out and about: himitsu '25 the friends and family edition

Without fail, anytime friends, family, or coworkers come to san diego for a visit… the first thing they ask is for a reservation at himitsu.

Which is such a hardship for us. Not. It’s our favorite sushi haunt, with our favorite sushi chef, and I challenge you to find a better spot for the freshest fish and traditional japanese sushi. There isn’t anything like it. And as a sushi loving family, we’ve tried a bunch.

We had three such visits in the last two weeks - so here’s a little sneak peek at some of the favorite requests, shares, and bites.

shigoku oysters: tosazu gelee, yuzu tobiko, chives

Y’all know your girl loves an oyster. So whenever anyone wants one, she’s down. I love the gelee. It effectively creates it’s own mignonette, especially combined with the pop of citrus from the yuzu tobiko. Perfection.

The one thing I always forget to do is ask what kind of oysters they are. If both the oyster dishes on the menu are the same type (‘cause there are two preparations), and if they ever change. Next time.

shishito peppers: with sweet ponzu, bonito flakes

Love a shishito. In fact, I just made them on the grill last night at home.

I’m the designated heat tester around here before anyone in my family will even bite into one… so it’s always nice when I can share.

The sauce on this is perfect, and the bonito adds that extra umami.

tostadas: choice of hamachi, tuna, salmon, or albacore, served on corn tostada with cilantro aioli, avocado, radish, red jalapeno, serrano, lime zest, maldon salt

If you’re asking me what to order, that’s unique and specialized to himitsu… i’m recommending the tostadas. First of all you get to pick your fish - and you can pick two of your choice. The tostada is broken up into four chips - so you can get two of each fish, if you so choose.

But the cilantro aioli, the jalepeno, the baby cilantro, and radish… is such a quintesential nod to san diego and all our local flavors, that the combo is perfection. This bite never gets old.

Pro tip: if there are more than two people in your party, you can add on additional chips so that everyone can get bites of both fish.

Always, always get the chef’s choice. Be it rolls, sashimi, nigiri, or omakase. It’s so much fun to have a different off-menu roll created each time you are there. Always something new and different, and always packed with flavor and the freshest fish.

Your likes and dislikes are taken into account as well as any allergies.

In this case it was a base of shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, salmon belly, hamachi belly topped with salmon and tuna, jalepenos, serranos, japanese salsa, chili pepper threads, and fresh micro greens all atop spicy aioli.

Can we say yum?

Just another iteration of the chef’s choice roll. And this one was absolutely amazing. 2 bites each of 4 different preperations, all over a tempura zucchini middle.

There was crab, there was monk fish, there was spicy tuna, there was salmon. And all the accoutremants.

An absolutely brilliant presentation, and ridiculously tasty dish.

spice and spicy roll: spicy tuna, spicy yellowtail, avocado, spicy aioli, chopped serrano

One of the few specialized rolls on the menu, the spice and spicy roll has quickly become my favorite. Not sure why it hasn’t always been that way… but it’s there now. Dylan and jamie have always loved it, so it’s always been a staple of our family orders.

It’s the best of a classic spicy tuna or spicy yellowtail roll, by mashing them all up together.

matsu roll: spicy tuna, avocado, topped with salmon, serrano peppers, ponzu

Another family favorite… if all 6 of us are eating? We order five of them. Yes, you heard me. Five. There’s a reason it’s a favorite.

Perfect combo of spicy tuna, classic salmon with creamy avocado, the heat of serrano and the sweet of ponzu. Excellently composed bite.

nigiri: summer yellowtail, golden eye snapper, sea perch, japanese scallop, o toro, salmon belly

Himitsu has a not so “secret” menu, that changes daily based on chef’s recomendation, what’s new, seasonal, most exceptional of the day, etc. I always tend to let that menu guide my nigiri journey.

Currently the summer yellowtail has been on special, and if you get the chance, you should totally try it. It’s a little richer, fattier, and dare I say, creamier? Than the traditional yellowtail.

If a japanse scallop is on the board, I’m ordering it. No question. Seriously my favorite bite of nigiri.

Golden eye and sea perch are a close second, while o toro and salmon belly are always a classic choice.

If you didn’t know the motto at himitsu with nigiri is “no soy sauce.” And that’s because on many of the non “basic” fish, chef mitsu has put his own spin rooted in his childhood on each piece of nigiri. Think, yuzu, sea salt, seared tops, brushed ponzu, marinades, etc. It’s a moto for a reason.

A good one.