3 things to try at Morimoto besides sushi

If you’re like most people, there’s a tendency to stick to the same few foodsonce you’ve found your favorites. While Morimoto —the brainchild of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and Stephen Starr— does offer diners out-of-this-worldsushi, taking an exploratory approach and diving into their other offerings can yield an entirely new experience.

Let’s start with the cool and buttery whitefish carpaccio — in whichthinly sliced whitefish with citrusy yuzu soy and mitsuba leaf is placed in hot oil, cooking it ever so slightly. The result is a savory yet light appetizer that’s perfect to share.

Looking a light bite? The refreshing diver scallop ceviche is the perfect choice to whet your appetite, especially with the warmer weather. For the fish in this dish to be any fresher, they’d need to be swimming.

To add some theatrics to your dining experience, the flavorful ishi yaki bop dish is prepared tableside. Rice, king yellowtail and egg come together in a hot river stone bowl, which cooks the ingredients to perfection. The servers even give some background on the ingredients in the midst of preparation.

Finally, whatever your plans may be for the rest of the evening, the morimoto martini can serve as an excellent nightcap or as the opening round for a long night of fun. Prepared with junmai sake, grey goose vodka and japanese cucumber, it’s just enough buzz without being a buzzkill the morning after.

Morimoto is located at 723 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia.

For more on Morimoto, visit morimotorestaurant.com.

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