Some GOOD things I noticed about Bogota

gato-bandido says on Jul 15, 2005, 10:15:

Do you remember what the name of that sushi place was?

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Mr. Hollywood says on Jul 15, 2005, 10:19:

Re. Sushi I'm glad you had a postitive experience with the sushi, rubiazo, but I have to say that's one of the things I miss most here. I didn't expect sushi at all, so I'm not complaining. But what they have here can't hold a candle to even an average sushi place on the West Coast or the good ones in NYC.

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caslug says on Jul 15, 2005, 11:32:

I think good sushi requires good fish that is fresh.. common sense of course.. So if a sushi chef in Bogota has a good eye for fresh fish and gets it from the "sea" to restaruant quickly. Then i can't see why not, that said, how fast can fresh fish be brought into BOGOTA? In West coast, a chef can have a fish from sea to plate in under 24 hrs (WITHOUT airfreight). They just go to the fish market at 5 or 6AM and grab the fish that was caught earlier that morning. Since Bogota is inland, if they take it by truck it take longer

I have been out to eat sushi in TOKYO with japanese clients who lived in US AND JAPAN. The sushi in TOKYO taste the same as the west coast. Even my clients tell me that taste is the same in japan or US, BUT the differences is in Japan there's(on average) a MORE diverse selection. But they like eating sushi in the US, because US prices are cheaper for the same quality versus TOKYO.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Jul 15, 2005, 11:46:

Freshness in the US In the US, by law, all sushi fish is required to be at least flash frozen (which is not to say this law isn't widely ignored). And despite proximity to the ocean, the fish your eating in, say, Los Angeles, or Tokyo, usually came from far away. With new freezing technologies the best fish was often frozen right on the boat, practically still flipping.

That old sushi standby maguro (yellowfin tuna) is mostly caught in the central and south Pacific, not anywhere near the sushi markets of N. America and Asia.

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Jul 15, 2005, 11:52:

I love sushi, where in Bogota can i find a nice sushi place

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Mr. Hollywood says on Jul 15, 2005, 11:57:

My suggestion My favorite sushi in Bogota is at Terriyaki on 13th near the Zona T. Many other people will recommend Hatsuhama on Parque 93 but I wasn't impressed and it's VERY expensive.

Wok, which is the catch-all Asian place with restaurants all over town, has decent but not great sushi.

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Rubiazo says on Jul 15, 2005, 12:42:

The sushi I had was at Wok, the one right next to Hatsuhama. And I've had sushi ALL OVER NYC and LA. I liked Wok better. On Realposts some US govt employee said she hated it there. But to me it was the best I ever had. And you could see a rainbow in the saba sashimi like you're supposed to, which is something I've never seen here.

For the record, I do think that LA has better sushi than NY by far. The sushi in NYC has this 'quick and dirty' vibe to it.

I was told that Hatsuhama wasn't any better and was definitely pricey as hell so we didn't go there.

Another great thing about Bogota, the municipal water quality is excellent! Almost forgot to mention that; that's a big deal for me! In Toronto you could get sick from swallowing the shower water!!

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Mr. Hollywood says on Jul 15, 2005, 13:26:

You got lucky then at Wok.

I've had a couple piece of tuna there that were so fishy I couldn't eat them.

That said, Wok has GREAT food in general. I really like their Thai curries and they make some really interesting salads. I just stick with only cooked fish there ever since the bad tuna incident.

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Gomezman5 says on Jul 15, 2005, 13:48:

Rubiazo...great points!!! For all my complaints in general about Colombia, I can honestly say that Bogota really is one of my favorite cities. (2nd only to Chicago) Hey guys a said second,. so give me a break. But in terms of climate, it is # ONE. I love the cool fresh air, especially in the morning, when you still have sun, and the scent of the red andean dirt from the mountains is fresh.

That said, I have to agree with all your posts and postive points. As to to Sushi, one of my favoite foods, Bogota may be lacking but I wil agree with Mr. Hollywood about Hatsuhana en Parque 93. The manager used to be a guy named Mr. Hono. He was quite a character. Actually, I found the sushi comperable to some of the better than average places in the US. Hollywood is also right about flash freezing the fish. Doing so not only preserves its texture, but it also locks in the flavor and freshness so when you eat the fish upon thawing, it does not taste mushy and fishy.

Hollywood is also right about the prices. In fact, it is one of the most expensive place I have ever eaten sushi even by American standards. You have to be one rich Colombian to eat there. When I was there last (2002 I believe) my portion of sushi alone---no lie--cost me about $95 US dollars. I am a big eater but that was an unreal price. Here in Chicago it only costs me about $50 today. Those prices do not include any drinks...Just fish.

There used to be a Sushi place near Andino in zona Rosa but I don't know if it still there.

One more thing. No place in Colombia or in the world has Ajiaco Santafereno like Bogota......and I would do anything for a bowel of that right now!! Las Acasias (all of them) make it well. And, if you want a good bowel and nice atmosphere, Casa Vieja is good too.

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Gomezman5 says on Jul 15, 2005, 14:10:

What???? Tinto, are you saying U will not eat sushi???? Come one!

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Tinto (Moderator) says on Jul 15, 2005, 14:11:

I was making a joke Look at the last line of your post.

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kernow62 says on Jul 15, 2005, 20:30:

Give up Tinto, it went right over his head. ;-)

I think I made that same joke on one of G5 posts, it isn't the first time he has enjoyed a bowel of ajiaco. ja ja.

Must be using his damn laptop again.

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Rubiazo says on Jul 15, 2005, 20:34:

I get my ajiaco fix here at La Hacienda on 37th av in Queens; It's good but the papas amarillas come from a jar so it's not 100% there. And of course some of the herbs are different too.

Gomez, Bogota reminds me of what i THINK Chicago is like in a lot of ways, but I've never been there. For a city of 7 million, it's still a very cool and laid back place.

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