Episode 25: Shuko + Omakase

Photo credit: Evan Sung

Co-owners and co-chefs of Shuko, Nick Kim and Jimmy Lau, talked to us about their modern take on sushi, how omakase is changing, and how to have the best omakase experience.

As usual, we start the show reflecting on the best food we ate in the past week. Lynda talks about her experience at Shuko and Feast Meets West finally gets its first sound effect, thanks to our audio engineer, David! Iris talks about a honey-glazed halloumi she had at Maison Libanaise.

We then introduce the concept of omakase, as well as the show's guests, Nick and Jimmy. They tell us the quirky and personal stories of how each of them got into cooking. Lynda then asks how the "bromance" that led to the opening of Shuko developed when they were both working at Masa.

We unpack the different aspects that sets Shuko apart from traditional omakase restaurants--from the music, to the chefs who come from Western techniques, to the elements of spice and heat on the menu. Lynda asks Nick and Jimmy what advice they can give patrons to optimize their omakase experience. We also talk about the Munchies video featuring Nick and Jimmy and we ask, where do they forage in New York City?!

Lynda asks how they stay inspired, as well as omakase trends.

31:38 "We use a lot of farm-raised [fish] where it's in a controlled environment. Even the tuna is farm-raised in Spain. Hopefully, that movement helps the matter." - Nick Kim on the future of sushi and overfishing.

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