NEWS

A single piece of sushi carries the work of fisherman, handler, broker plus the chef at the counter. Why bleeding opens the door to ageing in Tokyo.

Sake is not the only pour at a sushi counter. How dry Champagne, beer and cool-brewed sencha meet each piece, with notes on temperature. Plus how to ask.

At Toyosu it is intermediate wholesalers, not sushi chefs, who bid at auction. How fish moves from the sea to a Tokyo sushi counter, stage by stage.

How anago differs from unagi, seen from the Edomae sushi counter: the slow simmer, the making of tsume, salt as an alternative, plus where anago sits in a course.

Edomae work falls into four techniques: curing, marinating, simmering and ageing. How each began, plus what they taste like at a Tokyo sushi counter.

The hot tea that closes a sushi meal is usually konacha, not sencha. Here is why its heat and astringency clear the palate, plus how to enjoy it.

At an omakase counter, allergies and dislikes travel best when shared at booking. How to word them, hidden ingredients in sushi, plus counter timing.

Kobujime presses lightly salted white fish between kelp, drawing out water while umami settles in. A guide to timings, kelp types plus how to enjoy it.

Fresh wasabi changes with every choice: skin left on or peeled, grated from the stem end or the tip. A look at how the heat is shaped at the counter.

Blood left in the flesh is what spoils a fish first. Drawing it out with Tsumoto-shiki slows decay, opening room to rest a fish until its savour arrives.