Sushi lovers can enjoy a 17-course menu prepared directly in front of them at an intimate, new sushi counter opening up Thursday inside Izakaya Fishtown.
At Sushi Suite, an eight-seat omakase tucked inside the Japanese restaurant, Chef Mitsutaka Harada prepares and serves nigiri sushi pieces ranging from botan ebi to Hokkaido uni. The sushi can be paired with cocktails, sake or rare Japanese whiskeys.
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"To be able to hear a chef describe their food, taste the passion behind it, and see it being made in front of you is a show in and of itself, and we want everyone to be able to experience this style of dining," said Michael Sinensky, founder of SimpleVenue, the New York-based restaurant group that owns Sushi Suite.
The beverage menu includes a Manhattan made with Japanese whiskey, an espresso martini made with coconut tea and Kahlua, Japanese beer and wine by the glass. It is meant to compliment the sushi without overpowering the food, Sinensky said.
The omakase experience – a meal of dishes selected by the chef – runs 90 minutes long and costs $185 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
Harada, a Japanese native now living in Bala Cynwyd, has spent 17 years in the restaurant industry working at the likes of Morimoto, Zama, Sushi Hatsu, Makiman and Mizu Sushi.
SimpleVenue specializes in experimental restaurants and plans to open two other sushi places in Philly next year, but details have not been released. The company partnered with Glu Hospitality, which operates Izakaya Fishtown and 1225 Raw, to open Sushi Suite.
Sushi Suite, at 1832 Frankford Ave., will be open from 5-9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays and from 5-11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Reservations are available on OpenTable.