PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM 57 setup than the usual casual Japanese restaurant. I love it so much.” After training for three years with Michelin-starred sushi chef Mitsunori Kutsakabe while working at his namesake restaurant, Brandon eventually made his way to another eatery in San Francisco that dryaged some of its fish. “Dry-aging beef became so popular a while back and I would always question why no one was doing that to fish,” recalls Brandon. “I found it fascinating how food could be changed through science.” These days at Sushi Ai, a large standalone machine that uses UV light, salt blocks and a constant flow of circulating air is what Brandon uses to dry-age most of the fish the restaurant serves. But not everything gets this treatment. “If dry-aging doesn’t add anything to the fish, then I will serve it fresh and traditionally,” he says. “Shellfish, for example, doesn’t need it.” The process transforms the fish in some unexpected ways. “For example, if you dry-age saba (mackerel), it actually makes the flavor milder and butterier,” he explains. “The true umami of the fish comes through. It also makes the flesh more tender. And if you dry-age some types of fish with the skin on for two to three days, the skin gets very crispy. That’s a nice bonus.” Though his techniques might seem a bit avant-garde for sushi purists, Brandon insists his intention is to honor the history and craft of sushi. “We love to mix things up and use modern refrigeration and dry-aging methods,” he says. “But at the same time,
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