Two Years of Omakase Excellence: Sushi By Scratch Still Shines in Seattle
It’s coming up on two years since Chef/Restaurateurs Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee opened Sushi By Scratch Restaurants in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood.
And by all accounts, their sushi game is as strong as ever.
At a recent visit we sat down with 8 other guests at the sushi bar for an intimate, nigiri-fueled, dining experience. But before we tucked into our 17-course omakase, we were treated to a cocktail with Suntory Whisky Toki and a couple of delicate bites. The drink and the canapes (a Shigoku oyster with shisho salsa, and shio kombu, along with Tessin served with Ikura, avocado mousse, and scallions) paired beautifully at the moody whisky bar.
Over quiet chatter, our group began to bond over the anticipation of what was to unfold over the next two hours. With a final sip of the cocktail we were whisked just a few steps away into the dining room. Once seated, we surrendered our voracity for sushi to the guidance and care of the three chefs who expertly led us through our night of tasting.
If you are interested in some sake, Japanese beer or other beverages during your tasting, a bartender is also on hand to make that happen as beverage pairings are offered as an add-on or available a la carte. And, if you are really interested in sake – mark your calendars for Thursday, Sep 12 for a ‘one night only‘ chance to enjoy pairings with premium sakes from family-run breweries in Japan by way of Namazake Paul Imports.
The experience
With the menu of fish that we could expect to savor hung overhead, the only question that remained was how the chefs would prepare each piece. Suffice it to say, they did not disappoint.
Our first bite of nigiri creations was a prelude of things to come – Hamachi brushed with sweet corn pudding and topped with sourdough breadcrumbs. We won’t go through the whole list (there’s something to be said about discovery and surprise) but here are a few more bites we had along the way.
Toro with pineapple, brulee brown sugar, soy, wasabi
Suzuki topped with a nam pla glaze and chiffonade Thai basil
Hotate that has been sumiso torched, served with lemon juice and chive
Shima Aji served with a sweet yuzu soy, and light brush of chojang, and chiffonade shiso
Madai delivered with ponzu, Bali salt, lemon juice, scallions, and crunchy chili garlic
Ama Ebi with Ama Ebi sauce, garlic miso crumble, lemon juice
Sake (Zuke) that saw a light brush of soy, toasted sesame seeds, pickled red onion, kizami wasabi
And yes, all condiments, like soy sauce, vinegars, ponzu, and flavored salts are made from scratch, in house.
Torched bone marrow
Not to be left off the list, and a visual feast as much as they are delicious, are the two bone marrow takes on nigiri. First up was the roasting of the bone marrow with torches ablaze. There’s no need to do too much adornment after that – some soy sauce, sea salt, and freshly grated wasabi root added up to a perfect bite. And always one of our favorites – Unagi. Taking the rendered bone marrow fat, the Unagi is turned into a fried crispy delight with poblano yuzu kosho, soy sauce, ponzu, lemon, and sea salt.
The evening ended with a special taste of foie gras topped with sourdough bread crumbs, spiced peach lacto ferment and black Hawaiian lava salt.
Open daily with seatings at 5pm, 7:15pm, and 9:30pm, Sushi by Scratch is a reservation only joint. This could be a special occasion meal, or as one guest that evening mentioned to us, a repeat experience – as this was his third time in for the tasting menu. Either way, if you want to grab a seat at this much sought after sushi experience, reservations are released at 10am on the first of the month for the following month.
Photos by Jenise Silva
