Jiro Ono is proprietor and master chef of a tiny, 10 seat sushi restaurant which just happens to have garnered 3 stars in Michelin's debut guide to Tokyo. This film explores Jiro's obsession with providing his customers with the closest approximation sushi can achieve to perfection. At turns moving and risible, this film at times feels like a missing segment to Juzo Itami's masterful TAMPOPO, absurdly extended. The filming of the sushi is so consistently gorgeous that I found myself becoming increasingly hungry as the film went on, but then I have always been a sucker for food movies; included on my all-time roster would be EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN, BIG NIGHT, and the aforementioned TAMPOPO, any of which are guaranteed to get me thinking fond thoughts of some of my favorite eateries. So, on leaving the Embarcadero Cinema, did I immediately seek out the nearest sushi joint to satisfy my craving? Did I, hell: I went straight to Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store. There's umami, and there's umami: the umami engendered by Mario's breaded eggplant focaccia sandwich, peperoncini, and a pint of Anchor Steam will stand up to any.
Review of Jiro Dreams of Sushi
