An amalgamation of traditional Japanese nigiri and simple, yet modern temaki (hand rolls), Sushi Hachi is the newest sushi restaurant located in Barracks Row on 8th Street SE. The name Hachi comes from the Japanese word for the number 8, which conveniently doubles as a hint to the neighborhood they are located in. Sushi Hachi uses the freshest ingredients to create sushi as it was meant to be and features an 8 course omakase (chef's choice) meal for $65 that we tried during it's soft opening week. Closest Metro is Eastern Market.
Course 2: Today's Soup was a clear broth with snapper, fish cake, fresh mushrooms. The soup had very subtle and clean flavors, and was an elegant twist to the traditional miso soup.
Course 4: Smoked Sashimi - A piece of raw shrimp and kampachi were placed on a jar which had a piece of applewood inside that was burning to produce smoke to infuse the fish. While the smell of the wood was intense, it did not impart much flavor into the fish. Luckily, the shrimp itself was incredibly sweet and flavorful in its own right.
Course 5: Seasonal Vegetable Tempura - a piece of shishito pepper and a weird nest of shaved carrots, squash, and onions were presented in a basket with tempura dipping sauce. The nest was hard to eat and the batter inside was not fully cooked. I had to use my chopsticks to break it up in four or five bite size pieces. It just seemed like these were the scraps and we would have better like individual full vegetable pieces instead.
Course 6: Premium Nigiri - Five pieces of premium grade fish were presented to include chutoro, salmon, smoked eel, uni (sea urchin), and salmon eggs. Tamago (egg omelette) was also included. All of the pieces were incredibly fresh; I could taste the light brine of the sea. However, the eel was a bit too dry and the tamago was too eggy and not like the sweet egg custard that I'm used to from other Japanese restaurants.
Course 7: Cold Noodle Dish - classic soba noodles in a light sauce topped with nori was a nice little bite. After we happily slurped this up, our server was shocked to see we had finished this course. He stated by now, two thirds of the diners had waved their flags to quit as they were full. I cheekily explained to him that we were good eaters (as most food bloggers are, ha.)
Course 8: Dessert - tonight featured a traditional shaved ice dish topped with sweet red bean, diced mango, sliced strawberries, mochi (rice cake), and a little drizzle of sweetened condensed milk. I loved this dessert, as it was not heavy and a throwback to my childhood.
Overall, Sushi Hachi is a welcomed new addition to the neighborhood who's attempt to offer more elegant sushi and Japanese fine dining options did not go unnoticed. Though they still have a few kinks to work out with the timing (our meal took nearly 3 hours from start to finish) and communication between staff, I am sure they will get into their groove fairly soon. Another suggestion is to pull back on the "aggressive bussing" as I heard the table next to us say. The constant water pouring, clearing of soy sauce dishes, and insistent changing of the disposable chopsticks became annoying and excessive after the third course. Nevertheless, if you are looking for more upscale sushi, definitely check out Sushi Hachi on Barracks Row.
Total Rating: 4.18
Food: 4.5, Price: 3.5, Service: 4, Ambience: 3.5, Accessibility: 5
