Sushi By Scratch Restaurants: Seattle
Sushi restaurant · Belltown ·
Intimate speakeasy omakase serving creative nigiri with unique toppings
Intimate speakeasy omakase serving creative nigiri with unique toppings
"This 10-seat omakase has locations in Austin, Miami, and Los Angeles, and their outpost in SLU has quickly become a raw fish staple in Seattle for a few reasons. Even though the dark setting feels like you’re underwater with glowing jellyfish above you, the atmosphere is fun and relaxed, and there’s ample opportunity to chat with the chefs and people sitting next to you. Throughout the night, you’ll receive 16 pieces cut from high-quality fish, with nigiri toppings that are inventive without being over the top, like brûléed pineapple on toro, Anaheim chili yuzu kosho on scallops, corn pudding and sourdough crumbs on hamachi, and roasted red beet mustard on saba. It’s the perfect place for anybody wanting to try an omakase for the first time, while also being impressive for somebody who eats at sushi counters twice a week." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley, gabe guarente
"After a bizarre run-in with the King County Health Department, this Seattle omakase outpost briefly closed: inspectors discovered in January that it had been operating without a permit, which chain co-owner Phillip Frankland Lee said was because "the first-time restaurant operator he was subleasing the space from had neglected to complete the permitting process and didn’t inform Lee." Lee attempted to stay open and pay a daily fine while he re-filed for a permit, but according to the Health Department he was told that that wasn’t allowed, and in March Lee closed. On April 3 inspectors cleared the restaurant to reopen following kitchen changes that included the installation of a new handwashing sink and the discontinuation of a vacuum sealer and dehydrator; an earlier claim by the Health Department that there was a lack of refrigeration has been retracted, according to the Seattle Times, but Lee says that that accusation has damaged his restaurant’s reputation, maybe fatally. Before the closure Lee says the place was routinely sold out, but since its return it’s been nearly empty and "If we don’t turn this thing around, we’re gonna close up shop next month," he says. The restaurant remains open for now and has launched a late-night cocktails-and-bites menu that runs 9:30 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays in its 14-seat bar (reported originally by Eater Seattle)." - Harry Cheadle
"Opened in 2022 in Belltown on Sixth Avenue as the Seattle outpost of a high-end omakase chain, the restaurant arrived to a lot of hype with moody lighting and a menu that included swanky, surprising ingredients like bone marrow; The Infatuation called eating there a “carnival ride of fun fish, fun conversation, and fun surroundings.” However, it turned out to be missing a health department permit that would allow it to serve sushi. According to screenshots reviewed by Eater Seattle, an entrepreneur named Jeff Park reached out on Instagram saying he had “a restaurant space in Seattle, WA that was built out to be a omakase style sushi bar” and, as co-owner Phillip Frankland Lee recounts, “Part of the consideration for this deal is that he had all applicable permits, etcetera, for an operating restaurant,” and “So we do a deal, we come out, we open a restaurant.” As the team subleased the space they assumed Park had a permit; Park appears to have assumed the same. Park emailed a PDF he said was the permit, but Lee says the document was just an approval to get a permit and that Park had apparently not taken the final steps necessary to acquire one. A King County Health Department spokesperson confirmed that “While a food service permit application had been filed with us for a boba tea café at this address, the permit application was abandoned by the applicant prior to completion.” The Health Department told the restaurant in late January that it would need to resubmit paperwork, a process that could take a month or more, and Lee said “We can’t close for two months,” adding “We’ll just go out of business.” Lee says he asked officials what would happen if he stayed open without a permit and that he was told he couldn’t; he says, “We made the hard decision to pay 250 bucks a day and stay open.” The department, however, said “We informed him that this was illegal and not allowed,” and added that “There is no ‘option’ for restaurant owners to pay this fee in order [to] continue to operate outside of the law,” further noting that “The fee is intended as a deterrent to operating illegally. Allowing a food facility to operate unpermitted while paying a daily fee does not address the serious food safety risk to the public.” According to the department, officials did not realize the restaurant was still open until February 19; they visited multiple times and issued public closure notices on March 5 and March 12, writing that not only did the business lack a permit, it had a “kitchen unsuitable for [the] menu” and an “excessive number of critical violations.” Inspectors also said additional sinks would be required and that “the inspector observed raw protein on counters (without refrigerated counters below, which is sometimes used at sushi restaurants) at room temperature. This indicated insufficient refrigeration storage.” Lee disputes the safety claims, saying he had seven fridges, two freezers, and multiple sinks and noting “I’ve got 12 other restaurants in 11 cities” and “We’re operating the same as we do everywhere else.” He maintains “We’ve never gotten anyone sick in three years,” and says he’s not looking for a battle with public health officials; he’ll be meeting with the Health Department and hopes to resolve the situation soon: “We’ll do whatever they want.”" - Harry Cheadle
"At most Seattle omakase counters, silence is as golden as the lightbulbs cranked up to sunshine-levels. Nodding overpowers speaking, you’ll enjoy that pristine Hokkaido scallop in the privacy of your own thoughts, and the tippity-tap of a chopstick is loud enough to make you twitch. Jump-cut to: Sushi By Scratch, where the speakeasy-style dining room glows indigo, sushi chefs spew profanity, you’ll make friends with the chatty Magnolia Moms next to you, and the nigiri is topped with funky spreads like corn pudding and sourdough breadcrumbs, red beet mustard and puffed quinoa, or paste made from shrimp brains and olive oil. If that sounds like an expensive gimmick, it is—but in a city that takes raw fish so seriously, it’s nice to escape that for a night of blowtorched debauchery. One where the otoro is just as buttery as the other guys, only loaded with caramelized pineapple and brown sugar." - aimee rizzo
"Sushi By Scratch is an omakase experience where the speakeasy-style dining room glows indigo, sushi chefs spew profanity, you’ll make friends with the chatty Magnolia Moms next to you, and nigiri is topped with funky spreads like corn pudding and sourdough breadcrumbs, red beet mustard and puffed quinoa, or paste made from shrimp brains and olive oil. If that sounds like an expensive gimmick, it is—but in such a serious sushi town, it’s nice to let go for a night of blowtorched debauchery. One where the otoro is just as buttery as the other guys, only loaded with caramelized pineapple and brown sugar." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
