Sushi Night at Sasaya, Saturday 21 April 2007

After the March dinner excursion, everything is going to be a bit of a comedown but nevertheless we have picked an interesting event for the April dinner. It is going to be a special sushi night, so if you do not like fish, and especially raw fish, then I would strongly advise waiting for another month's event, although I think vegetarians might be OK. If you can handle only cooked fish, then that is OK as well, as they have cooked dishes too.

The dinner is going to be held in one of Berlin's most authentic sushi restaurants, Sasaya, at Lychener Str. 50, and to make sure things are thoroughly authentic, we will be eating with chopsticks from little tables on the floor with your shoes off, just like in a Japanese ryokan. So you all now have some advance warning this time! :o) This place prides itself in doing real sushi and even flies in special ingredients from Tokyo and other cities, so it does not compromise on quality. I have eaten here before and although it is not quite as good as the real sushi that you find in Tsujiki Market in Tokyo, it does come pretty close and it is generally regarded as one of the best sushi places in Germany. However, please do not expect a real ryokan atmosphere as that can only be found in Japan, and this place is actually pretty modern and contemporary in general. Dinner should not be that expensive, around 20-30 Euro per head, depending on choices and drinks, maybe a bit more if you go for their special delicacies. If you want to check out what Sasaya is about, the website is http://www.qype.com/place/2163-Sasaya-Berlin

The dinner is set for the evening of Saturday, 21st April 2007, so please note that in your diary now. Places are pretty limited as the restaurant is not that huge and the special area we have booked can accomodate around 15 people maximum for April. So please do send me an email as soon as possible if you are interested in coming along and the lucky 15 diners from all the emails received will be picked from an electronic hat on 29th March, and notified by 30th March, as I will be away in Japan for 2 weeks at the beginning of April.

See you soon!

Chris
 

How it went on the night...

Well, I don't think anyone left hungry unless they've been stuffing their hollow legs instead of their stomachs! The sushi was good, and the restaurant is deserving of its reputation of being one of the best sushi places in Berlin, if not Germany. I was pleasantly surprised at the inventiveness of the kitchen - for example, our table ordered 2 large sushi platters and the kitchen was kind enough to deliver different types of sushi for the 2 dishes. Very thoughtful, and everyone had a better time as a result. The waitress service was pleasant and pretty tolerable considering how packed the restaurant was. Sasaya is definitely a place to bring friends along again, and it's best to book the floor seats at the front of the restaurant. They're more comfortable than I expected and I have a bad back normally! By the way, they do other Japanese dishes other than sushi and they are well worth trying as well.