#Recommendations

Team Building Sushi Classes • Sushi Party • LIve Sushi Bar in San Francisco Bay Area

Jul 24, 2015
1 min

Knife Sharpner?

How do you sharpen your knife? A lot of past sushi class participants asked me. I am trained to use traditional whetstones. I use both medium grade and finishing stones like these. King Deluxe 2000 (medium grade) Just like most Sushi techniques, the knife sharpening technique is very simple to demonstrate, but it's very difficult to master (or, takes some practice). It's just like learning how to play guitar. So, my advice to you is to get an automatic knife sharpener. LIN

Kaz Matsune

May 22, 2015
2 min

Which Sake do you recommend for Sushi?

Many of our clients asked us for our sake recommendations for their parties. Here is a list of what we recommended them to purchase. 1. Born Gold We discovered "Born Gold" at a restaurant show in San Francisco. "Born Gold is a draft and non-carbon filtered sake aged at 14 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 year. It has a robust body with a complex flavor and a pure, uplifting sweet ," from D Way Beverage inc. At $38 retail, this pure Junmai Daiginjyo (the highest grade) sake is a dy

Kaz Matsune

Jan 30, 2015
1 min

NEW Pumpkin Mochi Ice at Trader Joe's

If you love sushi and Japanese food, you probably heard of, or like Mochi Ice cream. In case you ate unfamiliar with Mochi Ice, it's gooey outside and ice cream inside, kinda like a marshmallow. Mochi Ice comes in a variety of flavors: green tea, strawberry, mango, chocolate, red bean, and even black sesame. But there was no Pumpkin flavor until now. Yes, Trader Joe's have done it again - creating their own brand of Mochi Ice. It's very close to the ones by Mikawaya, the

Kaz Matsune

Jan 2, 2015
1 min

Book Recommendation: The story of sushi

The story of sushi is a combination of real stories at a Sushi school in Los Angles packed with some great information about the history and science behind sushi. The main focus of the book is the owner of the sushi school, the instructor, and the class students, most of who never made sushi before. At the same time, the Author Trevor Carson provides solid information on the science behind sushi-like what happens to fish when it's cured in salt and vinegar like the Shime te

Restaurant Recommendation:YAYOI, Palo Alto

Kaz Matsune

Dec 26, 2014
1 min

Restaurant Recommendation:YAYOI, Palo Alto

We mentioned about eatsa in Berkeley and YAYOI in Palo Alto offers the same ordering system using iPad type interface. It's a "Teishoku" style restaurant, which means "a set-meal" in Japanese. Similar to many Kaiten Sushi restaurant chains in Japan, customers can order their food through the small pad interface located at each table. When you walk in first, you may feel "strange" because no one will come to your table to take your orders. Instead, you need to look at their p

Kaz Matsune

Nov 21, 2014
1 min

Photos from Sushi Making Class "SELECT"

Participants made Dungeness Crab California Roll, Spicy Tuna, and as an added bonus, made Kampachi, and Tombo/Hawaiian Albacore Tuna Sashimi. #SushiClasses #SaturdayBrunch #Seafood #Recommendations #Fun

Kaz Matsune

Nov 7, 2014
1 min

Photos from Sushi Making Class "SELECT"

These photos are from our monthly Sushi Making Class "SELECT." Thank you everyone for attending the class - all of your rolled looked great! #SushiClasses #Events #Services #Recommendations #Homemade

Interview with Daniel Wood at Domestic | Match

Kaz Matsune

Oct 24, 2014
4 min

Interview with Daniel Wood at Domestic | Match

I had the pleasure of working with Dan and his company, Domestic | Match for the past several years. Domestic | Match is the Bay Area’s most exclusive domestic staffing agency. Thanks to Dan, I was able to fulfill my goal of becoming a private sushi chef, serving various prestigious private clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. Though I never met Dan in person, and we only communicated via emails and phone calls, I immediately liked his style and felt that I would like to wo

Book Review: Sushi, food for the eye, the body & the soul

Kaz Matsune

Sep 19, 2014
2 min

Book Review: Sushi, food for the eye, the body & the soul

Sushi: Food for the eye, the body & the soul, by Ole G. Mouritsen Probably, you've never heard of Ole G. Mouritsen. I certainly never have, until I stumbled upon his book, at a local library, when I was casually browsing through cookbooks. Mouritsen is not a sushi chef. He is not even a professional chef. He is a professor of biophysics in Denmark, specializing in "statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, computer simulation techniques, phase transitions and critical pheno

Taste 2016 at Robert Mondavi Institute UC Davis

Kaz Matsune

Aug 1, 2014
1 min

Taste 2016 at Robert Mondavi Institute UC Davis

"Taste" is an annual event at Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Science at UC Davis. It's a great opportunity to sample regional wines and food from local vendors. The event is on Saturday, October 1 For more info and tickets, click here. #Recommendations

Restaurant Recommendation: MIFUNE, New York

Kaz Matsune

May 9, 2014
1 min

Restaurant Recommendation: MIFUNE, New York

New Contemporary restaurant is scheduled to open this fall in New York by an acclaimed chef, Hiroki Yoshitake, who is an executive chef at Sola in Paris. His beautiful, yet elegant dishes have earned Sola one Michelin star, only after two years of its opening. Mr. Yoshitake is from Saga, Japan and worked at restaurants as Fogon, Ze Kitchen Galerie, les Magnolias, Astrance under Pascal Barbot. Here are some photos from MIFUNE, New York. #Restaurants #Recommendations #Art #Mode

Kaz Matsune

Mar 13, 2014
1 min

Restaurant Recommendation: Iroriya

Similar to Izayaka, Robata restaurant serves small plates along with a variety of sake and Shochu (Japanese potato liquor). The main difference is Robata's main focus is a grill. At Iroriya in Los Altos, a charcoal grill is their star. Their house-dried fish grilled on their Robata is fantastic. Many of their fish comes from Japan and sashimi is excellent as well. Summer menu dish: Salt Marinated Tomato w/ Shiso Granite Sake Cup Grilled "Dried" Fish Flying Fish Sashimi Res

Kaz Matsune

Feb 20, 2014
1 min

Awamori, the next Sake?

Awamori is an alcoholic beverage from Okinawa in Japan. It's made from rice and unlike sake, it's distilled spirit. The flavor is similar to Shochu, Soju(Korean Shochu), or Vodka. "Aspergillus awamori" is the fungi responsible for the unique flavor of Awamori. Awamori is exceptionally tasty when mixed with fruit juices like pineapple, orange, and grapefruit. They are available at some of the Japanese grocery stores - Nijiya, Marukai, and Mitsuwa in California. #Recommendat

Kaz Matsune

Feb 13, 2014
1 min

McKeachie Johnston Studios

We just purchased this beautiful plate by McKeachie Johnston. McKeachie Johnston Studio is located in Wisconsin. Randy studied in Japan at the pottery of Shimaoka Tatsuzo, who became the National Living Treasure of Japan. We can hardly wait to plate some Sashimi and Nigiri on this plate. #Recommendations

Kaz Matsune

Dec 5, 2013
1 min

Our visit to Yuji Ramen, Brooklyn, NY

We heard about this small Japanese restaurant in Brooklyn that serves Ramen, so we decided to make our visit. The most notable thing about their Ramen is that they use fish broth from a variety of (local) fish and the parts not normally used or thrown away. In Japan and many other Asian countries like China, the idea of using "whole foods" is a cultural concept when it comes to cooking. As such, every part of meat and fish is used including bones, internal organs, heads, fe

Sea Harvest Fish Market & Restaurant, Monterey, CA

Kaz Matsune

Nov 28, 2013
1 min

Sea Harvest Fish Market & Restaurant, Monterey, CA

Located just around the corner from Monterey Bay Aquarim, We found this fish market and restaurant using local fish. They sell a variety of fish and shellfish and some are caught locally like Monterey Bay Squid. The fish and Chips we tried was very tasty :) Sea Harvest Fish Market & Restaurant 598 Foam St, Monterey CA 93940 #Recommendations #Restaurants #Seafood

Kaz Matsune

Oct 24, 2013
1 min

San Francisco Brewed Beer

Fort Point Beer at Ferry Building, San Francisco. When you are at Ferry Building, try locally bread Beer at their Kiosk Stand. They have hot dogs as well. #Recommendations

Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant, at Culinary Institute of America, St. Helena, CA

Kaz Matsune

Oct 10, 2013
1 min

Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant, at Culinary Institute of America, St. Helena, CA

The lunch menu consists of First Course, Second Course, and Dessert. Buttercup Lettuce Salad with Grilled Chicken. Asparagus Salad. #Recommendations

Kaz Matsune

Oct 3, 2013
1 min

Our visit to O ya, NewYork,NY

( Kampachi Sashimi with Hokkaido Uni) If you go to Oya and order Omakase 18 course dinner, expecting sushi, then you may be surprised. (Toro Nigiri) You can review most of the dishes on yelp ( and certainly from this blog post as well.) (Egg Nigiri with Beef Powder) In a nutshell, 18 course Omakase was not sushi at all or more than sushi. The sashimi was more like Italian Carpusshio with different types of oil and flavors. Most Nigiri was seared with a variety of toppings. (

Kaz Matsune

Jan 25, 2013
2 min

Our visit to Monte Bello Ridge

Recognized as one of the top wineries American, Ridge Vineyards has been producing the best Cabernet since founded in 1959, I visited Ridge Vineyards at Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains for weekday (appointment necessary) semi-private “ Historic Vineyard Tasting” and tour. The tour started with our guide greeting us, starting with the brief history of Monte Bello Ridge at their tasting room. Aaron, our guide explained to us that the owners had no intention of growing grap