Chef Suzuki will prepare for you amazing meals that will take you to new heights of flavor, beauty, and originality. Chef Suzuki enjoys Buddhist philosophy, which he applies to his cooking. Zen, which refers to health consciousness, is also the name of the restaurant, but it has a double meaning, which is highlighted by the combination of health and the artistic presentation of Japanese cuisine making it into a fulfilling cultural dining experience.
Very gently and calmly Chef Suzuki prepared food as he explained the six rules of traditional Japanese cooking. He said that in traditional Japanese cooking texture, color, and flavor are pertinent to good taste. One must use very fresh ingredients. For texture, food can be served raw, sautéed, steamed, and boiled. There are five colors: black, white, green, red, and yellow, while the flavors are salt, sour, sweet, bitter, and natural. All these are intricately combined to achieve Umami, the fifth sense of taste or delicious flavors.
Many of the ingredients are flown in from Japan, especially Kyoto while others, like tofu and soy sauce, are made on the premises, while other ingredients, such as salt, come from Tibet and Israel.
One experiences the true hospitality of the East at Sushi Zen. As you walk in, you are immediately greeted by the hosts and gracefully escorted to their table. We chose to be near the chef at the Sushi Bar and decided to go omasake (putting yourself in the chef’s hands). We were delighted by one surprise after another.
Chef Suzuki trained under the guidance of Master Chef Nakanori in Tokyo for ten years. Originally, he wanted to be a Buddhist monk because he enjoys philosophy. Instead, he applied his philosophy to the study of Japanese cuisine. Over a thousand years ago, the original form of sushi was introduced into Japan from China.
Samurai Maxi said, “A man who has attained mastery of an art reveals it in his every action.” You can see that as you are watching Chef Suzuki preparing each plate Kaiseki style: It is a cuisine that has no short cuts and requires the gentle yet skilled hands of a very well-trained master. Traditionally, this was prepared by monks for monks in small portions to keep them from feeling tired or sleepy. “Kai” means stomach and “seki” means stone and it is for the Buddhist monks to carry warm stones in their robes to quiet their hunger.
Another chef’s creation was the salmon belly prepared with Japanese leek, oyster maitake, and enokei mushrooms with a slightly spicy miso and mirin sauce cooked in a clay pot on a stovetop with no added water that was very tasty followed by a fish shabu shabu with a small hot pot filled with water and ponzu sauce giving the fish a very nice flavor. This was phenomenal. While we were enjoying this, the chef surprised with two pieces of vegetarian sushi topped with his homemade thick soy sauce that was brilliant.
The desert was different from deserts you will find at other Japanese restaurants. A refreshing cactus pear sorbet with a bright fuchsia color and a subtly sweet flavor surrounded with different types of artistically shaped cut fresh fruits.
For sushi and sashimi lovers, this is the place where you can leave yourself into the hands of the chef and be sure that he will be sensitive enough to tailor that special meal to care for your health, happiness, and satisfaction.
The Verdict: A perfect place with great attention to every detail with integrity and respect. I will quote the gentleman who was sitting next to me “I have been here five times in two weeks, and every time it was better than the last. I never had a bad experience here.”
Sushi Zen is located at 108 West 44th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue.
Open Monday through Friday for lunch from 12:00 to 2:45 pm and for dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Saturday dinner from 5:00 p.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Sunday.
