"Sometimes you gotta pay extra for a special experience. It's why you splurge for a cabin upgrade to get free booze on a flight, or book a private karaoke room to sing "Livin' on a Prayer" in peace. At Sushi Suite in the back of Izakaya Fishtown, the perk you're paying for isn’t on the menu. Instead, your upgrade comes in the form of pyrotechnics, complimentary sake shots with the chefs, and a hidden room with sparkly wallpaper and enough beads to make 100 mardi gras necklaces. If fun is your number one priority and you're willing to pay a premium for it, Sushi Suite checks the Big Night Out boxes—even if the fish cuts aren't always precise and the creative nigiri attempts don’t always land. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Let’s get the major thing out of the way: this meal will cost you $185 per person. And that’s before a drop of sake, wine, or Japanese whisky highballs hit your tongue. Naturally, that price includes all the daily changing sushi and tiny plates, of which there are 17. The chefs build each piece with the theatrical wind-up of a person hyping an arena before attempting a half-court shot. They either perfectly sink it—which happens around 70% of the time—or the ball nosedives and rolls about two feet. On one visit, a bowl of hirame with pickled plum flakes and shiso leaf made us wish we had a vending machine dedicated to acid-punched flounder with a clean finish. Another night, a slightly sweet and buttery kanpachi with yuzu pepper was as satisfying as finding lost keys. There's quite a bit of blow torch action, and the chefs like to mix it up with out-of-the-box pieces. Sometimes these creative attempts fall flat, like with a double-decker octopus piece that required more than a few chews to go down, or one with manila clams and an Italian-style white wine sauce that tasted like the alcohol wasn't fully cooked out. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Food aside, it's the tight space and inevitable social interactions that make Sushi Suite feel like a private party. To get to the eight-seat omakase, you'll have to walk through the dining room at Fishtown Izakaya, which is so lifeless that it should just turn into a large coat closet for the omakase. Once you're behind Sushi Suite's sliding doors, the chef will share fish facts over house music—possibly about the Hokkaido waters where golden eye snapper swim, why it's eaten on Japanese holidays, and its zodiac sign. People are here to celebrate. The guy next to you might say he Googled “Philly's best sushi” and snagged a reservation because Sushi Suite looked the most like a champagne room. And we're almost sure we saw a down-low hookup sneak in a special meal (because they won't be together for Valentine's Day). photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO When the meal is over, you'll remember the way you felt while you were eating more than anything you swallowed. So if you want straightforward sushi, save a few bucks and head elsewhere. Sushi Suite is for people who'd like to eat seafood that dressed up for New Year’s Eve or party with chefs who will drink to your new promotion. You're paying for torched salmon belly and a story to tell. Even if that story is about how, after three glasses of sake, you were convinced you went to sushi Coachella. Food Rundown The chef swaps around the 17-course menu every day, but here are a few examples of the courses you might see. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Scottish Salmon With Yuzu Miso Sauce, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Black Winter Truffle photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Otoro With Shichimi Salt photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Kanpachi With Yuzu Pepper And Fried Shiso photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Seared Miyazaki A5 Wagyu With Foie Gras And Truffle Salt photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Hokkaido Uni With Foie Gras And A Salmon Rillette With Salmon Roe photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Amkimo With Ponzu Sauce, Ponzu Jelly, And Scallion" - Candis R. McLean
