Mitsuwa Marketplace

Mitsuwa Marketplace

Trays and trays of Sea Urchin

Relevant Links:
Mitsuwa Website
Mitsuwa Marketplace - West San Jose - San Jose, CA (Yelp.com)

20150906:
So I grew up in Orange County and there was a Mitsuwa Marketplace not too far from where I lived. While I didn't go often, I would occasionally go there with friends to get a drink (soda, aloe, etc.) or snack from the market section, browse the stores, or order food from one of the various restaurants.

Mushrooms going for $50 a pound and $70 a pound.
Each of these trays is between $17 and $23.

In any case, today I was at the Mitsuwa located in San Jose and the sushi section captivated me. In particular, there were trays of uni (sea urchin) calling my name and I could hear their little voices saying, "Buy me! Buy me!"

At first I questioned whether or not the fish were kept cold and fresh enough to buy. But then my craving for the uni simply didn't care and I bought a tray.

Unfortunately, my original plan was to grab the tray, pay for it, and immediately eat it. Instead, I grabbed the tray, went to look for a drink to go with it, and then spent several minutes staring at the sake selection.*

Trays of Abalone.

In the end, the first few pieces tasted a bit watery (perhaps some of the ice had melted or there was condensation. In particular, I found the bottom/last two pieces tasted better than the first several pieces.

Of course, there were several key differences in the experience compared to my previous uni experiences. The first is that the pieces of uni seemed longer, perhaps more whole. The second key difference is that the uni didn't taste salty.

In fact, the tray was quite fishy and the pieces probably would have tasted better with some wasabi, soy sauce, or a drop of lemon juice. Actually, pickled ginger would have been the best. 6:20PM PT

The uni - just moments before I eat it.

*I did in fact end up choosing a bottle of sake. Unfortunately the eating area did not permit the drinking of alcohol.

[20151002]

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