I bet none of you braniacs had a fish market on next up for my reviews, did you.
Well, neither did I. That’s because those jerks on the Upper East Side have been hiding the only fish market that has a literal sushi counter inside from the rest of us.
Some are saying it’s the worst thing the Upper East Side has done since breaking up Dan and Blair on Gossip Girl. And I tend to agree.
(By the way, I used that Dan and Blair line in my Instagram Reel/TikTok/YT short above also. You might think I’m ashamed about that, but then you don’t know me).
This one won’t be long. There’s not 48 courses and 2.5 hours. It’s one sushi prep counter and one very long seafood enclosure (cage? fridge? tray?)
I have no idea what this fish case is called
Unlike most sushi markets, which are centered around the sushi process, Roy’s is a fishmogner first and foremost. It opened 30 years ago, and has been the stewardship of the same family since. First, the eponymous Roy, then his son, Pom.
It’s rare I post pictures I didn’t take myself, but this beautiful piece of art from Roy’s website should be hung in the Rijksmuseum
Inside Roy’s
Another angle with Pom
It sounds like a simple concept.
“We have tons of great, fresh, fish. What if we also made great rice and offered sushi?”
Well, the truth is that it’s a lot harder than it looks to make sushi. That’s why I write about it instead of opening a sushiya on Pier 26 like I dreamed (my other dream was to start a designer baseball cap company, and that one I literally did. Check it out here).
Also, fresh does not always equal great
I’m not an expert – just a blogger with the fastest fingers in the world (per Mavis Beacon) – but the biggest misnomer in the sushi world is that sushi is great when the fish is “fresh”.
“It tastes like it was just caught from the ocean”. Shut up.
The entire origin story of edomae sushi is based on aged fish. Yes, you don’t want to make sushi out of fish that’s been sitting in the sun for weeks. No duh. But you also don’t want to make it on the boat either. Trust me, I’ve tried.
The full menu
The fish prices and offerings change daily, but Roy’s sushi menu remains plastered on the wall. As someone who still reads picture books (plus Anthony Horowitz novels), the simpler the better.
I ordered the $15 nigiri sushi platter. 7 nigiri and a makizushi.
Now, I am on the record as hating the boiled Ebi that every cheap sushiya in this country offers, but the quality of the rest of the neta, plus the quality of the rice – a point of pride for Roy’s – makes this a critical stop for any lunchgoers that enjoy sushi.
Recommended.
