Omakase at Kaito

Today it's not Kirk - it's not Cathy - it's ed (from Yuma) writing about another sushi experience in Encinitas.

Last time at Kaito was a Monday night, so I thought it would be nice to come by on a Thursday so that more interesting stuff would be available. Plus I wanted to put myself into the skillful hands of Morita-san and let him select all the dishes (omakase - though I don't always use that word).

The meal started with a shredded gobo root/carrot salad. It was subtly sweet and the light dressing let the natural flavors and mouthfeel speak for themselves: Next came two shellfish dishes. The East Coast clam lay on a bed of shredded daikon and shiso leaf, presented in the clam shell:
The sweet tender clam was good and very fresh tasting - though not exceptionally deep or rich - but it did go well, as Morita-san pointed out, with a glass of cold sake.

More interesting were the two items parked to the left of the clam:
On top is huge piece of Morro Bay awabe (huge by contemporary abalone standards, that is). Below it is what Morita-san called its liver. Like nothing I'd ever put in my mouth before.

The abalone was outstanding. It had full abalone flavor, and the knife work on it was exceptional.  One could remove one chunk or a small row of chunks and pop them into the mouth.  The fineness of the dice accentuated the super crunchy texture, but left the awabe still easy to chew.

The liver (who knew?)  was a nice complement.  While it looks funky, the texture was actually rich and smooth, and the flavor was mild and pleasant.  Overall a nice match for the abalone.

The next dish was truly amazing and (for me) unique in many ways:
On the right is a salad made from kombu, with little slivers of mirugai, all brought together with sesame oil and sesame seeds.  A bit salty with a pleasant off crunchy texture.

It was the little fellars on the left that drew most of my interest, however.  Morita-san called them firefly squid, and said they were sourced from the seas between Japan and China. "In season right now."

These critters were so pretty in a bizarre sort of way that I can't resist a close-up: Again, these little treats were completely new to me.  As I popped each one into my mouth and bit down, my mouth was filled with a subtle and rich creamy liquid.  I don't have the words to express the oceany complexity of the flavor. If I say something tastes "porky" we all know what that means, but it is impossible for me to express the total uniquity of this taste. At the same time each one of these little guys was very tender with almost no chew.  The bodies were like tiny flavor filled footballs, the skin having just enough thickness to hold in the innards.

At this point, I was thinking that it cannot get better than this.  But the first piece of sushi that I was served showed that Kaito can hit back-to-back-to-back home runs: Yes, I know that this looks like an ordinary piece of hirame; in taste, however, it was extraordinary.  As on my previous visit, the  halibut in the nigiri sat atop diced shiso leaf.  This time Morita-san added some extra touches.  The slice of fish was hit with a splash of lemon juice, then he grated a bit of crystaline salt over it, and finally dropped a dollop of green chile puree on top.

The flavors seemed to dance in choreographed fashion over my tongue.  It was like each flavor had a moment on stage, had its own solo, before the next player appeared.  It ended with the pleasant tap dance of green chile heat.  Wow!

The halibut was followed by some soy marinated tuna: In this case, the maguro reminded me of the presentation on my previous visit.  Very good.  Solid.  But no striking difference.

On the other hand, the kohada on this visit showed off the quality of the fish: Kirk describes the flavor of this fish as milky, though I just detected a certain richness that preceded the full flavored fishy (in a good way) flavor.  The essence of the sea.

On my last visit, I had been somewhat disappointed in the Kohada - not this time.  Similarly, Kaito's anago (sea eel) was better on this visit. Since Kaito's website links to my previous posts, it made me wonder if the chef was going out of his way to show me how good kohada and anago could be: 
For those of you used to unagi, this fish will seem leaner, but it is also fleshier and firmer with a more subtle and complex taste. Morita-san is careful not to overwhelm the delicate flavors with too much sauce.  The crunchy, deep-fried spine pieces provided plenty of textural contrast.

The meal ended with rolls.  The first was a hand roll with ikura, uni, and ika: As before, I was impressed by the quality of the nori.  And the flavors went together very well, with the squid providing good chew, although my teeth tended to pull the slices of squid out of the roll, much like cilantro stalks in a banh mi. At this point I may have been suffering taste bud fatigue because I cannot remember the flavor of the salmon eggs. The uni was, as you would expect, rich and fresh.

For dessert, I was served six pieces of toro roll with green onion: OK, I know you can count, but sometimes the chopsticks are quicker than the shutter. Trust me, there were six pieces. This roll was a nice way to showcase the richness of the tuna belly and an appropriate ending to the meal.

I left happy, satisfied, and pleased. Compared with an omakase at Sakura, the emphasis here was on sashimi and sushi. Kazu at Sakura will always include several items from the kitchen even when he showcases his fish. Morita-san focused on raw seafood and displayed an amazing range of outstanding items. Service was as friendly and personal as on my first visit.

Kaito Sushi  * 130-A N. El Camino Real   *   Encinitas, CA 92024   *   (760) 634-2746

Comments

[Carol]

Ed, I just love reading about your sushi experiences. It's like I'm almost there with you when you describe them. Looks like another terrific meal at Kaito.

The video of the knife sharpening with the waterstone on Kaito's site was pretty cool. I love knives, especially Japanese knives. I dabble in hand sharpening the few meager knives I have so it was very interesting to watch his technique.

[cathy]

Great photography, ed. I feel like I was there. Now I'm hungry!

[Michael]

What did this meal cost? Anyone have an idea?

[nhbilly]

If fire squid taste kinda porky I know exactly what you mean. It must be very distinct such as pork. Every notice that just boiling a piece of rump roast with salt just smells so so good. Sushi sure does look tasty.

[Chris]

Great post! I was also curious about the price....

Never saw East coast clam like that. Approaching Urasawa level here?

[meemalee]

Hee - I liked "For dessert, I was served six pieces of toro roll with green onion"

The firefly squid look so pretty. Were they raw?

[Shirokuma]

Great looking stuff! I too am curious on how much did it cost?

[ed (from Yuma)]

First, for all who asked, the bill came to $77 - and that included a glass of good cold sake. Spendy, but it was my splurge dinner for the month.

The firefly squid were raw and very fresh tasting. I have had a similar small squid once from Sakura (probably not the same species - and not as good) but these were incredibly well cared for. If I'd been told they had been caught off San Diego that afternoon, I would have believed it.

As far as Urusawa, Chris, I have no idea, but this was good. The same or similar East Coast clam was served to me at a previous meal. I can't help identify.

billy, the taste wasn't as distinct as pork, but my mouth isn't trained for that flavor.

Carol, Cathy, thanks for the nice words.

[Lori]

Awww, I regret reading this post when I'm watching my mercury intake. Everything looks fantastic, I want some!

[Janfrederick]

What a wonderful post. Encinitas? Who knew? I think this place may have anniversary potential for us.

[ed (from Yuma)]

Lori, I think it would be possible to have sushi that lower down the food chain than tuna. I'm no expert, but things like the squid shouldn't have much mercury.

Thanks Jan. It is a special place restaurant, for sure.

[Judy Lee]

OMG, Kirk! I just went there yesterday thanks to your post, and it was by far the most DELICIOSO place for authentic sushi. I LOVED IT. Going back next Saturday with my camera this time ;)