04/14/22
Engawa Nigiri at Sekisui East in Memphis, TN. As a sushi connoisseur who has been fortunate to have amazing sushi from New York, LA, Tokyo, Spain, and everywhere in between, I’m really picky about what kind of sushi I eat. If you like sushi with cream cheese (yuck!) or fake crab, by all means eat it, but I’m not your guy! I’m much more of a purist, as I enjoy primarily eating pieces of nigiri (raw fish on top of rice). Thanks to former Memphis Grizzlies player @yutawatnabe12, I was able to find a place in Memphis that serves fresh, high quality nigiri, and I won’t bother going anywhere else in town but Sekisui East (I’ve tried them all). Engawa is the meat from the tail fin muscles of a flounder. With a slightly chewy as well as crunchy texture, yet rich and fatty in flavor, you won’t find Engawa at every sushi restaurant, as it’s fairly unique. Hiro-san, the head chef and part owner of Sekisui East on the border of Memphis and Germantown, has his Engawa flown in twice a week from South Korea. Lightly seared with a blow torch and topped with ground daikon radish, scallions, and ponzu sauce, Hiro-san’s version is simple, yet terrifically balanced, as the flavors burst into your mouth. Don’t miss it if you’re in Memphis, and make sure you go to the Sekisui EAST location, as Sekisui’s other locations don’t carry the same fish. I also love their salmon belly, yellowtail with scallions hand roll, and whiting tempura.