We recently had a wonderful meal at Sushi Nakamura for my wife’s birthday.
Sushi Nakamura is an Omakase restaurant in Leeds which stands head and shoulders above other offerings in Leeds. Originally in a smaller venue in a Leeds suburb, Hana Matsuri, it opened as more polished affair in central Leeds a couple of years ago.
From the moment you walk in the subtle entrance to the bar area (reserved for guests) you are transported away from Leeds and for the next couple of hours enjoy a fabulous journey at the hands of the chef/owner, Chef Nakamura. The decor and ambience is truly wonderful, beautifully considered and a real treat as you are lead from the bar area to the dining room.
The ‘dining room’ consists of a beautifully made wooden counter where the sushi is prepared in front of you by the owner, and only 6 seats for guests. There are two services on Weds (5:30pm and 8pm) as well as an additional lunchtime service Thurs to Sunday.
The fish is primarily sourced locally (UK/Portugal rather than Japan) from specialist suppliers.
We opted for the Sake pairings (£70pp) to accompany the fixed menu (£150pp). This was a great choice as the Sake was fantastic with a good variety of styles and good value- especially so when compared to the combined price of buying the same selection by the glass.
Everything ate was superb, to the extent that it is hard to pick any standouts but I’ll mention a few that come to mind.
The scallop melted in the mouth with an incredible sweetness and freshness, with a lick from the blow torch before serving.
The Pollock chawanmushi amazed with the depth of flavour extracted from the humble Pollock.
A supplementary (£17) A5 Wagyu nigiri did exactly what you would expect it to do, and require it to do for the price.
The octopus small plate was the most tender piece of octopus I’ve ever tasted; 65 mins steamed the chef informed me, though there is clearly a lot more to it than that.
The salmon roe was marinated in soy and some other bits which cause them to expand, and they pop in your mouth with a hit of rich, salty, umami delight.
All of the nigiri was excellent, with three levels of tuna from lean to extra fatty. The seasoning on the rice was perfect, as you would expect.
Monkish Karage and Grilled Ray wing packed tremendous flavour into small bites.
As well as the food being sensational, it is also a pleasure to watch the low-key theatre of the chef preparing the dishes with such precision and skill.
After the Omakase we returned to the bar where dessert is served. There is an extensive drinks list of Sake and Japanese whiskies, most of which were well out of our budget. There are also some interesting cocktails and Kirin beer on tap.
The service was excellent. Polished, relaxed and friendly.
The bill including 10% tip (no added service charged) came to just over £500. It was worth it as a special occasion for such a fantastic experience. I would love to visit again given the opportunity.
