The film features 85 year-old Jiro Ono who is considered to be one of the world's greatest sushi chefs. He is the owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant in Tokyo's Ginza metro subway station. A meal at Jiro's restaurant would cost 370 dollars in the USA, reports SeniorsAloud. Plus, reservations are difficult and expect a long wait. Remember, Sukiyabashi has only 10-seats.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi, directed by David Gelb received an enthusiastic write-up by The New Yorker's Silvia Killingsworth. She described a meal at Sukiyabashi Jiro consisting of twenty pieces of sushi served one at a time. The meal lasts about fifteen or twenty minutes. There are definitely no California rolls.
Killingsworth writes that Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a gorgeously shot documentary by director Gelb. Ono has been making sushi since 1939 when he left home at the age of nine. Japan has declared him a national treasure, but the 85 year-old says, “all I want to do is make better sushi.”
Jiro's older son, Yoshikazu, goes to great length to bicycle to the fish market and to bid for the best catch of the day. His father's rice is revered by foodies for being expertly cooked, fanned, vinegared, and maintained at the perfect temperature, writes Killingsworth. When the sushi is served it must be consumed right away; hence, the fleeting nature of the meal.
This 85 year-old sushi master deserves a wide audience in Jiro Dreams of Sushi.