Swimming in sushi

BROTHERS UKARIN and Yasin Kerdkitsadanont share a passion for Japanese food that’s obvious enough at their Seiryu Sushi Cafe, which has just opened a third branch at the Mercury Ville mall in Bangkok’s Chidlom district.

Just like at the other outlets, the Edomae sushi is superb, as are the creative Japanese fusion dishes. 

The brothers started out in 2012 refurbishing a former kitchenware store in Sala Daeng. They named their modern Japanese-style sushi house Seiryu, after the ocean-dwelling Azure Dragon of Japanese folklore.

Tradition was crucial from the start, and the restaurant became immensely popular because of the authentic ingredients and preparation – and the affordable prices. 

Success followed success, and two months ago they opened a third branch at the Mercury Ville with something new – lunch sets for the office crowd in the neighbourhood. 

The place is classy but cosy, 240 square metres of “modern industrial Japanese” with seating for 70 and a multifunction room for private parties, meetings and occasional cooking classes.

Ukarin says Bangkok took to the sushi-bar trend five years ago, and he and Yasin spent a year assembling cooks and a menu of sushi and sashimi dishes for a restaurant of their own. 

“For sushi you need just the right balance between the rice and the meat,” he says. “We season our rice with vinegar and sake in portions that are appropriate to Thai tastes. 

“We pay special attention to securing fresh ingredients, 90 per cent of which are flown in daily from Japan. We get sanma (mackerel pike), hamachi (amberjack), madai (red sea beam), Hokkaido scallops, giant Nagasaki red clams and Grade A5 Matsusaka marbled beef. There are also some favourites from the West, like Canadian lobster, French foie gras and Norwegian salmon, which has a creamier texture.” 

“We cover the whole Japanese menu, from salad, sushi and sashimi sets to rice,” says Ukarin. “We have a Seiryu salmon salad, a Shirao salad and a tofu salad, all with homemade dressings.”

My lunch starts with a platter perfect for sharing, the Premium Sushi Set B (Bt1,350). It includes five thick slices of tender foie gras in a sweet homemade sauce, some of that melt-in-a-mouth beef from Matsusaka, super-creamy sea urchin roe, the fatty tuna called chu-toro and the tender tuna belly called o-toro. 

Hotatenama (Bt600) is a salad of Hokkaido scallop sashimi and spicy scallops served over ice, while Sushi Set A (Bt750) combined six tuna maki, engawa (chewy fintail), kampachi (yellowtail fish), hon maguro (bluefin tuna), chu-taro and ebi (shrimp).

A good choice for a quick lunch is the Salmon Kabutoni Set (Bt180), in which the fish head is cooked with soy sauce and served with rice, salad, miso soup and a spicy side dish. 

Among the other popular rice bowls is Chirashi (Bt330) with akami (leaner side meat from the fish), salmon, shrimp, squid, saba, a Japanese-style omelette and saltwater clams. 

Matsusaka Foie Gras Mini Don (Bt570) is a small bowl of rice topped with diced beef, foie gras and avocado and salmon roe. Engawa Mentaiko Mini Don (Bt270) is rice, fintail and fish roe in a spicy mayonnaise sauce. 

Two truly remarkable dishes are the flavour-popping Crispy Hotate Mentaiko Rolls (Bt450) with salmon roe, batter-fried potatoes and enotikate (lily mushrooms), and Strawberry Foie Gras Rolls (Bt520), filled with light cream cheese and eel and topped with a fresh strawberry and foie gras. 

Seiryu also has some nice choices in ice cream as well as beer and sake.

  

 

AUTHENTICITY IS ASSURED

>> Seiryu Sushi Cafe is on the second floor of the Mercury Ville mall and open daily from 11 to 10 (last orders at 9.30). 

>> Find out more on the “Seiryusushi” page on Facebook.