By Steve Cooper
Foodie Foursome
Steve Cooper
I’m sure if you live anywhere near Milford or Orange you will remember the old Jacob Marley’s, and more recently, Prime 16 on the Post Road near Orange Center Road. The transformation into the new restaurant, Sayori, is incredible and a welcome addition to the culinary landscape of the area. Asian restaurants have become increasingly popular, and this Japanese establishment will soon become a favorite.
While it is billed as a sushi restaurant, it is so much more, with awesome choices for those not looking for sushi. It features upscale ambience with a sushi bar where you can watch the top-quality, fresh ingredients transformed into your “sushi experience.” The seating in the main dining room is comfortable, spacious and features a three-projector panoramic wall of continuously changing images. The affordable menu blends Japanese tradition and new techniques in a way that is truly appealing to all – a delectable, delicious dining experience.
Sayori is an extraordinary group of creative itamae (highly skilled sushi chefs) with decades of training and varied experience.
On this evening, Cindy and I were joined by Hannah and Eric, my daughter and son-in-law. Hannah was the first person to introduce me to the world of sushi, so they were the perfect dining partners for this excursion.
We started with both cold and hot appetizers of beef and seafood choices. The first two were the beef negimaki and rock shrimp tempura. The negamaki was thin-sliced beef wrapped around fresh scallion, broiled and seasoned with a tasty teriyaki sauce. The tenderness of the beef juxtaposed against the crunch of the scallion was a treat. The crispy tempura batter on the tender shrimp, lightly fried and dipped in their spicy yet subtle mayo, was like what is said about potato chips: you can’t eat just one.
The last two apps were the angus short rib and lobster bites. The short rib was slowly braised with Japanese barbeque sauce. It was fall-apart tender with a slow-braised taste and served atop a thick and creamy korokke (the Japanese name for potato croquettes). The outside of the korokke was a perfect golden-brown that gave a wonderful “crunch,” all drizzled with more sauce. The lobster bites were presented on small, bite-size pieces of toast. These creative stacks were visually appealing and constructed to balance the flavors. A nice mound of guacamole served as the base with chunks of fresh Maine lobster placed on top of that and garnished with tobiko and fresh herbs.
Before our entrees we had a green salad. While it was a simple salad, the ginger dressing was refreshing. We started off with a selection of yellowtail and masago-tuna sashimi with shredded daikon radish (a tender winter Japanese radish). The simple presentation and sizable thick-cut pieces were expertly sliced, presenting the tenderness, freshness and delicate flesh of the fish by showing off the connective tissues and layers of muscle fiber that make for its delicate texture and incredible taste.
Our next dish was the combination dinner under the hibachi entrees. This was the juiciest angus steak and succulent sea scallops we have had in some time. The scallops were huge, tender and cooked so well that they melted in your mouth. The hibachi preparation of the proteins combined with large shrimp, mushrooms, zucchini, carrot, broccoli and onion, black pepper, soy and teriyaki sauce was perfect. It was served with yum yum sauce and ginger sauce and made for one of our favorite dishes.
Our final choices were easy. We kicked off with classic rolls, one with spicy crunchy salmon and the other with spicy crunchy yellowtail. These raw hand rolls were expertly done with a nice sticky rice and the freshest of fish. The salmon was minced and rolled with avocado, encased in the wall of rice, cut into pieces and presented on its sides with nice-sized pieces of salmon draped over each piece. The yellowtail was presented as pieces in a more classic manner, showing off the pinkish color. It had a clean, refreshing taste. These were both served with wasabi and pickled ginger.
The last roll was one from their creative signature rolls. We went with the TNT roll. The spicy toro was rolled inside with avocado and minced toro and wasabi dressing. While toro is tuna, and comes from the fatty part of the belly, it has perfect flavor, melt-in-your-mouth texture and is full of nutritional value. It is more rare and expensive, as it is such a small portion of every tuna.
Sayori has many creative desserts from which to choose. We went with the fried ice cream. We had the vanilla, which was surrounded with a butter poundcake and tempura flash fried. It was plated with fresh fruits and whipped cream. We also had the ultimate chocolate cake – a velvety chocolate mousse between layers of chocolate decadence and moist chocolate butter cake and cookie crust.
The passion of Sayori’s Japanese culinary creations carries through to their dining areas which are casual, hip, cool and fun. Having had sushi in various parts of the country, I believe that California has some of the best anywhere. Sayori would hold up to that standard. Unlike many seafood restaurants you cannot tell how the seafood is being prepared due to the freshness of their seafood and sourcing purveyors.
Sayori is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. It is located at 464 Boston Post Rd. in Orange. Call 203-298-9100 for reservations.
Steve Cooper is a local, national and international award-winning photographer, culinary influencer and executive director of the Milford Performance Center. Contact him at 203-723-3672.