200 Reviews — All Five Stars
This week we crossed 200 reviews on Google Maps, every single one five stars. For a business that has been operating for just over a year, starting with no customers and no reputation in a new city, this means a great deal.
The reviews come from a remarkably wide range of people — Japanese expats missing the fish they grew up with, home cooks experimenting with sashimi for the first time, professional chefs sourcing for events, families celebrating birthdays with something they couldn't find anywhere else in DC. What they share is that the fish reached them as it should: fresh, handled correctly, with provenance worth knowing.
If you have purchased from us and haven't left a review yet, we'd be genuinely grateful if you did. Not for the number — we're past that now — but because the reviews are how new customers in Washington DC find out that this exists. Good fish makes people happy. There are people who don't yet know where to get it.
Thank you. Every order placed, every note left, every recommendation to a friend — it compounds. Leave a review on Google Maps →
This Week's Uni — Bafun from Rishiri Island, Hokkaido
This week's Uni is Bafun Uni (馬糞ウニ) from Rishiri Island (利尻島), Hokkaido — one of the most celebrated Uni origins in Japan. Rishiri Island sits off the northernmost tip of Hokkaido, in cold, clear water that supports exceptional seaweed growth. The sea urchins there feed predominantly on Rishiri Kombu (利尻昆布) — a kelp variety so prized that it forms the backbone of the finest dashi in Japanese cooking. That diet translates directly into the flavor of the Uni: deep, complex, and with a richness that goes beyond simple brininess.
Rishiri Uni is to sea urchin what Goto Islands Bluefin is to tuna — the provenance is meaningful, not just a label. Reserve online before coming in. Quantities at this quality tier are always limited.
Souvenir — Kinmedai (Splendid Alphonsino) Rice Mix
A new souvenir addition this week: a Kinmedai gohan no moto (金目鯛ご飯のもと) — a seasoned rice ingredient featuring Kinmedai, the deep-sea red fish known in English as splendid alphonsino. Add it to plain rice during cooking and it produces a lightly seasoned fish rice with the delicate flavor of Kinmedai throughout. A simple, satisfying home meal that needs nothing else alongside it. Available at the storefront while supplies last.
On Rishiri Uni: The Rishiri Kombu diet gives this Uni a more layered, dashi-like depth than Bafun from other Hokkaido origins. If you want to understand what provenance means in sea urchin, this is the week to try it side-by-side with your memory of last week's fish.