You never know what you might find when strolling through a depachika (“department store basement”) in Japan. These underground food halls are filled with all sorts of beautifully presented sweets, snacks, and ready-to-eat meals, and when our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma was strolling through the one at Takashimaya in Shinjuku the other day, he came across something he’d never seen before.
▼ There, next to some beautiful dashimaki (Japanese rolled omelettes), was a lineup of Dashimaki Futomaki.
Futomaki literally means “fat rolled sushi” as it’s thicker than a typical maki roll. They usually contain a variety of colorful fillings, but the Dashimaki Futomaki keeps things simple with yolk-hued presentation…
▼ … and a huge slice of omelette inside each serving.
This unusual roll comes from Kappo Sushi Kisaragi, a popular restaurant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. A pack of four costs 1,080 yen, with each slice presented beautifully, showing the craftsmanship involved in its simplicity.
Staff at the store explained to Masanuki that these futomaki are made with rice that tastes good even when cold, early-harvested seaweed with a rich aroma, and soft, fluffy dashimaki with a deep yolk color and rich flavor, and every last detail has been tuned to perfection by skilled artisans.
▼ Each omelette is hand-cooked for a perfect finish and fragrant, delicious flavor.
When Masanuki held the sushi up to the light with chopsticks, he could see how the whiteness of the rice and the darkness of the seaweed framed the main actor, the egg, even more brilliantly.
The dashimaki was densely packed yet moist and fluffy.
It wasn’t just the texture that captivated his senses but the flavor too — the moist, vinegared rice was perfect, acting as a delicious base for the elegantly balanced dashimaki flavors to seduce his palate.
The satisfaction he felt from just a single piece of sushi was outstanding. The harmonious contrast between ingredients was a testament to the professional techniques behind its creation, and the moderate acidity of the vinegared rice kept the aftertaste light so he could easily finish the entire box. If you’re on the hunt for an unusual sushi that tastes as astounding as it looks, then this is something you have to try next time you find yourself in the underground paradise of a Japanese depachika.
Photos ©SoraNews24
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