Sushi Noz

General Notes

An upscale omakase restaurant situated in the Upper East Side. My first omakase experience, and it certainly did not disappoint. They offer two experiences - the Ash room (which is what we went with - an 15-20 piece omakase experience, $175), or the Hinoki room (comes with additional seasonal non-sushi dishes, $300). I'd recommend sticking with the Ash room. Sushi Noz leans more on the traditional side, with plenty of simple, classic, and refined preparations. Here you won't find many innovative flavor combinations, but rather an intensity and complexity of flavor drawn from the natural flavor of the ingredients. Since this is the only omakase restaurant I've been to so far, I don't have much to compare it to, but this was certainly one of my best restaurant experiences.

Positives

> The texture and flavor of the rice was perfect for me. Slightly warm rice really makes a huge difference. The vinegar level was much higher than that of your typical sushi rice, but not overwhelming. It provided an excellent base for the delicate flavors of the fish to play off of.
> Before the pieces started coming in, the sushi chef scored the top of several of the pieces: cuttlefish, scallop, shiro-ebi, and kasuda. It seems like a small detail, but it made a tremendous impact on the flavor and texture. I felt that the soy permeated the fish much better, and it made the fish feel softer and more tender. It's no surprise that these pieces were some of my favorite.
> I absolutely loved the BBQ'ed pieces at the end. This doesn't seem like a common experience at upscale sushi restaurants. The BBQ toro was absolutely my favorite out of them all, and it was cool seeing the chef prepare them right in front of you.
> The progression of the sushi felt carefully orchestrated and worked really well. The first few pieces felt lighter, slowly transitioning to more intense/fattier pieces. The conclusion of BBQ'ed pieces, the miso soup, the tamago, and roasted green tea was a really satisfying end to an incredible meal.
> The beverage director, Joshua Copeland, was a bit intimidating at first, but as the meal progressed we became a lot more comfortable with him. He was extremely knowledgeable about the various sake/wine options, and described them in detail. He also offered us some great recommendations for restaurants and bars in the area, based on our preferences. We ended up getting a light, acidic sake to start and it was really good!
> A very nice, comfortable restaurant atmosphere. The interior decor reflects the traditional quality of the sushi. While it was a bit quiet at first, the sushi chef lightened the mood and we had some great conversation with the other party in the room as well. Certainly more intimate and relaxed than many other omakase experiences.

Negatives

> As I alluded to earlier, the flavor combinations are simple and well-known. The complexity of flavor comes from precision and careful balance. As a result, a small detail can lead to a significant negative effect. I felt that with a few of the pieces (particularly the flounder), the balance of the flavors definitely felt a bit off.
> This was entirely my fault, but didn't feel fully satisfied (fullness-wise) at the end after the meal. While the duration of the experience is similar to other restaurants, I think that most other places typically serve a few more pieces. The chef asked if there was anything else that we wanted (which I should have responded to), but I wasn't really sure of the protocol for that.

Dishes Tasted

• ★★★☆ Tamago -- Beautiful, consistent soft texture. Excellent flavor with a perfect level of sweetness. Not quite as mindblowingly good as I expected, but nevertheless an excellent way to conclude the meal.
• ★★★☆ Miso Soup -- Light with a subtle flavor and an intense seafood aroma. Very satisfying, a good way to end the meal.
• ★★☆☆ Anchovy/Egg Yolk Hand Roll -- It tasted pretty good, but I couldn't quite pick up the anchovy in the filling. The creaminess of the egg yolk didn't feel like it went that well with the rest of the piece, and it seemed like an odd way to conclude this meal.
• ★★★☆ Anago -- Smoked with some kind of leaf. Overall very good, but something felt slightly off. Perhaps the texture of the anago felt a bit too soft, or it felt slightly underseasoned.
• ★★★★ BBQ Toro -- Without a doubt my favorite piece during this whole meal. The rendered fattiness lent an incredible savoriness to the piece. The binchotan (Japanese charcoal, apparently made from some kind of tree) added an intense smoky flavor.
• ★★★★ Uni -- From Hokkaido. Buttery and incredibly flavorful. Interestingly, this uni looked a lot more brown than other uni I've had in the past.
• ★★★★ Toro-Taku -- Chopped tuna, pickled radish, chives. Another one of my favorites - toro is incredible by itself but the pickled radish really adds another dimension, both flavor-wise and texturally.
• ★★★★ Pacific Oyster -- I've never had oyster sushi before, but the flavor of this piece was absolutely incredible.
• ★★★★ Chu-Toro -- Delicious! The fattiness is a perfect level and helps accentuate the flavor of the tuna.
• ★★☆☆ Akami (Lean Tuna) -- Definitely very good compared to tuna I've had in the past, but didn't quite have as much flavor as I would have liked and felt ever so slightly tough.
• ★★★★ Shiro Ebi -- Similar to the scallop - beautiful soft/tenderness and the soy/rice accentuates the sweetness of the shrimp.
• ★★★☆ Sardine -- My very first time having a sardine, and I love its intense flavor.
• ★★★★ Sea Scallop -- One of my all-time favorite pieces of sushi. So incredibly soft and tender. Great balance, and the sweetness of the scallop really shines through.
• ★★★★ Cuttlefish -- Carefully scored. Excellent flavor and texture.
• ★★☆☆ Flounder -- The balance of flavor on this one felt a bit off. The rice overpowered the fish, and I would have liked a bit more soy glaze on top.
• ★☆☆☆ Pickled Eggplant -- I'm generally not the biggest fan of eggplant, so I feel like I wasn't able to best appreciate this.
• ★★★☆ Kohada (Gizzard Shad)
• ★★★☆ Kasuda (Baby Sea Bream)