Tora Tora Sushi Boat at Dashi

A few days ago, I threw out the suggestion to my Spanish class to get sushi. I knew Sophie’s favorite dish is sushi. And if I could get her on the bandwagon, then convincing our classmate Juliet – her friend and housemate – would be a snap. I think I had over intellectualized the whole scenario of trying to get my classmates on board since I was a bit nervous about it, but it turned out that both women were itching to go out – and sushi was a good reason to do so. Our other classmate Chris needed no convincing whatsoever. “When and where,” he said, “I’m there.” So that was that.

Dashi

I decided on the restaurant Dashi in the fashionable Palermo Hollywood neighborhood. I did so for a couple of reasons. While I like to stray from travel guide suggestions and often attempt to find things on my own, the recommendation for Dashi in my guide was positive, calling it “gastronomically satisfying.” Its location in Palermo Hollywood signified a certain level of quality – high quality, that is. Reductive logic, I know, but it’s often worked out in my experiences. Located on the corner of Fitz Roy and Gorriti, Dashi is located 15 minutes away from my apartment in Palermo Soho, yet another bonus. The word “dashi” is a type of stock made from bonito flakes and seaweed that produces an umami taste (it literally translates to “deliciousness”) – a fifth-taste sense of sorts that keeps you wanting more. The name of the restaurant itself sounded promising.

Tora Tora Sushi Boat

We got to Dashi tonight at 8:30pm, at the beginning of dinner time for most Argentines. The restaurant is housed in an expansive space, with large wall-sized windows. Dimly lit, the interior has a minimalist and polished feel. There were two maître d’s tonight, a brusque woman who, when she saw our party, just wanted nothing to do with us (“bunch of gringos”). The male maître d, however, attended to us politely and sat us even without a reservation. We decided that a bottle of wine was in order – a Malbec, naturally. The menu is several pages long and has a selection of meals, including sushi and sashimi dishes and other cooked entrees. I really wanted sushi rolls and sashimi, but was rather disappointed by the options. While you’ll find pages of sushi rolls and sashimi listed in various combinations and presentations, you’ll also notice fairly quickly that one type of fish and key ingredient dominate: salmon and cream cheese. I had a craving for fresh red tuna sashimi and rolls, but realized that raw tuna is quite a luxury. Prices for tuna sashimi combinations were easily the most expensive on the menu. We decided to split the “Tora Tora” sushi boat – a massive combination plate (or boat) of 84 pieces of salmon sashimi and rolls, an unknown white fish sashimi, and a roll of cooked tuna. To add a little flavor variety, I ordered 8 pieces of salmon skin roll, for a grand total of 92 pieces. It was definitely a sushi, albeit salmon, extravaganza!

Dashi (interior)

In my eating career, I’ve had some fantastic sushi. I’ve had some delicious sushi in the strangest places – places you wouldn’t think would have good quality sushi (Sapporro Restaurant in Portland, ME, and Yotsuba in Ann Arbor, MI, quickly come to mind) – and so I was optimistic about Dashi. Buenos Aires is a port town, after all. It would be so easy to be a sushi snob in assessing Dashi, but I think doing so would just be too easy. What we got tonight was very good quality fish prepared the way Porteños like. Given the paucity and high cost of tuna, it’s not a surprise that salmon would dominate the menu. But of the 92 pieces we got today, salmon comprised about 80% of the sushi boat, and cream cheese could be found throughout. By the last few remaining pieces, my group had had enough of the salmon and cream cheese. Much like my feelings of overdosing on beef during my first few days here, I felt like I had OD’ed on salmon. For those expecting a sushi-flavor experience similar to what one would find in the United States, be prepared for some disappointment. I probably won’t be craving sushi again for probably the duration of my time in Buenos Aires, so I’m glad to have experienced Dashi, even with all its limitations.

For the Tora Tora sushi boat, wine, coffee, bottled mineral water, and two side dishes, our grand total was AR$540, or US$135 (about US$33 a person). Yet nothing beats having dinner with great conversation and company. Muy bueno!