Sushi at The Bellwood

August 28, 2023

The Bellwood is another SG group restaurant. And inside the Bellwood is another restaurant - a 4-seat tasting experience currently used for a 12-piece sushi and cocktail pairing.

Bellwood Sushi shelves with homemade cups — Homemade cups and dishes

Reservations were made online. We were the only people in that seating so it was just us and Ayaka!

Bellwood Sushi Cocktail - Gari — Gari - Pickled ginger-infused shochu, umeshu, dry sherry

Her concept is “around the world”, and tries to reimagine different dishes as sushi. Her menu is not traditional and very fusion-y. For example - instead of pickled ginger, your palette cleanser is a cocktail with infused ginger shochu, umeshu, and dry sherry.

Bellwood Sushi Piece 1 - New York — New York - Swordfish, grated New York Cheesecake

Things get weird right at the start. Cheesecake is frozen and grated over swordfish in an ode to New York.

Bellwood Sushi Piece 2 - Vietnam — Vietnam - Banh Mi: Tuna, coriander, pickles

Coriander was placed underneath the tuna, and the pickles made the entire bite savory and almost beef-like. This was one of our favorite pieces.

Bellwood Sushi Piece 3 - Morocco — Morocco - Saba (mackerel), paprika, hummus, harissa, olives

Bellwood Sushi Piece 4 - Mexico — Mexico - Hamachi, jalapeno, tortilla chip

Bellwood Sushi Piece 5 - Greece — Greece - Hirame (flounder), tzatziki

Bellwood Sushi Piece 6 - China — China - Aji (horse mackerel), chili paste, Sichuan pepper

China’s piece was inspired by hot pot. Mission accomplished!

Bellwood Sushi Piece 7 - Peru — Peru - Hotate (scallop), leche de tigre

Bellwood Sushi Piece 8 - Sweden — Sweden - Gravlax: Dill, aquavit, shallot, capers

Bellwood Sushi Piece 9 - Brazil — Brazil - Conger eel, coffee, cocoa nibs

Instead of the traditional eel tare, the Brazilian version uses a sauce with coffee and chocolate. Another sweet/salty combo that lead to a very meaty bite.

Bellwood Sushi Piece 10 - France — France - Chu toro, vegan foie gras

Bellwood Sushi Piece 11 - Spain — Spain - Uni, ikura, truffle, egg yolk

This piece was inspired by a trip to San Sebastián. Uni and ikura are placed at the bottom, and a soft egg yolk is placed on top. A tiny amount of yolk is extracted with a syringe and refilled with a truffle-infused dashi. Then some more truffle is shaved over the top for good measure. Umami explosion!

Bellwood Sushi Piece 12 - Italy — Italy - Tiramisu (but with rice!)

Dessert was a sushi tiramisu. This tasted a bit like a tangy rice pudding.

Sushi at The Bellwood is a unique and playful experience. There are numerous traditional omakase places throughout Tokyo, but none that use sushi as the base for exploring new flavors, and very few that offer as intimate an experience.