Sushi and Sake 101 at SushiSamba

It’s delicious and educational, all at once. SushiSamba is rolling out their sushi-making and sake-tasting class, where you get to roll your own sushi and eat it too. But that is just the beginning.

Haute Living got a front row seat.

The two-hour class is an in-depth lesson in the Japanese culture surrounding sushi and sake on the rooftop of SushiSamba’s Seventh Avenue location. The class is kept intimate with a cap of 25 students. The restaurant’s beverage director kicks off the class explaining the history and different kinds of sake. He starts you off with a glass of hot sake and then moves onto four types of cold sake. From Junmai to Ginjo, the complexities of sake are eye-opening to beginners and experienced sake lovers a like. And the sake they dole out in this class is superb.

Alongside your glasses come courses of SushiSamba classics. We started with edamame, then moved to a miso sea bass and Peruvian corn, and last was a platter of sushi.

The sushi chef then stepped in to explain the history of sushi and how to make it. In groups of four, we headed to the table set up in the middle of the room where the chef had us make and cut up our own rolls (not as easy as it looks!).