This is a new one to the neighborhood, at least since last time I scouted. It was already pretty late, and a lot of stuff was closed or closing (or full, which is how my life continues not to include the experience of entering Shot Bar Funx).
This place had the dual advantages of still being open and available and being called MEAT FRICKIN SUSHI. I did a double take when I read that, because it’s done up in such a classic signage style. MEAT SUSHI. And the Sagittarius logo makes it even funnier. Wait for it.
It’s nice inside. It really is. Fairly spacious, bright, modern without being off-putting. The staff is young and energetic and decent-looking, in matching outfits. There’s a bunch of smoking, unfortunately.
Probably because there’s a bunch of MEAT SUSHI being eaten here.
I was stunned when I realized that it’s not just meat sushi. It’s HORSE MEAT SUSHI. HORSE. It’s not all horse, but it’s a LOT of HORSE. Here, look.
‘Horse Bomb Roll’, can imagine seeing that at your local sushi ‘joint’ in America? I wish.
I’ve been a fan of ‘taco-wasa’ in the past, which is what happens at cheaper izakayas when you chop the cheap bits of octopus and mix it with a lot of cheap horseradishy wasabi substitute. It’s the kind of thing you can start off eating as a challenge or a joke but after a couple years decide you like.
I would not get this ‘horsey-wasa’ again. It had too much of a grainy texture and livery taste for my delicate sensibilities.
Sit for long enough on a backless stool and you get desperate for something to distract you.
Spend enough time in Japan and you start ordering things just because they’re funny. In keeping with MEAT SUSHI, you’ll notice that this beverage is called MAN PLUMS.
OK, the plurality in that sentence is mine, but the thought is the same. It’s a salty plum liquor that they mixed with soda. There was an OK little selection of saki here (Bird was drinking Kuheiji’s, which were their weekly special) but I was in that wacky kinda mood where I get a different weird drink every round. Fortunately we weren’t here long enough that it would seem like a good idea to get shochu.
For the record, I LIKE MAN PLUMS.
I’m not all that sure how I feel about man plum sushi though. I wouldn’t tell you to go here, except for novelty value. Maybe you can tell that it’s not all horse; there’s a duck sushi and also the famous ‘Rossini’ with truffle and foie gras. Not unexpectedly, the best of the sushi was probably the upper-right horse diaphragm. Who doesn’t love a good hanger steak? As I always say, if you like it cooked, you’ll love it raw!
By the way, can you eat rare horse?
050-5785-9519