Sushi Special Suogun and Shian / 壽司
Sushi Special Suogun and Shian
◎English text by Hsin-Yi Peng
◎Photos by Wei-Ren Yang
Fresh ingredients are the key to delicious sushi, but there is much more to this delicacy than just the ingredients. A true sushi restaurant treats every aspect of the process, such as the making of sushi rice and the chef's hand-shaping techniques, with equal attentiveness. Our featured sushi restaurants in this issue are "Sushi Shogun" and "Sushi Shian". The former is highly regarded for its uncompromising approach towards tradition, whereas the latter appeals to the younger generation with its endless variety and artful plating decorations. Between the two of them, sushi lovers will be able to find something that suits their specific tastes.
※Sushi Shogun
Shogun is a sushi-only restaurant; in fact, the restaurant's full name stated clearly is that "Shogun Only Sells Sushi". The restaurant adamantly maintains a menu that features nothing else. "We are a sushi restaurant; our purpose is not to demonstrate a mixture of different types of Japanese food. Besides, if we attempted too many things at once, it is inevitable that everything will become mediocre. We are committed to present to our customers only the best, and we are proud to say that we do offer the best sushi there is." Says Shogun's owner, Mr. Jin-ciang Syue.
Mr. Syue makes his sushi rice with a gentle touch as if he was taking care of his own children. He says "Some restaurants would have their apprentices make sushi rice, but at Shogun, the chefs are in charge of this process. It makes a difference when an experienced hand is there to test the temperature of the vinaigrette, and then stirs it in with practiced gesture and timing. If the rice didn't come out right, we would rather discard the entire batch than to serve it to the customers."
One might have thought that an all-sushi menu would lack variety to a certain extent, but don't worry. Shogun's menu has a whole array of different types of sushi to offer, including inari, maki, nigiri, and seared nigiri sushi. However, if one has to pick a "must have", the maguro (tuna) nigiri is definitely the first choice. The simple combination of succulently sweet tuna slices laying on top of the vinaigrette-seasoned sushi rice form a perfect harmony of flavors. The mere thought of it makes one's mouth water.
※Sushi Shian
Conveyor belt sushi restaurants were once immensely popular among sushi lovers. These days, the halo of this dining sensation has faded a little, yet Sushi Shian has managed to be a noticeable exception. Located on the 7th floor of the trendy Dream Mall, this conveyor belt sushi restaurant became an instant hit, and remains busy even months after its grand opening. Other than the guarantee on freshness of ingredients, the eye-pleasing plating of Sushi Shian's "creative sushi" is also a large part of its charm.
The usual impression of conveyor belt sushi restaurants is that they serve sushi with lesser quality in exchange for larger quantity. However, Sushi Siang manages to impress its customers with a liberal adaptation of unconventional combinations of ingredients; those who have tried could hardly resist the urge to come back for more. Take the mango salmon maki for example; the bright colors in this roll remind the diners of the eternal Californian sunshine. The famously sweet and juicy Taiwanese mango and fresh salmon complement each other in flavor. Besides, chefs at Shian never fail to add their creative touch; every plate is a small piece of art. The visual effects found on this conveyor belt is no less elaborate that those in a ryotei (high-end Japanese restaurant).
This amazing sushi ride does not cost a whole lot. The price of sushi ranges from 30 NTD per plate to 100 NTD per plate, differentiated by the colors of the plates. And the surprise does not end there. One will also find home-made pastries on the conveyor belt, making a sweet stop for this feast.
壽司
幕府壽司、鱻魚壽司
◎文．攝影／楊為仁
好吃的壽司不只食材要夠新鮮，壽司醋飯的調製、師傅雙手的捏功，更是一家壽司店成功與否的關鍵，在此要介紹「幕府」和「鱻」兩家壽司店，前者以傳統的紮實功夫深獲識貨老饕推崇；後者則以花俏的潮系擺盤令年輕世代趨之若鶩。
※幕府壽司
「幕府」是一家名副其實的壽司專賣店，菜單上除了壽司、還是壽司。「我們不是日本料理店，而是專賣壽司，如果店裡產品太多，容易流於雜而不精，既然要給消費者最好的，專精壽司一項即足矣。」幕府壽司老闆薛進強如是說。
薛進強以侍奉父母的心態照顧木桶裡的醋飯，他說：「有些日本料理店讓資淺的學徒拌醋飯，但在幕府，必須是能獨當一面的人，每個手勢、倒醋汁的時間、溫度，都必須拿捏的恰到好處，有時候醋飯處理不好，寧可整桶倒掉也不會勉強拿來用」。
來到幕府，從豆皮壽司、捲壽司到握壽司、炙壽司，形形色色應有盡有，不怕找不到自己的最愛。另外，店裏的鮪魚握壽司，鮮嫩的肉質和醋飯完全契合，也是店內的人氣料理。
※鱻魚壽司
曾經風靡一時的迴轉壽司，不畏近來這股風潮冷卻，位於高雄夢時代購物中心７樓的「鱻」壽司，仍以迴轉壽司的型態問世，短短幾個月就交出傲人成績，除了食材夠新鮮外，賞心悅目的創意壽司，更讓吃過的客人驚艷不已。
「鱻壽司」以變化萬千的創意壽司綁住消費者的胃，舉例來說，以台灣芒果為食材製作的鮭魚芒果捲，就充滿了加州陽光氣息，香甜的芒果結合鮮嫩的鮭魚生魚片，巧妙地融合好味道。同樣令人驚豔的創作功力和擺飾，極具視覺效果。
壽司價錢依碟子的顏色做區分，從30元到100元不等，旋轉檯上除了壽司，還有自家烘焙的西式小點，甜美可口的甜點，完美點綴豐富的壽司之旅。