sushi tips anyone

[nikad]

So there is a fishing industry in Argentina? I didn't know that. If so, there is an interesting vicious circle created: seafood is exported because exports make more money, leaving a deficit of seafood for local consumption, thus driving up the local price, which results in driving down the local market for consumption.

Oh well, it is what it is. Nobody would come to Argentina for the food, with the possible exception of pure steak aficionados. Most of our holidays are spent traveling to places with the express purpose of eating well.

The fishing industry is indeed big, but judging for the lack of variety, fish stores, etc it makes you wonder huh? A good and relatively affordable place to buy fish and seafood from is Casa China in Belgrano ( chinatown ), they receive fresh fish on Wednesdays, oysters, clams, tuna, etc. Most restaurant chefs buy there, you will see them with their uniforms, etc.

 

[Eternalnewbie]

The fishing industry is indeed big, but judging for the lack of variety, fish stores, etc it makes you wonder huh? A good and relatively affordable place to buy fish and seafood from is Casa China in Belgrano ( chinatown ), they receive fresh fish on Wednesdays, oysters, clams, tuna, etc. Most restaurant chefs buy there, you will see them with their uniforms, etc.

Thank you for the tip. I'll have a look out of curiosity. But what I really want is decent sushi with a wide variety of choices, prepared for me in a pleasant restaurant / sushi bar. I don't expect that to happen, so I am adjusting to cuisine reality. I mean, if sushi were my reason to live, I would be in Japan, not Argentina.

I am only contributing to this thread because it feels good to vent a little and bemoan the truly awful cuisine available in Buenos Aires, with very rare exceptions for a city so large.

 

[AlexfromLA]

I personally really like the sushi at Osaka. They have some of the best variety i've found in the city, but they don't deliver.

http://osaka.com.pe/

For delivery I like Dashi, they have pretty good sushi and a wide variety of it.

http://www.dashi.com.ar/dashi.html

Sushi club isn't a bad option either. Their sushi isn't as good as the other options but they delivery until 1 in the morning and they usually always have fresh tuna ( not the best quality though ).

http://www.sushiclubweb.com/

You will have a small problem finding places that have fresh tuna. It seems to be seasonal here in Buenos Aires ( which sucks ). And most of what i've tried is bad quality.

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This reminds me, I'd like to add a request. Does anyone know where I can get really good fresh ahi tuna rolls in BA. Toro tuna would also be nice.

Any suggestions ?

 

[nikad]

Thank you for the tip. I'll have a look out of curiosity. But what I really want is decent sushi with a wide variety of choices, prepared for me in a pleasant restaurant / sushi bar. I don't expect that to happen, so I am adjusting to cuisine reality. I mean, if sushi were my reason to live, I would be in Japan, not Argentina.

I am only contributing to this thread because it feels good to vent a little and bemoan the truly awful cuisine available in Buenos Aires, with very rare exceptions for a city so large.

You will find some pearls here and there, but high quality and affordable sushi is definitely a challenge.

http://www.irifune.com.ar/ do not deliver and is in the downtown, high quality for locals standards and authentic.

 

[polostar88]

I have not tried any of this, but they are pushed to the top of my food to do list. Ever hopeful, but not expectant.

The problem, even in the few places that come relatively close, is not especially the quality of the three basics -- salmon, tuna, and the ubiquitous "white fish," but in the essential lack of variety. I have never seen toro, unagi, unago, or truly fresh taco. Once I saw tamago, but it was some egg substitute taken from a can and pressed into rectangles. Essentially there are only the big 3, with frozen versions of shrimp (and never sweet shrimp or the entire shrimp including head) and octopus no fresher than the squid rings one find everywhere.

There are six different varieties of tuna, for example.

So I am hopeful in trying your recommendations.

And may I pose this question? Why is Argentina so starved for any decent fish cuisine? There is a 2000 miles coastline on the Atlantic, and the country borders razor thin Chile, with another 2000 miles of coast on the Pacific. Every country in South America with a coastline on either ocean has a distinctive and abundant fish cuisine. Only Argentina is excepted.

The reason is simple, the South Atlantic simply doesn't have the variety of seafood that exists on the Pacific coast and in other places.

The idea that it's all exported doesn't hold because the same goes for the best cuts of beef BUT you can still get them in the best restaurants here and at the best carnicerias. By contrast, no matter how high up you go, even the best restaurants in Buenos Aires will only have corvina, linguado, etc., and some denatured salmon.

While you're in BA I say skip the sushi and go for tiradito and ceviche which you can get at a couple of places and it's good quality (Astrid y Gaston for example).

Also note that for fish in Argentina you should rather try pacu or some sweet-water fish, cooked of course. You can only get it at a couple of places though. This isn't too bad because imo sweetwater fish is better than ocean fish.

 

[razal]

I am still trying to accept the fact that the sushi here sucks... it's a realization i need to confront. I can recommend a few places that stand far above from the rest:

Yuki - by far the best selection / freshest fish I've had so far, and I've tried a lot. One of the more authentic Japanese restaurants...you know it's good when the entire staff is Japanese.

Irifune - I came here with some Japanese friends who were right off the boat from Tokyo and they approved, which doesn't say much because their expectations were extremely low after I informed them of some of my atrocious sushi experiences. Still really good.

Benihana - embarrassed to have this on the list, but it;s damn good americanized sushi. Spicy tuna rolls (with "red" not canned tuna) and massive tempured goodness rolls. one bad thing, there are lots of rolls with philadelphia , blech.

Mikado, Dashi, and Tenkuu (all deliver) are other decent places.. I've heard good things about Bistro Tokio in Belgrano but have yet to try it.

 

[AlexfromLA]

Benihana is pretty good, but they don't delivery. And the US restaurants are better than the BA version IMHO.

http://benihana.com.ar/

I'm going to have to try Yuki. It's too bad they are in Congreso and don't deliver though.

http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/detail.php?ID=87

Irifune also sounds like a good option. wtf though they don't deliver either .

http://www.irifune.com.ar/

Thanks, now I have a couple new places to try out

 

[mini]

Benihana is pretty good, but they don't delivery. And the US restaurants are better than the BA version IMHO.

http://benihana.com.ar/

I'm going to have to try Yuki. It's too bad they are in Congreso and don't deliver though.

http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/detail.php?ID=87

Irifune also sounds like a good option. wtf though they don't deliver either .

http://www.irifune.com.ar/

Thanks, now I have a couple new places to try out

Go outside!

 

[polostar88]

I also forgot to mention that Argentina seems to be like 50 yrs behind the US or Japan in freezing techniques...so most of the fish you get will be of bad quality if it's not fresh (and it's always frozen in sushi restaurants, or should have been).

I don't understand why you'd come here for the sushi, you should base your diet around mollejas and chinchulin