Sushi by Scratch opened it’s Seattle location back in August or September of 2022. Their restaurant in California has a Michelin star, so I had high hopes for this 10 seat omakase experience. Reservations are via Tock and opens at the beginning of the month for the following month. I tried to get reservations like that, but it was sold out within a few minutes (at least for the weekend seatings.) I was on the waitlist and a spot opened up that I was able to snag.
The exterior is very discrete; my wife and I weren’t even sure we were at the right place until a gentleman in a suit opened the door and brought us in. Immediately you notice the dimly lit but colorful bar. We sat at the bar area while the other guests arrived. We were given a small cocktail while we waited; it was a bit too sour for my tastes but my wife enjoyed it.
Once everyone arrived, we entered the main dining room
It was nice to see the 16 course menu on the wall. The waiter asked us if we wanted any drink pairings (I think it was around $110 pp for either the sake or Japanese whiskey or cocktail pairing.) I just went with a glass of beer. Not going to upload all 16 courses but here’s a handful.
As you can see, dinner was about $220 a person including tax and tip. I think overall, the dinner was okay. I thought the albacore was pretty good. I want to say 1/3 to 1/2 of fish were seared and I wasn’t sure why. The wagyu, of all items wasn’t seared, but it was still pretty good. The highlight was probably the bone marrow piece. They then dripped extra bone marrow on the unagi piece, which made it more delicious. Overall though, I felt the pieces were a tad on the small side. I know the uni course was a very small amount of uni. We also didn’t fully enjoy some of the extra items they put on top of the fish. I remember one of the dishes had some Bali sea salt and I felt that made it a bit salty.
Would we go back? Probably not. While the restaurant decor was pretty modern, I wasn’t a huge fan of the blue light. I prefer natural light so I can see the fish better. Also $165 is on the high side for omakase in Seattle. We have a few more coming up that’s around $140. Most importantly though, I felt the sushi chefs were just employees of the restaurant; for me, I’d prefer going to a sushi chef/owner who has spent their life trying to make the best sushi.
With JP open, just go to Tokyo over a long weekend.