During a three-day trip to Serra da Arrábida, we decided to stop for lunch in Setúbal, experiencing the new Kodachi Setúbal. Since the first moment, we noticed a lot of sympathy and attention from all the staff, so we can rank the service as very qualified – we were welcomed by the manager (Mr Vítor Costa). After we sit at the table, we were gently and quickly served. They brought the appetizers for first: 8 tempura makis with cream cheese and sesame seeds, and 2 vegetable crepes, seasoned with sweet chili sauce, which I really liked, because of the variety of textures and flavours. A few minutes later, the waiter brought the main course: makis, nigiris and sashimi based on various types of fish (salmon, tuna and corvina) and on other food and condiments (nori seaweeds, passion fruit, lime, strawberry, raspberry, avocado, fried onion, chive, parsley, sesame seeds and sweet chili sauce). 

The sushi pieces I recommend the most are the gunkans (maki without nori seaweeds and with ingredients on top) with salmon, passion fruit and raspberry, the tempura nigiris with sweet chili, chive and sesame seeds, and the salmon and corvina sashimi, accompanied by the succulent Japanese turnip. What fascinastes me the most about this cuisine is the chefs’ creativity when they use and cook the ingredients in different ways, like the salmon in gunkans that wraps the rice, replacing nori seaweeds. Sometimes, the chef toasts subtly the salmon, contradicting the usual stereotype of raw fish. During the whole meal, we could enjoy the taste of ginger (without dyes) and wasabi (paste from Japan, whose green pigmentation is caused by the plant wasabia japonica, with a very strong and spicy flavour). I also found it curious that there was a lime – I mean, a lime peel, as the pulp had been removed – with alcohol on fire inside, which caused a beautiful visual effect. But be careful! Don’t try it! I dipped my chopstick in that liquid and I could verify it was really ethyl alcohol. After this pleasant meal, we were already satisfied, but we still decided to enjoy a dessert. Without delay, the waiter brought us two scoops of ice cream, coconut and mango flavoured, accompanied by strawberry, raspberry, mint and chopped cracker. The difference between this ice cream and the Western ice cream – that is, the one we can buy and taste everyday – is that the mango flavoured ball was wrapped in mochi (a Japanese dough made from rice, which can also be enjoyed in bonbons or cupcakes). If you don’t like mango and coconut, don’t worry: there are other flavours, like sesame seeds or green tea. It’s a delicious dessert, once it is refreshing, tasty and varied, and it isn’t nauseating, due to the lightness of flavours. To drink, you can choose from a wide variety, from water to sakes and sapporos (alcoholic beverages).