We started with the simple idea of bringing the best from us to you. From our founder to our front-line workers, we put lots of love and careful thought into all we do. We hope you enjoy all we have to offer, and share the experience with others.
At Sushi Salon
Our Fish:
At Sushi Salon, our chef Joji Nonaka sources the majority of the fish we use through Mr. Hiroki Hasegawa, a well-known fish concierge. Mr. Hasegawa continues to amaze us with his depth of knowledge, often introducing us to varieties of fish that even we as sushi and sashimi professionals have never seen or heard of. This is because the fish hand-picked by Mr. Hasegawa are not typically seen or distributed in the general markets because they often require advanced preparation and handling.
Unfamiliar fish often get discarded - Mr. Hasegawa’s work is rooted in his commitment to treat each fish, regardless of their size and familiarity, as equally valuable lives that are worthy of our respect.
Mr. Hasegawa uses a special technique called Shinkei Jime in order to preserve the quality of the fish. Shinkei jime is a Japanese technique that involves paralyzing the fish through its spinal cord in order to delay its rigor mortis by an entire day, resulting in the fish staying fresh and preserving its depth in flavour. At Sushi Salon, we believe in sharing the incredible lifeforce and nourishment of the ocean with our customers.
Our Vinegar:
We use a special vinegar crafted by Iio Jozo Vinegar Brewery. Based in Kyoto, Iio Jozo continues to use the same method of brewing vinegar, passed on for generations since its founding in 1893. We intentionally chose this vinegar because of our admiration for Iio Jozo Brewry’s dedication to transparency, environmental sustainability and cultural preservation. Iio Jozo is the only vinegar brewery in Japan that conducts the entire process from cultivating rice, brewing sake, and brewing the vinegar all on their own. Using pesticide free rice nourished by fresh underground water from the mountains of Tango district, Kyoto, Iio Jozo vinegar is made using a traditional method called static fermentation. This method requires time, labour and intuition from their master brewers. After fermentation, the brewers allow 8 months for fermentation in order to complete the vinegar, which gives the vinegar a rich and unique flavour.
Our Soy Sauce:
We use Mitsuboshi Shoyu, naturally brewed and fermented using a 300 year old traditional method. This soy sauce is made by Horikawaya Nomura, a soy sauce and miso brewery in Wakayama prefecture. Unlike most brewers who have switched to cooking with natural gas, Horikawa Nomura uses wood fires to boil the soybeans, warm the koji, and toast the wheat. Over the course of centuries, they have perfected their use of these traditional techniques in order to produce some of the best soy sauce we have ever tasted.
