“Immersive Kawaii Experience” at Sushidelic

What pops into your mind when you think of a typical sushi restaurant? Serene and minimalist ambiance with a beautifully crafted hinoki wood bar at which a limited number of customers watch a highly trained sushi chef skillfully craft pieces of nigiri one by one.

Sushidelic, a new sushi restaurant that opened in SoHo on June 28, turns that idea on its head.

The brainchild of Japanese artist Sebastian Masuda, Sushidelic—a portmanteau of “sushi” and “psychedelic”— is the opposite of how anyone would perceive a sushi restaurant. And it’s delightful.

Multidisciplinary Talent

Masuda is an artist who exhibits worldwide. He’s the founder of 6%DOKIDOKI, a Harajuku staple of kawaii toys and Decora fashion and accessories since the mid-1990s. In 2011 he served as the art director of J-pop idol Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s music video for her hit song “PonPonPon.” The King of Kawaii Culture has added another job title to his impressive resume: restaurateur.

Rather, Masuda is re-adding the job title. From 2015 until 2021, Masuda and DD Holdings, a Japanese company that specializes in managing themed restaurants, ran the Kawaii Monster Café in Tokyo. Although reviews about the food weren’t exactly complimentary, the Kawaii Monster Café was a tourist destination, especially for fans of Masuda’s art and Harajuku’s subculture.

If you’re familiar with Masuda, you know that vibrant colors, 1970s plastic toys, eclectic faux fur, and all things kawaii find their way out of his brain and into the world in a jumbled and yet somehow cohesive manner. In his mind, sushi looks like dessert, and dessert looks like sushi. His imaginings have come to life at Sushidelic in the forms of macaron sushi and chirashi parfaits. Masuda wants his guests to enjoy “an immersive kawaii experience,” and he has created the perfect vehicle with which to accomplish it.

When you enter Sushidelic, the first thing you’ll notice is that the decor isn’t anything you’d imagine from a sushi restaurant. The light fixtures are upside-down lipstick tubes. There are cloud-shaped mirrors on the ceiling. The giant heads of three cats hang above the bar, and they have names: Tipsy Cat, Lovely Cat, and Sexy Cat. The slowly rotate to reveal the pieces of sushi and a large pair of red lips on the back. To tie in the theme, the hostesses are called the “Delic Cats,” each wearing an outfit of Masuda’s design, matching the looks of Tipsy, Lovely, and Sexy.

The restaurant features a conveyor belt in the form of a long tongue emerging from a mouth-shaped opening in the kitchen wall. Sushidelic stands apart from average kaiten sushi spots where customers grab desired pieces of sushi off a rotating belt and have the color-coded plates tallied up at the end to calculate the bill. Instead, the tongue-belt carries Masuda’s artwork and beverages making their way from playful bartenders to customers sitting at the counter.

Unlike the kaiten sushi concept, Sushidelic’s offering is a six-course omakase dinner that Masuda calls “Pure Imagination.” A palette of six sauces accompanies the meal: black sesame, yuzu, mango and ginger, wasabi, spicy mayo, and a blueberry sauce to drizzle on dessert. It’s best to taste each piece of sushi first before adding any of the sauces, then experiment with the different flavors.

“Pure Imagination” Omakase Menu

Macaron Sushi
Macaron, tuna, sushi Rice

Hamachi
Hamachi, Ponzu, truffle oil, micro radish greens

Ape-Maki (Appetizer Rolls)
California roll with crab cake, salmon with salmon roe, eel tamago roll, and spicy tuna over crispy rice

Tempura
Shrimp, seasonal vegetable kakiage with matcha and yuzu salt

Chirashi Parfait
Mixed sashimi over pink sushi rice with marinated vegetables

EX-Sushi Desserts
Yuzu sushi over Rice Krispies dessert and sake cheesecake

Vegetarian menu is available on request.

I envisioned the creative plating, of course, but great food? Not really. Perhaps I was influenced by the negative reviews I read about Kawaii Monster Café, but I wasn’t expecting this meal to be as delicious as it was. I should’ve known better; private chef Abe Hiroki of EN Japanese Brasserie fame consulted with Masuda and his team of chefs to create dishes that are as flavorful as they are aesthetically pleasing. If I were to name one week link in the six courses, it would have to be the tempura. Although good, it had no Wow factor. My favorite is the chirashi parfait in both presentation and taste.

Beverages

Beer (including Japanese beers such as Echigo, Kizakura Kyoto, and Orion), wine, and sake (including Brooklyn Kura’s #14) are available from the bar, but the cocktails are the stars of the beverage show. I had the Lychee Berry Smash and the Matcha Tea-tini, which is a production in and of itself.

Sushidelic is indeed the immersive kawaii experience that Masuda wants us all to have. The art, style, and atmosphere are something you won’t see anywhere else. And at $85, it’s at a price point that can’t be beat in New York City.

So, the big question is this: Is Sushidelic sustainable? Will locals tire of the show and move on to the next big thing? Masuda’s fans in the Kawaii Community were out in full force at Sushidelic’s opening party, some traveling from as far away as Pennsylvania, but will they be regular customers? No one knows if the novelty of this novel concept will fade. For now, Masuda’s Kawaii Monster Café is all grown up and starting to live its best life in SoHo.

Details

Sushidelic is located at 177 Lafayette Street (between Broome and Grand Streets in SoHo)

Hours: Dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. (last seating 10:00 p.m.)
Make reservations through Resy but act fast because all seats are booked through July 18 (at time of publishing).

Check out their website and follow them on Instagram.

For All Things Japanese in New York City, become a member of JapanCulture-NYC.com 
and follow @JapanCultureNYC on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!

The First Annual Japanese Restaurant Cherry Blossom Week 2021 Is in Full Bloom

It’s been one year since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in New York City, and we are still in the midst of the pandemic. Many Japanese restaurants have suffered due to restrictions and the difficult winter weather. After cold weather and a spike in COVID-19 cases, indoor dining was banned again in December of 2020, leaving restaurants with only outdoor seating options.

Now that indoor dining has been re-opened in time for spring, the New York Japanese Restaurant Association (NYJRA) established its First Annual Japanese Restaurant Cherry Blossom Week 2021. Taking place from March 8 to March 21, the initiative features 92 participating restaurants offering special menu items that focus on a sakura theme.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (emergency support project for the development of overseas sales channels for Japanese agricultural, forestry, and fishery products and foods) is subsidizing this event, and the Japan Food Restaurant Overseas Promotion Organization (JRO) is sponsoring as a collaborative project with the NYJRA.

Organizers and participants hope that Japanese Restaurant Cherry Blossom Week 2021 will provide an opportunity for these struggling restaurants to open their doors to the people of New York City to enjoy Japanese ingredients and cuisine.

Visit NYJRA’s website for details about each restaurant’s special for the First Annual Japanese Restaurant Sakura Week 2021. Contact the restaurants to see if they have indoor and outdoor dining, take reservations, or are take out/delivery only

Participating Restaurants

Manhattan

Aburiya Kinnosuke – 213 E. 45th Street

BAR GOTO – 245 Eldridge St. Ground Floor

Basta Pasta – 37 West 17th Street
and Bar B – 84 7th Avenue

Benemon – 10 E. 4th Street

BentOn – 156 East 45th Street

Blue Ribbon Columbus – 308 W. 58th Street

Blue Ribbon Izakaya – 87 Orchard Street

Blue Ribbon Sushi – 119 Sullivan Street

Blue Ribbon Sushi Brookfield – 225 Liberty Street

Cagen – 414 E. 9th Street

Cha-An BONBON – 238A E. 9th Street

Curry-Ya – 218 E. 10th Street

Decibel – 240 E. 9th Street

DokoDemo – 89 E. 4th Street

Donburiya – 253 W. 55th Street

Douska (formerly Douzo) – 63 Delancey Street

Dr. Clark – 104 Bayard Street

Gari Columbus – 370 Columbus Avenue

Go! Go! Curry! Chelsea – 144 W. 19th Street

Go! Go! Curry! Harlem – 567 W. 125th Street

Go! Go! Curry! Midtown East – 235 E. 53rd Street

Go! Go! Curry! Times Square – 273 W. 38th Street

Go! Go! Curry! Washington Square Park – 231 Thompson Street

Go! Go! Curry! World Trade Center – 12 John Street

Gorin Ramen – 351 E. 14th Street

Hasaki – 210 E. 9th Street

Hi-Collar – 231 E. 9th Street

Hide Chan Ramen Midtown East – 248 E. 52nd Street, 2nd Floor

Hirohisa – 73 Thompson Street

INASE – 1586 1st Avenue

J-Spec – 239 E. 5th Street

Katana Kitten – 531 Hudson Street

MakiMaki Sushi – 1369 6th Avenue

MakiMaki Sushi – 360 Lexington Avenue

Marezzata – 231 E. 50th Street

Marumi Restaurant – 546 LaGuardia Place

Minca – 536 E. 5th Street

Momokawa – 1466 1st Avenue

Ootoya Chelsea – 8 W. 18th Street

Ootoya Greenwich Village – 41 E. 11th Street

Ootoya Times Square – 141 W. 41st Street

Rai Rai Ken – 218 E. 10th Street

Rai Rai Ken Uptown – 1467 Amsterdam Avenue

Ramen Misoya – 129 2nd Avenue

RAMEN-YA – 181 W. 4th Street

Restaurant Nippon – 155 E. 52nd Street

Sakagura – 211 E. 43rd Street

Sake Bar Hagi 46 – 358 W. 46th Street

Sake Bar Shigure – 277 Church Street

Samurice – 261 Canal Street

Shabu Tatsu – 216 E. 10th Street

Soba Noodle Azuma – 251 W. 55th Street

Sobaya – 229 E. 9th Street

Sushi Ann – 38 E. 51st Street

Sushi Ikumi – 135 Sullivan Street

Sushi of Gari 46 – 347 W. 46th Street

Sushi of Gari TriBeCa – 130 West Broadway

Sushi of Gari Upper East Side – 402 E. 78th Street

Sushi Ryusei – 216 E. 39th Street

Sushi Tsushima – 210 E. 44th Street

Takahachi Bakery – 25 Murray Street

Takahachi Tribeca – 145 Duane Street

Tempura Matsui – 222 E. 39th Street

THE IZAKAYA NYC on 6th – 326 E. 6th Street

THE IZAKAYA NYC on 4th – 215 E. 4th Street

Tomi Jazz – 239 E. 53rd Street

Totto Ramen Hell’s Kitchen – 464 W. 51st Street

Totto Ramen Midtown East – 248 E. 52nd Street

Tsurutontan Midtown – 64 W. 48th Street

Tsurutontan Union Square – 21 E. 16th Street

Udon Izakaya West 46 – 150 E. 46th Street

WOKUNI – 327 Lexington Avenue

Yakiniku Futago – 37 W. 17th Street

Yakiniku Tohbay – 235 W. 55th Street, 2nd Floor

Yakiniku West – 218 E. 9th Street

Yakitori Torishin – 362 W. 53rd Street

Yakitori Totto – 251 W. 55th Street, 2nd Floor

Brooklyn

750 Myrtle Diner – 750 Myrtle Avenue

Andante – 255 Berry Street

BAR GOTO NIBAN – 474 Bergen Street

Bozu – 296 Grand Street

Japan Village – 934 3rd Avenue

Karazishi Botan – 255 Smith Street

Momo Sushi Shack – 43 Bogart Street

Samurai Mama – 205 Grand Street

Samurai Papa – 594 Lafayette Avenue

Sunrise Mart Brooklyn – 934 3rd Avenue

Wasan Brooklyn – 440 Bergen Street

Queens

Ariyoshi Japanese Restaurant – 41-13 Queens Boulevard, Sunnyside

BentOn Factory – 3739 Crescent Street, Long Island City

Hartsdale

FUJINOYA – 26 South Central Avenue

Kishuya – 163 South Central Avenue

Sharing is Caring

Spread the word by sharing the details of your meals on social media! Follow @nyjra_nyc on Instagram and use these suggested hashtags:
#NYJRA #NYJapaneseRestaurantCherryBlossomWeek #Cherryblossomfestival #Japanesefood #NYJapaneseRestaurant #sushi #sashimi #wagyu #bento #ramen #yakitori #udon #takoyaki #kaiseki #shabushabu #sukiyaki #onigiri and #tempura.

About the NYJRA

The purpose of the New York Japanese Restaurant Association is to heighten the status of and develop markets for Japanese food in America. NYJRA seeks to revitalize the prevalence of Japanese food and culture through organizational activities such as collaborating with Japanese restaurants to facilitate catering to offices; supporting education for restaurants on topics like the history of Japanese food, human resources tips, and culinary techniques; and assisting Japanese restaurants to address the major challenges they face today.