Fugakyu Alternative

[chicagotransplant]

Help! I am meeting a friend in Brookline tonight and need a place other than Fugakyu for tsasty sushi. Would like to see what else is out there. Appreciate any insight. Cheers.

[robertlf]

Shiki is one of the only authentic Japanese restaurants in that area. I think it's your best bet.

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Shiki
9 Babcock Street, Brookline, MA 02446

[jamieeats]

tsunami is right around the corner. its a tiny little hole in the wall place with some of the best sushi and sashimi i've ever had

http://www.brooklinejapanesecuisine.com/

[gramercyfoodie]

We think Mr. Sushi is the best alternative to Fugakyu...fish is very fresh, prices are nearly 1/2 and service is great and more friendly than Fugaku too.

[PAULSCOHEN]

hasn't anyone ever heard of Ouishi.in my humble opinion the best sushi and sashimi anywhere

[gramercyfoodie]

yes of course we have -- but when I think of fugaku alternative, I think of something in Coolidge Corner and walking distance...which oishi is not.

[rknrll]

Super Fusion!

[nightsky]

Tried Gari tonight. Space is small and a little cramped. Service good and sushi/sashimi mostly fresh. Some pieces were kind of splitting, which I thought meant they're a little old, but still edible. What shocked me though was on a big platter of chef's choice sashimi they had many slabs of escolar (aka white tuna or butterfish) and a martini glass full of what also turned out to be escolar, but cooked, and in some kind of marinade. Very tasty, but I'm amazed they would foist it on unsuspecting diners with no warning. Luckily we've had no adverse digestive effects but I know many other people aren't so lucky. I thought it was illegal (like it is in Japan) but I guess not.

I still prefer Fugakyu.

[SugarHound]

I haven't tried escolar. What should they have warned an unsuspecting diner about escolar?

[FoodFool]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escolar
Scroll down a bit to read about gastrointestinal effects.

[ScubaSteve]

from your link:

"However, the FDA backed away from this recommendation and withdrew the bulletin several years later after deciding the fish was nontoxic and nonlethal"

i understand that some may get upset tummies from this but that can happen from a lot of things served in our society. i do not want to see food allergy or side-effects sheets (it could get ridiculous) handed out with menus.

[ScubaSteve]

why would/should there be a warning with escolar?

[yummy2184]

hmmm...but escolar aka butterfish is not the butterfish that is aka black cod... learn something new on chowhound every day!

[BobB]

I don't know enough to recognize escolar, but I've had that chef's sushi/sashimi platter at Gari several times and had no issues with it, freshnesswise or intestinal. It's always been a quite large selection of very fresh fish, accompanied by the martini glass of marinated fish (I don't think it's cooked by heat, but rather by the marinade, like a ceviche). For $28 it's a steal! I like the (admittedly smallish) space, and the service is always prompt and friendly.

Also love the food at Shiki, but the service there can be spotty - by which I mean not so much inattentive servers as inordinately long waits at times for dishes to arrive.

[Taralli]

Shiki on Babcock: http://www.shikibrookline.com/
Gari on Harvard: http://www.garifusion.com/menu/index....

[galleygirl]

I second both of these; I really love Shiki, though....Very japanese....

[ameria]

i agree about shiki. it's going to be the most japanese of the choices in brookline (and pretty much the greater boston area). i think shiki's your best bet for an excellent japanese meal (sushi or otherwise).
if you like fugakyu, you might like gari. i'm not crazy about either. another choice nearby would be ginza (on beacon st). if you are not too far from chestnut hill, the original oishii is just off rt 9.