Ozumo - Contemporary Japanese Cuisine

Ozumo

Harushika Daiginjo Sake
fragrant fruity and buttery

161 Steuart Street
San Francisco, Ca 94105
415.882.1333
www.ozumosanfrancisco.com


Whenever hosting larger group of guests (5-8 people) who have a larger travel budget in SF, this is one of my favorite hot spots to hit.  Last night wasn't going to be any different.


Ozumo is a contemporary Japanese restaurant that highlights their creative take on traditional Japanese flavors while entertaining a fast paced modern hip crowd.  Their decor and ambiance is clean, zen-like, and breeds a white collar crowd that knows a thing or two about fine cuisine.  Their front bar is great for winding down after a long day at work.  It's more of a lounge at the front bar while dining is also available there so everyone can be seen mingling over cocktails and sushi.  They have a great selection of fine sake and their staff is very knowledgable in case you want to know what type of sake suits you best to go along with your dinner.  



The back dining room features a large open sushi bar where 3-6 sushi chefs can be seen working your orders.  Fish is always fresh at Ozumo... always.  Their foot traffic is so busy and consistent that it would be near impossible to have any fish that wasn't fresh.  Personally, I love traditional sushi made by a traditional sushi chef who has fine tuned his craft through years of experience.  At the end of the day amazing sushi to me is the refined combination of fish, rice, wasabi, and sometimes sauce created by the chef.  With that said, I'm not a big fan of their sushi... fish is super fresh which I love but for some reason their rice is never consistent.  Sometimes it's too wet, sometimes it's perfect, and sometimes it's undercooked.  I don't get it.  You would think that a Japanese restaurant would know how to make the perfect sushi rice... especially if you are charging premium prices.  Luckily, for us patrons, their service is usually stellar so all you need to do is let them know.



So if they are a Japanese restaurant and their sushi is not the highlight then what is right?

Gindara: Sweet miso and sake kasu black cod
Can be described as.... heavenly.

Well you mustn't lose your high hopes of tantalizing your tastebuds because you are definitely at the right place.  Their kitchen menu is to die for.  My fav as well as everyone else's (I'm sure I can speak for EVERYONE who has ever ordered it) is the GINDARA: Sweet miso and sake kasu Black Cod.  Excuse me... I hate saying these 3 letters... really I do but OM(F)G... and for those of you who don't get offended easily I added a 4th letter.  Probably one of the best Miso anything ever.  The texture is always perfect... each section of the black cod flakes off perfectly and is ever so buttery.  The sweetness of the miso and the sake kasu perfectly enhances the fresh flavor of the black cod as it melts in your mouth.  My mouth waters just talking about it.  Their Miyazaki Gyu, a grilled A-4 marbling wagyu beef from Miyazaki Japan, is also a must try if you don't mind spending a little more for an unforgettable foodie experience.  Portion is small but worth it if you are one of those who just can't live without a good steak.  My blog is still new so I'll feature some of their dishes here n there as we go along.  Definitely have to go back a few times to get all my favorite dishes featured on here. 

Toro: Fatty Tuna
From the belly of a tuna.
Well marbled and melts like butter.

Overall, you can't go wrong coming here if you don't mind the premium prices.  If not then just stick around for some of my other favorite sushi spots I'll be featuring where you can go to for a more budget friendly night and have a great experience at the same time.

Guests always return home with
treasured memories.

If you are bringing a date, ask to be seated 
next to the window for a gorgeous view of the bridge

Note: Ozumo is perfect for a lovely date or for parties up to 8 (personal preference).  Usually, I go to my favorite traditional sushi spots in the city for real authentic Japanese dining.  At those spots, having more than 4 people in your party wouldn't be as great of an experience.  Ozumo is spacious and has high ceilings so it works well for larger groups.