Due to my years as a food critic with The Marina Times, I receive hundreds of emailed press releases per month. Few catch my eye, but the release from Sushi Adachi did. In April, the restaurant — a small, elegant little spot in Silicon Valley added Chef Mikiko Ando, known as the only woman omakase chef on the West Coast, to their already virtuoso team.
With over 20 years of experience in the art of sushi making and lauded by foodie publications like Eater, which hailed her as “[a] master of making sushi,” Chef Mikiko is also a trailblazer. In Japan, a country home to over 30,000 sushi eateries, less than 10 percent of its sushi chefs are women. In America, which has less gender disparity than Japan in general, nearly 80 percent of sushi chefs are men.
Besides spending two decades honing her craft in a male dominated industry, Chef Mikiko’s reputation as the only female omakase chef on the West Coast sets her apart even further. Omakase, derived from the Japanese phrase “omakase shimasu,” meaning “I trust you, chef,” is a traditional style of dining performed only by the most skillful and experienced sushi artisans. In omakase dining, the chef serves the first course based on what fresh ingredients are available for the day, then creates the following course based on the diner’s reaction to the initial course. The chef usually parses out the courses from lighter to heavier, so, for example, you may start off with a chilled salad of freshly harvested seaweed topped with salmon roe, and end with an expertly cut cube of A5 Kobe beef barely kissed by a lovingly tended flame.
Founded by Japanese natives Eriko Nishizawa and Ken Nishizawa, Sushi Adachi and under the guidance of world-renowned master chef Adachi Keiichi, the restaurant has already gained acclaim for its authentic Japanese flavors and commitment to sourcing only the highest quality ingredients from Japan. As the restaurant celebrates its first anniversary, I decided to visit, and I was blown away. I consider myself a sushi connoisseur — dining at top spots all around the Bay Area and enjoying sushi on average once or twice per week, I often surprise chefs with my knowledge of the seafood they serve. It takes a lot to impress me at this point (I’ll have my list of top sushi spots later this year), and Sushi Adachi is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
Garnished with edible flowers and served on colorful plates decorated in Japanese inspired designs, each piece of sushi arrives like a piece of art too beautiful to eat — but eat we did. Translucent kurodai nigiri (sea bream) glistened, its texture delicate like its flavor. The hamachi (yellowtail) was the best I’ve ever had, sliced to perfection and including the rich ruby-hued bloodline (often cut off in less knowledgeable hands) that takes the taste to another level.
Hokkaido scallops are the best in the world, harvested from the cold waters off the coastline of North Hokkaido, Japan resulting in its sweetness and firm texture. We ordered both nigiri (atop rice) and sashimi (without rice) and it was a highlight of the meal. The botan-ebi, commonly known as spot prawn, was equally special. Like Hokkaido scallops, they are fished from Japan’s cold northern waters, making them a sweet and tender delicacy only found at top-tier sushi bars. Even more common offerings like tamago (egg omelet), fluffy and dessert-worthy, shine in Chef Mikiko’s capable hands.
If you love uni (sea urchin) as much as I do, the not-to-miss dish is the Hokkaido Uni Ikura Don (limited availability, so call ahead). Don’t let the $160 price tag scare you — the bowl is a meal for two or an appetizer for three or four. My dining companion is one of those people who says they “hate uni” but not at Sushi Adachi, where I found myself competing for something I usually have all to myself.
There are over 100 species of sea urchin. On the West Coast, Santa Barbara uni comes from the giant red sea urchin and is noted for its large pads, rough texture and bright, briny flavor. In New England where I spent my childhood summers, my Sicilian fisherman grandfather would pull spiky green sea urchins and open them on his boat, where he cleaned them and put the little pads in my equally little eager hands. Later he would make aglio e olio (a simple spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes) and twist the pasta in the fresh sea urchin, serving it in nature’s own vessel. While America’s urchin is delicious, it can’t compare with the best in the world from those cold northerly Japanese waters off the island of Hokkaido, which feeds on pristine kelp, making it a sweet yet briny umami bomb and deep orange color.
Chef Mikiko covers half of a large glass bowl of her perfectly vinegared sushi rice with Hokkaido uni and the other half with Japanese ikura (salmon roe) sourced in the summer and fall from fish that are still in the ocean. The roe is brined in salt or soy sauce before being frozen at very cold temperatures.
We had plans later in the evening, so we didn’t have time to try Chef Mikiko’s famed omakase. Let’s just say we will be doing that soon, as I have an inkling Sushi Adachi will be landing on my Best Places for Sushi, 2024.
Sushi Adachi: 668 Barber Lane, Milpitas. Sunday–Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30–8:30 p.m.