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Sharaku: hidden island, supreme nigiri
A logbook by Sensei Hiroshi Umi. One of the most reassuring experiences for the nomadic, investigative, analytical, gluttonous and loquacious guild of culinary critics is for our taste buds to come across some unsuspected discovery. The few...
Enso Sushi: the virtuous circle of the bluefin tuna
A logbook by Sensei Hiroshi Umi. Learning Japanese, getting by in a language with so many intonations and phonetic pitfalls, is a titanic task for a Westerner whose mother tongue is of Romance or Germanic origin. A feat made all the more im...
Hermanos Vinagre, or why bluefin tuna is a sublime tapa
I first set foot in Spain as a gastronomic correspondent back in 1989. And what my bosses got me to explore to begin with was what I then defined as holy ground: the bars of Madrid. Notebook in hand, my bewildered face betraying my stupefac...
Nippon 2: a quixotic story and a cult sushiman
“My name is Yuho Matsushita. I was born in the south of Japan, in Kagoshima province, 57 years ago. It is 30 years since I moved to Spain. I came to the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992, because I love athletics. I got my ticket and saw Fe...
The self-taught Romeo who has conquered Alicante
No restaurant sector consultant or business strategist would wager a dime on such audacity. An intrepid young Italian émigré, with no prior experience and no Japanese roots, investing in setting up sushi restaurants in the heart of Alican...
Madonna, bluefin tuna and age-old dynasty: the Hispano in Mu...
A logbook by Sensei Hiroshi Umi. The culinary critics of The New York Times – as well as many of my compatriots– know very well where to go if they wish to taste the traditions of Old Europe. They delight in age-old family restaurants. ...