Lunch today was at Bonsai a sushi restaurant owned by a Korean who hires a real Japanese sushi chef. Located in Telegraph Avenue in the city of Oakland, Bonsai straddles Koreatown. The surrounding area is not the best for those more used to polished dining experiences. This means that the sidewalk has cracks; there can be drunks; and if one is not careful, one can get mugged at night. This should not detract those who enjoy good sushi however.

The order today was Autumn sashimi ($30) composed of yellowtail, tuna, mackerel, and salmon. Two orders each of yellowtail sushi, salmon sushi, California roll, and tuna roll. This whole shebang only cost $46. The service was great. The owner was the one serving because it was during lunch time.

The sushi chef is one of those traditionally trained in Japan. You can tell by the way in which he cuts the fish. It is as if he is envisioning how to do it before he actually does it. He focuses his chi and then performs the actual act. We had sat at the bar one time and we communicated with him. It was difficult because he does not speak English. But, we managed. He has family across the world and they are all sushi chefs.

I noticed that the quality of the fish in sushi is lower than the one in the sashimi. This time around, we did not have rice as I usually do. I wanted to experience the "only fish" taste.