Think you know real sushi? Think again. -- Wasabi restaurant by Chef Morimoto in Mumbai

I have been to several very good sushi restaurants in my life. A lot of them in the US, on the west coast. Some in Paris with a traditional Itamae (sushi chef) that came all the way from Japan.

But it was in Mumbai - of all places - that I tasted the best sushi of my life.

I had vaguely heard of Chef Masaharu Morimoto in the past.

On “Top Chef”, he is the champion for Asian cuisine.

As I am not a huge fan of media friendly chefs, I thought he was probably overrated.

Well I was wrong.

Deeply.

Chef Morimoto forgive me for my sins; since for me, you are now the god of sushis.

(Appetizer: rice ball in coconut and sesame sauce)

But what can possibly differentiate good sushis from great ones? 

Is it the fish? The rice? Or maybe just the wasabi?

After all, the ingredients are pretty standard… it can’t be that complicated.

Well it is.

Sushi is an art.

And once you’ve tasted this art at its climax, you will understand why I want to call my future son Uni (urchin).

 (Hot shrimp tempura - simply perfection in the form of a fried piece of dough. Who would have thought so?)

Tasting great sushi is the utmost decadent pleasure. Swallowing pure beauty without even chewing it.

It feels so good that it’s almost indecent.

At Mumbai’s restaurant Wasabi by Morimoto, sushi is art.

Service is perfect of course and the view on the gateway of India is magnificent. But nobody gives a damn.

The food is that good.

(A simple salmon maki. With fresh wasabi. Not that green paste Japanese restaurant usually serve you. And oh yeah: the fish is directly imported from Japan. Every day)

(Black cod in miso paste. Gorgeous). 

Chef Morimoto, thank you.
And please, come to Paris. 

Chinese Sushi

I’m a big fan of sushis.

I love their scrumptious texture, the oily sensation they distil on your tongue, their melt-in-the mouth quality.

That’s when they are good of course. And fresh. Which is scarcely the case.

I don’t know if this is so in the US or England – I’m sure it’s not in Japan – but in France, or in Paris at least, Sushi restaurant are more often than not managed by Chinese people.

I discovered this a few years ago, when I was having lunch at a little sushi place and I heard the sushichef speaking Cantonese to one of his waiters.

Oh, and they had ha-kao on the menu. And spring rolls.

I know. I’m quite sagacious aren’t I ?