Classes were in session all summer at Pod Restaurant’s Sushi School. Stephen Starr’s Pan-Asian Restaurant in University City offered diners an exclusive evening with Executive Sushi Chef Lee where they learned the history and art behind making sushi. These intimate evenings are limited to 8 attendees and you can catch the last classes this week, Wednesday August 30th and Thursday August 31st.
Guests are welcomed into the future at Pod with an atmosphere designed with a modern design and ever-changing colors glowing against white walls and furniture. Pod’s Sushi School diners sit at the end of an elongated sushi bar which hosts a playful conveyor belt that rotates around the sushi bar with colorful plates of edamame, maki and sashimi.
The evening began with a short introduction from Chef Lee about the history of sushi and where to find the freshest ingredients to make our own sushi. As a starter course we each recieved a Bento Box style plate with a cup of Miso Soup with tofu, scallions, and wakame, 2 pieces of Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice with serrano chili, and a small House Salad with ginger dressing.
Chef Lee explained the importance of sushi rice and cooking it the exact consistency where it sticks, but it not overdone. We started out portioning our rice to make a basic Maguro, tuna roll. We learned how to handle the Nori, dried seasweed so that we could evenly roll our sushi. Next we learned the difference between Nigiri and Sashimi. We were each provided with a piece of Maguro, tuna; Ebi, shrimp; Hamachi, yellowtail; and Sake, salmon to make Nigiri. We carefully portioned the rice and molded it to each piece of fresh fish. Chef Lee sliced our tuna rolls and just like that our meal was complete!
There was also the option to order from the full menu of drinks and food served at the restaurant. Pod’s cuisine specializes in pan-Asian dim sum and sushi, but the menu includes a large variety of small plates, salads, rice, noodles, and entrees. As experienced Pod patrons we knew to save room for dessert, which for Sushi School included some of our favorite peanut butter and marshmallow-stuffed Fluffer Nutter Spring Rolls.
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