Ikura) is a love-it-or-hate-it type of food. As a seafood lover myself, ikura roll is almost my favourite because of its very strong and pungent afterbreath. Fresh salmon roes should taste like a bit like fresh fish liver oil.

In terms of nutrition value, Ikura (salmon roe) is full of protein, and cholesterol. Since salmon roe is just like a miniature version of a chicken egg, and 1 chicken egg would set you up for 1 day of suggested cholesterol intake, you should seriously think to resist the temptation, although most likely your attempt would be futile if you are a big fan of ikura.

Ikura can be served on the side as sashimi in complement with the other sushis, it can also be a main dish by serving with a bowl of rice (ikura-don). In sushi item, it is usually served in a tekka roll with seaweed and in chef creation rolls it is often used as a premium ingredient.

Bonito is very fishy and sometimes you can say it smells so strong that it seems stale. I would say it is sometimes true. Sometimes I would think eating bonito fish is like eating duck meat. A weird comparison, I know, but that’s what I feel. That is why bonito fish is marinated in a vingeary sauce before serving at times or it will be paired with some ginger to remove its fishy smell.

Another fun fact is bonito fish is used in many flavor enhancing sauces, and the most common one is the soba sauce. That is what my vegetarian roommate told me when I tried to cook him some soba and serve it with soba sauce.

Pacific and Atlantic bonito meat has a firm texture and a darkish color and it is not very fat as compared to the fatty tuna. It is quite a cheap fish and Japanese people will often use bonito(non-sushi grade) for grilling and other uses.