
Sushi Kai serves a tasting menu of 12-ish pieces of nigiri in a small room in the East Village. But they also offer a la carte rolls, nigiri, and sashimi for a takeout and delivery format. That means you get all of the quality of a high-end sushi omakase, but in your own home and for less money. I ordered three tightly-wrapped, taller-than-average rolls and a nub of Hokkaido uni to my comparatively-unimpressive apartment. They arrived in a compact delivery container, along with a warmed-up wipe and freshly-pickled ginger that had some serious kick.
Of the three maki varieties I tried (a smoky yaki tuna that had been seared just slightly, buttery medium fatty tuna with scallions, and arctic char), the arctic char stood out because of its bright, yuzu-layered flavor. Including the uni over rice, which was served in a tiny container that might typically be reserved for ketchup to dip fries into at a Nets game, everything came out to around $70. That price is certainly more expensive than a bill from my go-to neighborhood sushi takeout place, but the quality was about three times higher.