This Boerum Hill sushi joint aims for purity-of-preparation authenticity, but with a less fussy vibe

by Meredith Napolitano Stettner

Amidst the intersections surrounding Flatbush Ave., where Downtown, Fort Greene, and Park Slope collide, resides a tiny restaurant empire.

Walk into Ganso Yaki and you’re in a Tokyo grill house, complete with wooden booths, bright lanterns, framed photo covered walls, low ceilings, and comfort food. Walk through the left-interior door and you’re equally welcome at airy Sushi Ganso (opened late February), the third installment of the Ganso venture (along with Ganso, a Ramen joint on Bond Street).

“When opening Yaki, we know the sheetrock connected next door and we could take advantage of the space,” said Harris Salat, Ganso Group owner, along with Tadashi Ono (the two are collaborators and co-authors of three Japanese cookbooks).

“People don’t have to go to Manhattan for sushi,” Salat observed, and for the Crown Heights resident and son of Polish immigrants, there doesn’t have to be so much reverence for it, either. He nixes the “temple of fish” idea that captivated Jiro Dreams of Sushi fans, and instead emphasizes purity of preparation.

“There is a power to restraint, but restraint is not precious,” explained Salat, who has travelled throughout Japan. “Though a food-aware country, the vibe there is actually casual…that’s what I love about it,” adding that business partner Ono is from the “Bronx of Tokyo.” “Making good sushi boils down to the chef, the rice, the fish. Simple…but not so simple.”

At Ganso, Tokyo-trained Chef Tomo Hayashi prepares Nigiri, Tokyo-style sushi, sourcing fish from Japan and America and serving sushi and sashimi with no accoutrements. Seasonal specials like Hotaru Ika (firefly squids, tiny and sumptuous, served under miso slather) appear for their short spring season. Another popular kobachi (appetizer) is Onkimo—monkfish liver (akin to Japanese foie gras) in ponzu. The salmon roe is fresh and house-seasoned, and the excellent mackerel is sourced from Long Island and served with a potent swipe of ginger in sashimi, the yellowtail with a dollop of scallion paste. Also notable are freshwater eel sashimi and the fresh scallop sashimi. Under Hayashi’s crafting and quality sourcing, it is natural to opt for chef ’s choice pieces and rolls.

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On the front wall is a giant sea bream mural, painted by New York-based Japanese artist Momoyo Torimitsu, as an inspired ode to one of Salat’s favorite art objects, Gyotaku, Japanese fish prints, historically made by fishermen to record their catches since the mid-1800s. Comforting notes of cypress, burnt wood, and copper complete the space (designed by Amy Butchko) which seats 36, while a stereo offers indie rock. “If I walk by and see someone licking a plate…that means doing something right,” Salat said. In terms of homestyle Japanese culture, it’s also as authentic as it gets.

Sushi Ganso
31 3rd Avenue / 646.927.1776 / gansonyc.com