NEWS

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.

Edomae shari is judged by its warmth, the way it yields in the mouth and its vinegar blend. A guide to temperature, firmness and vinegar at the counter.

How to book and enjoy a solo seat at a Tokyo omakase counter: why single places last longest, when to speak, how to order sake, plus August fish.

When to ask a question at a sushi counter, how to phrase it, how to reword the awkward ones, plus how much to say. A calm guide to Edo-style omakase.

Autumn sushi is led by fat. How sanma is judged raw or cured, how ikura is steeped from the roe sac, plus the return-run bonito of September to November.

Zuke maguro is tuna steeped in nikiri soy, a keeping method born in old Edo. How the marinade is built, how minutes change the fish, which cuts suit it.

An omakase moves from light to rich, white fish through to tamago. Here is why each piece sits where it does, plus what the order quietly reveals.