Shanghai Restaurant Review: Hulu Sushi

By Cristina Ng, August 2, 2018

The Place

In Shanghai, sushi is readily available in all price ranges from the cheap and cheerful all-you-can-eat fare to the high quality (read: expensive) omakase experience. One of the best realizations of this form is the well-respected Sushi Oyama.

The newest entrant to the omakase game is Hulu Sushi, a six-seater in Columbia Circle run by a former employee of Chef Oyama. Chef Liu, who is married to Pirata’s Chef Huang Ling, spent seven years working at Sushi Oyama before striking out on his own.

In contrast to other restaurants of this caliber, prices here are set at a cool RMB680 per person.

The Food

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

At his new restaurant, Liu imports his fish straight from Nagasaki. Our meal opened with a pretty quartet of sashimi presented in artful rolls. Unadorned thick slices of lean tuna (maguro) and delicate sweet shrimp (amaebi) allow the distinctive flavors of the seafood to come through. The flounder’s gentle flavors mingle nicely with a dollop of ume jam and scallion while the lean red snapper provides the perfect foil to the luscious brininess of the sea urchin.

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

Next up, a small plate of lovely horse mackerel with its gorgeous silver skin scored and grilled to a paper-thin crisp encapsulates the full-flavored and pleasantly oily flesh within.

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

The nigirizushi courses kicked off with a pristine slice of yellowtail atop carefully prepared chewy rice, seasoned artfully with a deft splash of vinegar. You can feel the shape of each grain of rice as it touches your tongue, setting the tone for the nigiri to follow.

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

After a bite of such subtlety, the supple texture of a single glistening hotate (scallop) garnished with a custardy tongue of uni (sea urchin) and a bold hit of freshly grated wasabi set our heads spinning.

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

A piece of sweet shrimp nigiri had such a complex sweetness that we were sure it had been dressed or seasoned, but it turned out to be the original flavor. Other stand-out pieces included intensely savory anago eel and the piquant salt vinegar aged mackerel.

We can’t leave out the hand rolls filled with tuna, sea urchin and salmon roe. On their own each of these ingredients are excellent, but together make for a gluttonous amount of deliciousness.

A soft jiggly panna cotta topped with thick caramel completes the meal quietly yet purposefully.

Food Verdict: 2.5/3

The Vibe

Sitting in a sushi bar with only six seats instantly makes one feel privileged. The only downside to this intimate setting is that first round diners might feel a bit rushed to finish before the next seating.

The question on everyone’s mind is whether Hulu Sushi is as innovative and exciting as its clear inspiration, Sushi Oyama. Perhaps not yet, though the food and ambiance punch well above the reasonable price point, and Liu is a sushi chef to keep an eye on. We imagine it only gets better from here.