Most expensive Tuna sashimi unveiled

Demi Hewamanna

Nihonbashi a name known to all Japanese cuisine lovers has done it again with its founder and owner Chef Dharshan Munidasa creating another exquisite dish that’s sure to be a grab soon.

Sashimi, which is the Japanese term for sliced raw fish, with Tuna being the most popular among the various types of fish, is a delicacy eaten immediately after preparation. Dipped in soya sauce and wasabi, Tuna Sashimi is one of the most sought after Japanese dishes world over. And Sri lanka is one country with Wild Tuna being caught and graded in the city it self.

Tuna in Sri Lankan waters is known to be the best, provided the fish is acquired, stored, and transported in the best conditions. The best catch from Sri Lanka is exported to Japan, then to Europe, and the rest goes to the Sri Lankan market. One large fish may cost as much as Rs.100,000 and more than 50 percent may be discarded as we use only the very best part of it, Dharshan added Throughout history, Sri Lanka was known as a land of gems being home to 40 out of 85 varieties available in the world. Among them, rubies are considered the king of gems and are a fitting accompaniment at this moment of celebration.

“Today as Nihonbashi, the team and I celebrate 15 years I present to you a dish that is true to Japanese Cooking Philosophy. Which is we use fresh ingredients found from the surrounding area”, Dharshan said. Dharshan presented a simple easy yet an exquisite Tuna Sashimi dish which is worth more than 5 million yen, US$66, 000 and over 5 million Sri Lankan rupees, making it the most expensive sashimi dish ever. The star rubies (weighing a total of 99.65 carats) are frozen in an ice plate carrying the Tuna Sashimi of a regal tuna.

“I have hungered and I have eaten my way to make Nihonbashi what it is”, Dharshan said when he was talking about the inception of the restaurant. Every year has been a learning, advancing, improving process. I never went to culinary school or a hotel school but deliver to you Nihonbashi from simply being hungry.

Nihonbashi has been a first for many things and one of the best that it has done so far is the digital i-Pad menus. Just nine days after the launch of the IPad , Nihonbashi added one step to the future of technology with the touch screen device as the menu making it zoom in and out to adjust to your eye preference.

Adding to this, Dharshan said that he hopes to get with one particular bank to bring out 12 more IPads to make everyone have access to their touch screen dinner menus. This new system has increased the customer’s likes as, while they wait for their food to be served some check mail, play games, check out movies and more. Special POS applications will be added to the speed up the efficiency level of the restaurant, menus and management. “We did eventually set a trend and a Singaporean news paper carried us in their article about the Ipad use and a restaurant in OZ has now stepped in the direction we have. I am certain this will keep happening and Sri Lanka can be proud that we started it this,” Dharshan stated.

With the peace reigning in the country Dharshan wants to show the world that Sri Lanka and Nihonbashi is a place where innovative ideas thrive and are not restricted to the Dubais and Singapores of the world. Dharshan who is half Japanese and half Sri Lankan has his own show “Culinary Journeys with Dharshan” that reveals his passion for food while taking one to a journey of gastronomical extravaganza every Monday at 8.00pm.