Eiji

  

The sushi snob in me was a little excited when I saw how small the restaurant was and how simple the menu was.  With only 6 tables and couple seats at a so called bar, Eiji fills up quick!  Even on a Sunday, the consistent flow of admiring customers never stopped from the minute the restaurant opened.

The oboro tofu is literally cooked in front of you.  First time I've ever seen this.  It's quite an experience after eating tofu all my life.  The closest I've gotten to fresh tofu was picking up at the store, still warm in the plastic containers.  I'm still in awe that it takes such a short time to cook it.  Each spoonful was creamy, smooth, and delicate.  Very similar to the silken tofu made fresh in the store without the sweetness.

Along with tamari soy sauce, a tray of toppings are provided to add to your tofu.  From left; clockwise:  bonito flakes, green onions, sesame seeds, shisho, spicy radish, and grated ginger.  I found that adding just tiny bits of each one with a dash of tamari soy sauce was the perfect combination.  

The seared ahi tuna steak was perfectly cooked and slightly rare in the middle, just how ahi tuna should be cooked.  The ponzu sauce balanced perfectly with the tuna and even better soaked into the salad.

I can never resist a good chirashi.  Eiji's is simple and not overcrowding with slices of fish.  Each piece is fresh and clean tasting.  Even the ikura led the perfect amount of saltiness to the rice.  It's hard to find good tamago.  It's some of the fluffiest, custardy tamago I've had in the city. 

The sushi combination:  tuna maki, magura (tuna), aji, sake (salmon), hamachi, tobiko (flying fish roe), ebi (shrimp), halibut.  Super fresh fish with just the right amount of rice.

Saving the best for last.  Since these homemade strawberry mochis are so popular, you need to make sure you order them right away.  In the middle of the winter, it makes you wonder where these strawberries came from.  They are fresh, sweet, and juicy.  Although, they don't fool me, these strawberries are sprinkled with sugar or dipped in a simple syrup before wrapped with a thin layer of red bean and an outer layer of mochi.  Slightly cheating, but still delicious.

Address:                    Eiji
                                   317 Sanchez St.
                                   San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                          Japanese

Popular chomps:        strawberry mochi
                                    oboro tofu
                                    miso cod
                                    

Chomp worthy:           strawberry mochi
                                    oboro tofu
                                    seared ani tuna steak
                                    chirashi
                                    sushi dinner