As any fan of Japanese food will attest, much of the joy of the cuisine can be derived from its preparation. Whether it’s simply watching plates of sushi travelling from the kitchen on a conveyor or being sizzled by a chef working on a teppanyaki, Japan’s cuisine is always a visceral and emotional experience.
One of the ultimate expressions of this is witnessing a sushi chef's manual skills up close. At the recently established Sora Sushi Bar in Marina Village, this is very much encouraged, as it is furnished with a show-cooking bar that can comfortably seat twelve lucky diners.
Having a front-row seat is, without doubt, the best way to enjoy the flavours and art of sushi, and it had long been the desire of the owner, Madrid entrepreneur Julio Vicioso, to create an open-plan restaurant and team up with his friend, Chef Alper Oktay. After much persistence, his persuasion paid off, and Chef Oktay, resident chef at Nassau Beach Club for 8 years, relented. The result of this partnership is Sora Sushi Bar.
The Marina Village development is becoming a culinary magnet at the heart of Ibiza’s Marina Botafoc, and Sora Sushi Bar is surrounded by other restaurants. But, despite its size, it was easily the busiest of the night and almost every table on the alfresco terrace was reserved, which was a very promising sign. So, we took full advantage of the intimate bar.
All of the elements you would expect of an authentic Japanese restaurant were on display - the courtesy to the customer, the minimalist decoration and traditional dress and, of course, the immaculate knifework and loving respect for the produce.
Peruvian chef Shuver Serrano was our skilled artisan for the evening, and he was already roasting slices of foie gras with a blow torch as we settled in to watch. A casual enquiry about sushi rolls was sternly rebuked with ‘Aqui NO hay rolls’ (there are NO rolls here) from Chef Oktay – a welcome sign of the traditional values of Sora Sushi Bar.
Sora procures its fish, especially Mediterranean red tuna from Balfego, whose produce has been awarded the highest-grade certificate of traceability, excellence and sustainability from AENOR. So, it was with great anticipation that we waited for the performance to begin.
First up, finely sliced Usuzukuri of tuna, hamachi (amberjack) and salmon were arranged in petals surrounding a centrepiece of corvina in the traditional chrysanthemum shape before marinating in soy and oyster sauce and smoky sesame oil. Watching the translucent slivers of fish being prepared in front of us is a lesson in itself; chef Shuver kindly educated us in the different motions and resulting thickness of each version of the sashimi cut.
Chef Shuver was understandably proud to invite us to try his classic ceviche. The fresh corvina was perfection, but it was the heat from his punchy yellow Peruvian chillis, much of which had been absorbed into the slices of sweet potato, that really stole the show.
Next, we were enchanted by a pair of Sora’s signature tartare dishes:
The elegantly plated tuna belly ‘Toro’ was creamy with a very subtle hint of truffle and spring onion, plus the added joy of the pop of salty salmon eggs.
A bowl of precisely cubed tuna tartar with a fried egg and glass noodles topped with thin filaments of chilli, Japanese chilli powder, sesame, and a shiso leaf. This incredible dish grabs you by the back of the throat and doesn’t let go.
There is plenty of imagination on display when it comes to the traditional nigiri.
With rice cooked absolutely on point, our three nigiri perfectly demonstrated the extent to which the chefs are prepared to stretch themselves to achieve sophistication and originality.
Hamachi nigiri with enoki mushrooms, flame-seared salmon nigiri with Japanese mayo, chilli and lime zest and tuna nigiri drizzled with melted wagyu fat and topped with a spoonful of caviar!
Whereas our team was impressed by a dry Spanish Sauvignon Blanc from Javier Sanz in Rueda, we found a couple of bottles of ice-cold Sapporo beer to be the perfect accompaniment for the raw fish dishes.
One of the added benefits of curiously questioning the chef while sitting at the sushi bar is that occasional extra titbits might come your way. Case in point, our drooling over the tuna belly nigiri being seared by a chunk of Japanese wood coal garnered us a freebie taste. These incredible morsels packed tons of flavour into just one mouthful.
Densely packed pork gyozas, with a shaving of aged and smoked wagyu on each parcel, were another unexpected and filling surprise.
For dessert, we were delighted by a trio of the best mochis ever - chocolate, coconut and passion fruit, underlining the fact that Chef Oktay has sourced suppliers who can deliver the very best authentic Japanese produce.
It is hard to imagine a better way to round off this exciting meal than with a glass of Japanese blended whiskey. Honey-smooth Suntory Hibiki, in a tumbler full of ice, is an excellent digestive for the preceding raw fish dishes.
Many restaurants come and go in Ibiza, so it is a pleasure to see a recently opened project be such an immediate success. With all tables occupied, excellent cuisine and the type of brisk and charming service that is honed by being busy, the evening at Sora flew by.
If you would like to really immerse yourself in the captivating Sora experience, book yourself a front-row seat at the show-cooking bar to enjoy the process just as much as the exquisite food.
