It’s Saturday in Sydney. It’s overcast yet warm – it’s our Spring, still in her teething phase. What to do? Well, I don’t know about you, but it’s time for my…sushi lesson! Yes, some time ago, I was gifted a Zushi sushi lesson with Master Lee. After a couple of false starts, the day finally arrives & I am ready for my knife & my sashimi – I think!
We arrive super early, so we sidestep to the cafe next door to ingest some much loved morning nectar and…a hit of Vitamin D – yes, by now the Spring sunshine is laying claim to the day. Sip sip – gulp – sip sip some more & then we’re on our way to sit at the table of wasabi & chopsticks – hai!
I am equal parts excited and nervous – how will I listen, do and snap?! I manage. Listen – pen & notebook in hand; Gloves on, to do; gloves off, to snap! Yes, I manage.
There are 8 of us – all seated in front of our sushi-making stations, and in front of Master Lee. It’s a little hard to understand Master Lee, at first, but my school-girl self kicks in & the intense concentration pays off; I get some super tips & information that I hurriedly scribble down in said notebook!
Master Lee is brimming with information – did you know that “water is the enemy to fresh fish”?! So when you bring home your fresh fish, pat it dry & wrap it in paper towel before popping it into a container & the fridge; Another handy little tip? Dipping your fingers into some water will prevent the rice from sticking to them!
While the first part of the class is Master Lee speaking, it is the step-by-step-information of the sushi-making process, which is both quintessential and welcome; His sense of humour, the hit of wasabi we all need to participate & hit up the space with some of our own cheekiness & laughter bubbles!
When it’s our turn to make-like-sushi-chefs, we jump in with gusto. It looks easy enough – he makes it look that way – and funnily enough it is easy! Okay, admittedly it is with slow & deliberate moves that our “easy” comes about! But no matter, it is super fun getting our hands dirty in the whole sushi rolling business.
Gloves on, & there is movement at our stations – cupping of rice, spreading, adding of fresh salmon, tuna & other rice partners, rolling, ooh-ing & aah-ing, banter back & forth, a guffaw here & there, and equal-parts cries of dismay & shrieks of delight! All in all a fabulous mix of morning madness of the FUN kind!
We are given a few opportunities to perfect our sushi skills – a] the simple cigar-roll rendering small discs of deliciously fat maki sushi b] the Californian roll in which I opt for salmon, once more, rather than crab stick, and c] the Zushi special: inside-out roll! The latter looks like the most difficult to create, and while slightly more tricky, it is by far my favourite to make, look at & eventually devour; Wasabi mayonnaise – heeello!
Look what I made!
It is over all too quickly – I could have lingered longer over my MY-made sushi & pot of green tea [or glass of wine!] And while two gorgeous gals do turn their sushi making lesson into a sushi & vino lunch, I quickly pop one or two of mine, pack up the rest, all the while still snapping some final shots of the sushi, yours truly & the monthly markets that is happening in-shop; The live music, adding a notably lovely touch to the agenda.
Market Day @ Zushi
More of the Market Day @ Zushi
This is truly a fun experience, and you get show-&-tell that you can really share! This kind of activity can quite happily stand under any titled occasion – The Last Hoorah™ aka Hens; Birthday Bliss; Team Building excursion?! GDO – GirlsDayOut; heck even marriage proposal could join this party! And once the morning activity is done & happily dusted, the SurryHillsHood is your Saturday afternoon oyster! Perfect.
Douzo omeshiagarikudasai!
Hop on the Zushi train at www.zushi.com.au and book yourself a spot – Serena will look after you!
