Tamago, Japanese for “egg,” is essentially a Japanese omelet made by rolling together several layers of cooked egg. Traditionally, tamago is prepared with a combination of eggs, rice, vinegar, sugar, and sometimes soy sauce or sake. The chef then uses a makiyakinabe, or special rectangular omelet pan, to cook the egg, layer after layer, carefully folding it upon itself. Many sushi lovers gauge a chef’s skills by how well artfully they prepare their tamago.

At Nozawa Bar, Chef Fujita slices the rectangular block of tamago into slabs with a waltz-like motion. He then cuts a pocket along the length of each tamago slab into which he adds ume(pickled plum) wrapped in shiso leaf along with a little bit of rice.

The sweetness of the egg and the tartness of the ume create a wonderful flavor sensation that’s difficult to describe. Tamago is often served at the end of the meal, and many consider it as dessert.