Sakae Sushi
Time for another night of omakase and tonight we are checking out Sakae Sushi. It’s a modest size establishment on the corner of Burlingame, right across the street of the Caltrain station. So if you’re traveling by rail, this place would be convenient. But if you’re driving here, you should be able to find parking around the area. There’s even a small paid parking lot nearby.
Last year I had visited this place and got the lesser priced sushi omakase which had a delightful selection of nigiri. I’ve been wondering about their $115 option after trying this price point at other places around San Francisco. Here it includes two appetizers, a ten piece selection of nigiri, and soup. We went ahead and ordered that and within minutes the first course came out. The pace was pretty quick. By the time the nigiri came out, we weren’t even finished with the second course. Granted we were busy chatting away, so timing may have been perfect. The only drawback of the meal were some bits of slip ups in the nigiri preparation. Some particles of of other dishes on the pieces. Not anything to be up in arms about, but I was expecting some fine craftsmanship. Timing wasn’t an excuse since we were there early in the evening. Maybe it was a new chef. I’m not sure. I wish we got a seating at the bar. I don’t think this would have happened there.
All in all, it was a solid meal. Service was good and the selection of fish was good. Can’t complain there.
Sakae Sushi
243 California Drive
Burlingame, CA 94010
+1 (650) 348-4064
www.sakaesushi.com
Verdict: I can’t really say this was worth the $115, but they do offer a $75 option which I’d recommend.
The final course was the miso soup with small stalks of enoki mushroom and bits of tofu.
And finally, it was onto the sea eel. Light fluffy meat with a shallow glaze of sweet soy sauce. It was a good finish to the meal.
I really wish the sushi was prepared before placement. Thankfully the sesame seeds didn’t detract from the wonderful plump taste of the amberjack.
Soy sauce marinated tuna. Nice presentation but unfortunately, after the uni and king crab, it wasn’t too memorable.
King crab was a nice touch. But having it in nigiri form didn’t do much for me. Although very tasty, I think I would enjoy it more on its own without the seaweed and rice… and stray tobiko.
Next five pieces of nigiri, I went through the same order as before, from left to right. I believe the recommendation would be right to left given that this succulent piece of Hokkaido imported sea urchin was the first. The first to get into my belly. Yum!
Look at the deep reds of the bluefin tuna. It would have been perfection if it weren’t for that one stowaway making it imperfect.
Our waitress made sure we knew this was buri, the wild amberjack and not the farmed variety. A delightful addition to the meal since I places in the US usually have the farmed version.
Then it was time for the tuna belly. My favorite of cuts, the medium fat. Not overpowering on the fats and the seasoning gave it just the right amount of kick.
The artic char was equally satisfying. That rich taste along with its fatty goodness makes me wonder if I’m actually going in the right order.
I know there’s an ordering for eating the fish, but tonight I started with the golden red snapper. It looked too beautiful to resist and it did not disappoint one bit.
Next course was a small plate of assorted sashimi. Everything from the shrimp to the fish to the scallop was fresh. When we were done the shrimp head was taken to the kitchen to be deep fried. I just love sweet shrimp, especially when it’s prepared to cleanly.
The first course was a refreshing king crab cucumber salad. The seaweed and cucumbers were crisp and held up as a nice backdrop for the crab meat.