Sugarfish BY SUSHI NOZAWA
“Sugarfish is an affordable, quality option for the Sushi-craving New Yorker.”
Sugarfish by SUSHI NOZAWA is a unique treat for the sushi connoisseur. In a hustle-and-bustle metropolis like New York City the fierce competition between restaurants (especially those attempting to set themselves apart by offering a specific dish or cuisine rather than the nebulous “Asian fusion”) requires an appeal to convenience, affordability, and quality. Sugarfish makes a valiant attempt to hit a homerun in those three parameters, but falls short of them with a still solid triple base hit.
It was a cool Autumn afternoon when my younger brother and I decided to stop by Sugarfish in Midtown East after wandering through the wooded paths of Central Park and the crowded boutiques along 5th Avenue. I’d been eyeing this restaurant as a potential cost-effective, luxury sushi experience during my time in New York, a place known for such big names such as Nobu 57 and Kappo Masa that require reservations months in advance for a seat at their tables. In surprising contrast, Sugarfish has a no-reservations policy across its 15 locations in Los Angeles and New York, speaking to its intention to cater to a much more casual dining audience.
When we entered, we discovered the dining area only to be a mere few feet from the entrance, with simplistic wooden furniture paired with deep blue decor and floor-to-ceiling windows that gave us the impression of being in a glassbottom boat. We were promptly greeted and seated by our server for the evening, Alyssa. True to its mission as an open-arms restaurant to the sushi beginner, Sugarfish introduces its guests with suggestions of the best ways to enjoy its food, including reminders to go easy on the soy sauce in order to fully taste the flavors of the fish and to eat handrolls as soon as they are brought to table for maximum enjoyment. Even the bathroom sink has two different soaps with signs labeled - non-scented and scented - to be used before and after the meal, respectively, to avoid tainting the dish aromas.
The menu was minimalist and came with limited specials. Upon recommendation from Alyssa, we ordered the signature tasting special: the “Nozawa Trust Me” — a 13 piece medley of sushi (albacore, Japanese yellowtail, chutoro, sea bass, and New Zealand sea bream), sashimi (tuna and salmon), and hand rolls (toro and blue and dungeness crab). In addition, we ordered à la carte 7 more pieces (Hokkaido sea scallops, shima aji, hiramasa, kampachi, sweet shrimp, albacore, and pink lobster). To drink, Alyssa recommended pairing the Nozawa sake, a dry house sake made to complement our meal. Accompanying our meal was a set of finely cut, tasty yellow ginger and authentic ground wasabi piped onto the side plate.
Much of the medley blended together in an amorphous way, despite each course being brought on individual plates. The plates themselves were all simple, white squares - the most universal and low-budget attempt to highlight the vibrant colors of the food, making it further difficult to distinguish one special cut from another. However, this did not prepare us for the unique Nozawa take on cooking rice. Unlike many commercial sushi spots, all of Nozawa’s restaurants pride themselves on doing rice differently — the grains themselves when presented to the customer are still mildly warm, with the grains separating individually. While the actual grains are properly fluffy, white, and perfectly aerated without the glutinous smear, it may be a surprise to many regular sushi-goers when the rice base breaks apart at any attempt to lift the nigiri. The initial negative emotion of having the nigiri fall apart at the slightest touch could have been avoided if only the rice had been room temperature or slightly chilled. While warm sushi rice is not itself a sin, it does give the impression that the fish may not be fresh as we have been conditioned to think that sushi-grade meats must be well-refrigerated from chef’s hand to the table - a shamefully incorrect impression that could not be further from the truth.
This is because much of Sugarfish’s seafood meats are quite fresh even with its wide variety. From fish to lobsters, scallops to crabs - the quality of the food itself in its purest form was delicious. The highest points of the meal were unanimously the pink lobster nigiri (a slightly sweet and light piece of lobster tail over rice with a satisfying chew) and the dungenous and blue crab hand roll. While hand rolls are often very hit-or-miss in my experience, this particular hand roll may have been the best I have ever had. The nori (seaweed) used was crispy and not soft and mushy (a testament to Alyssa’s instruction for us to eat it right away), and in this case the contrast between the warm rice and the cool, sweet blend of crab meat was simply divine. Each bite had an incredible crunch and a wonderful mix of flavors. Much of the other nigiri had their special profiles as well: the chutoro struck a balance between fatty enough to melt in your mouth, but not so much as to coat your palate to ruin the rest of the meal; and the tasty salmon sashimi gave off its signature oily texture in just the right amounts. Texture is one of the finer, subtle qualities to finding the perfect sushi. Each fish should have its own distinct body of flavor and texture in the mouth and Sugarfish was able to achieve that moderately with flavor across the board, but only mildly with texture between the fish cuts. Many of them felt the same and while its fish was fresh, many of the dishes came with overpowering ponzu already drizzled on top, going against the very advice given to diners at the start. These two lacking quality keeps Sugarfish from punching above its price point.
In totality, Sugarfish left some to be desired in the realm of the body of its meal. The dining experience lacked a certain factor of satisfaction and desire to return. True to the nature of sugar dissolving into water, the experience was a transient, “Oh, well that was cool while it lasted” with the mind and tongue already moving on towards the next gustatory adventure. It appeared to me that Sugarfish’s goal was to be creative in its approach to preparing tradititional sushi, while also trying to ease the casual diner into the customs that come with finer dining. Unfortunately, the execution of its rice and the oversaturation with its sauces seem to clash stylistically with those grander intentions. To put it bluntly, you get what you pay for at Sugarfish — a sushi experience that gives you a glimpse into the machinations of finer dining while keeping the quality (and your wallet) firmly below the paywall. While it certainly doesn’t warrant a visit to the Big Apple on its own, Sugarfish is a must-try for anyone visiting the city, particularly near Manhattan. It’s four NYC locations can be found in the Flatiron, Midtown East and West, and Soho.
Food Quality: 7.5/10
Meal Value: 6.5/10
Dining Experience: 7.5/10
Overall: 7.2/10
