Beyond Meatballs
With just eight seats around a pristine birch-wood counter, Michelin-starred Sushi Sho is a group omakase experience where guests enjoy twelve to fourteen courses in an immersive two-hour tour of Japan and Scandinavia's freshest fare.
While it was a once-in-a-lifetime meal for us, Ostermalm's premier sushiya performs this intimate ritual three times nightly with a skeleton crew of four.
We arrived early and waited outside in a gentle snow as the first sitting settled up, collected their coats, and bowed to the chef.
As we shuffled into the compact quarters, a regular was informed that his reservation was mis-booked. A gracious host tried to console the man, but found him inconsolable.
Standing silently aside, the chef listened with the intense focus of a professional athlete awaiting an official's ruling. The tension tightened as half of the guests stood outside in the cold waiting for the unwelcome party to vacate.
They finally did, and as we were seated, greeted, and refreshed, the kitchen came to life, its staff resurrected by our excitement and anticipation.