Kitashinchi Sushi Tsu

Most people are familiar with red wines and white wines, and of course rosé: a wine that is only briefly in contact with red grape skins to give it the slightest touch of red. This results in a wine that straddles the line between a red and a white, giving it qualities of both, while simultaneously inhabiting a space that is all its own. Sushi vinegar operates on a similar principle. Kansai sushi traditionally uses a blend of red vinegar — traditionally a hallmark of the Edomae style of sushi — and white rice vinegar to produce something that is colloquially called “rosé vinegar”. It is this vinegar blend that is used in the shari (sushi rice) in Sushi Tsu, which has established a reputation as an Osaka sushi restaurant that has masterfully blended the best of Edomae and Kansai schools of sushi-making. Something else that Sushi Tsu has adopted from the Edomae style is its use of aged fish in its nigiri. While the Kansai school of sushi traditionally uses fresh-caught fish and eschews ageing, the Edomae school does the opposite, so as to bring out a deeper umami flavor and softer, mouth-melting texture. But something that is decidedly Sushi Tsu’s own — not something taken from Kansai or Edomae sushi — is its use of Tiffany & Co tableware, giving it a sense of modern luxury absent from other sushi restaurants. This tableware is exclusively used at counter dinner servings, and is available only through reservation.