Dining · Japanese · Kanazawa
Sushi-ya Kozakura
A Chiba-born sushi chef brought Edomae technique to Kanazawa in 2016, and applies it to Noto fish, year-round crab and briefly aged jiara.
From Chiba to Kanazawa
Sushi-ya Kozakura (すし屋 小桜) is the counter of Mitsuru Kawana, born in Chiba in 1979. He was drawn to sushi by a craftsman he met while working part-time in a restaurant, trained in sushi and Japanese restaurants in Tokyo, and moved to Kanazawa to open his own place in spring 2016. He has said he wanted to light the lamp of his own shop in this city.
The restaurant’s motto is short: devoted to sushi. The counter seats six.
Edomae technique, Sea of Japan fish
Kozakura applies Edomae technique to Hokuriku seafood. Fish and shellfish come from the fishing ports of Noto and the Sea of Japan, and crab is available all year through the restaurant’s own supply line. The rice is seasoned with red vinegar, in a balanced way.
Three pieces show the approach. Anago is simmered and finished with a fragrant tsume sauce. The crab nigiri uses crab miso steamed on its own, with nothing added. And jiara, a white fish from the Sea of Japan, is briefly aged to bring out its sweetness and paired with a slightly sweeter rice.
Lunch is a nigiri course; dinner is an omakase of seasonal dishes, small plates and nigiri. Kozakura held one Michelin star in the 2021 Michelin Guide Hokuriku.
Sources: Hitosara
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