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RESTAURANT OF THE MONTH
SUSHI & TAPAS Years and years ago, I travelled with my wife to Tokyo to exhibit at the TITFair, or the Tokyo International Trade Fair. It was quite an experience. Almost four weeks living in a five-star hotel and commuting to work on the Tokyo Metro system in rush hour, accompanied almost all of the time by a translator supplied by the British Consulate. The fair was trade-only in the mornings and open to the public in the afternoon and it was probably the hardest work we have ever done. Being (very) temporary residents in this remarkable city gave us an amazing opportunity to try sushi and Japanese food long before it became popular in the West. We were trying to find a distributor for our products in Japan and the Far East, and this meant entertaining and being entertained on an almost nightly basis and it was a revelation. One of the distributors interested in our product - we had a gift company - invited us to his offices to meet the president of the company. He insisted we try his other product, which turned out to be tuna, both canned and raw, for sushi. We sat in the boardroom all morning drinking beer and eating a huge selection of tuna with chopsticks and soy sauce. I never did understand why they wanted to diversify so much, but after many meetings they took our product and successfully distributed in Japan for us for several years. We had a wonderful time in Tokyo; I’d go back in a flash. All this brings me to our restaurant of the month, Sushi & Tapas. My wife and
I went on a cold and damp Wednesday evening and arrived to a very warm welcome from Jaime, the manager, who swiftly bought us a slightly chilled bottle of the excellent Valencia red wine ‘Les Alcusses’ from Moixent. This was followed a few minutes later by our first dish of the evening, Chikuwa rollo de marisco, a deep-fried spring roll stuffed with prawn and cheese. Next came a Tartar de atún, a delicious concoction of layers of tuna, avocado, onion and lumpfish caviar with a dip of sesame oil, wasabi and Japanese vinegar. This was followed by a lovely Salmon maki, a tempura-ed maki made of salmon, Philadelphia cheese, and avocado. We had asked Jaime to select our food for us, but I had forgotten to tell him that I am allergic to crab, and the next dish delivered to our table was Rainbow, comprised of a beautiful platter of sushi, mostly made of – crab. D began to eat, but when I refrained, Jaime, professional to the end, realized there was a problem and immediately offered an alternative. I was brought Takaki de solomillo – mouth-wateringly tender slices of beef with wasabi and ginger on a pillow of mashed potato – a perfect final course.
Tastem restaurant in Valencia, followed by the branch at the Westin Hotel. Sushi & Tapas is well worth a visit, the menú del día is an absolute bargain at lunchtime, a mere 12€ for beautifully prepared and presented food. It is open seven days a week, both lunch-time and dinner-time. Expect to pay around 25€ in the evenings. All the waiting staff speak English and they are a charming crowd indeed. Tim Birch Sushi & Tapas C/ Salamanca, 10 (corner of C/ Conde Altea) Zona Cánovas Tel: 96 061 78 74 Takeaway: 96 011 58 85 www.sushitapas.com Open every day 13:30h – 15:30h 20:30h – 23:30h Free WiFi Zone
This is a great place to eat excellent Japanese cuisine, cooked by real Japanese chefs. We chatted to Hiro, the chef, about the authentic cuisine and to Jaime about the restaurant. The owner, Ulises, had lived in Japan for eight years and had come back to open the first Article © 2011 24/7Valencia