Kura is a relatively unassuming place. It hasn’t received much publicity, and is located in the lower east side of Manhattan – not exactly an area known for it’s high class sushi. The restaurant itself isn’t marked on the outside, and the inside sits no more than 30 people at a time. That said, reservations are still easy to come by, which is fine by me: the value is phenomenal.
The food is Omakase only, and traditional; besides the two starter courses (Monkfish Liver – one of my favourites – and Tuna with Mountain Potato – pictured right), and the two finishing ones, we were served only nigiri. What impressed me most was the variety of the fish served: scallop (hotate) is not something that I’ve normally seen served completely raw – and it tasted delicious.
Among the highlights of the rest of the Omakase was being served both the “O-Toro” Nigiri and “Chu-Toro” Maki- I always appreciate when the Sushi Chef serves both (as opposed to just blanket “toro”)
The Atmosphere is also typical but welcoming. Kura is a dark room, with a long “L” shaped Sushi bar. There are only a few tables, which is certainly appealing when it’s “Omakase Only”, because quality might suffer with any increase in customers. The one drawback was that the sushi chef himself did not seem so familiar with the source of the fish, but then again, Kura does not profess itself to be a place where the location of every piece of nigiri is announced prior to eating.
Kura is a hidden Omakase gem, and The Sushi Legend would certainly recommend it to anyone.
