物Story
It all starts with the ember.
Mori Yaki is an ocakbaşı. Binchotan coal at the centre, the sushi counter and bar around it. Japanese discipline at the same table as Istanbul's energy.
壱The Coal
Coal is the most honest ingredient.
Binchotan is a Japanese charcoal that burns almost without smoke. High heat, a clean flame. It seals fish and meat, keeps the inside juicy, leaves a thin trace of smoke outside. We don't push the fire; the fire cooks.
弐Open Kitchen
The kitchen is in the middle. Fire is not decor.
The grill sits at the centre of the room. You watch the skewers turn over coal, the smoke, the sizzle, from your table. Cooking isn't a show, but it is good to watch.
参Fire & Sea
Two kitchens, around one fire.
On one side robata: sea bass, prawns, tenderloin, miso eggplant. On the other the counter: the day's fish, modern rolls, sashimi. At one table, to share.
肆The Chef's Hand
By hand, with patience, one by one.
Every skewer is set by hand, every roll shaped one at a time. A kitchen in no hurry. What is good is worth the wait.
Fire · Ocakbaşı
It starts with fire.
Sealed over binchotan coal, smoky and deep.
Sea · Sushi
It settles in the sea.
Cool, raw, clean. The opposite pole of the grill.
The rest is at the table.