Sometimes its about more than food – Sushi Nao – Kanazawa, Japan

Sushi Nao is located in Kanazawa, Japan, and offers a number of omakase menu options. I went for all sushi. I wish all places offered sushi only options (instead of other Japanese dishes and appetizers). Upon arrival, I already knew I was in for a great evening. As the automatic doors opened, they revealed a traditional sushi counter with no one else there but the chef.

The sushi was good, but with the first few pieces, the rice was cold. It seemed like it was left over from the previous seating. Things got better as the night progressed and the chef switched out the rice with a new, fresh batch.

Also as the night progressed, our conversation with the chef opened up more and more. He reminisced about his younger days and told us stories about an ex-girlfriend he had that was Filipino like us. I could see in his eyes, he was going back in time, and was in a happy place. It is moving to see another human like this. We talked about so many topics that night from politics, to differences between Japan and where we were from to food. It was more like having dinner at an old friend’s house.

About halfway through the meal, I saw him use a technique I had never seen before:

This piece was memorable and had great flavor from the sear:

The next piece was a shrimp that was specifically from Kanazawa, and he proudly showed us the difference:

The meal ended with some cut rolls and miso soup:

…and fresh Japanese strawberries for dessert:

I was a bit disappointed to learn that not all the fish was local. However, overall, this was an amazing meal. The sushi was pretty good, the atmosphere was amazing, but the star of the show was the chef. Being able to connect with a local, over an authentic meal, is priceless. I would go back to say hi and would recommend this as well.