Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Morimoto’s Sushi Master’ On Roku Channel, Where The Iron Chef Judges Other Chefs’ Sushi-Making Skills

Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto is the main attraction of Morimoto’s Sushi Master, of course, but, as host Lyrica Okano says, no one has done a cooking competition that has focused on sushi before. The other judges, besides Chef Morimoto, are food writer Kenji López-Alt and chef Dakota Weiss, whom Okano dubs “Our queen of poke.” The winner of the competition gets a somewhat paltry — though welcomed — monetary prize, but the real prize is the chance to work alongside Chef Morimoto.

MORIMOTO’S SUSHI MASTER: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Eight contestants walk into the kitchen set of Morimoto’s Sushi Master.

The Gist: Each episode will start with a shorter “Ikozue” challenge, and the winner of that gets an advantage in the longer “Kesshou” challenge. Both rounds will determine who gets elimitated. The chef who wins the six-episode competition gets $25,000 and a chance to work alongside Chef Morimoto at a major New York food show.

In the first episode, the Ikozue challenge is supposed to display the chefs’ basic sushi-making skills, from the precise knifework needed to cut the fish, to the creation of the vinegary sticky rice that accompanies it, to the use of wasabi paste that’s made from real wasabi root (most of the stuff we get here in the States is some combo of horseradish and mustard seed).

The winner of that challenge gets his or her first pick of seafood for the Kesshou challenge, in which the chefs are encouraged to break all the “sushi rules” and make a dish that reflects their skills and personalities.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? As cooking competitions go, Moshimoto’s Sushi Master is firmly in the Top Chef format, albeit all in one soundstage/kitchen.

Our Take: There’s nothing about Morimoto’s Sushi Master that’s new or revolutionary. It’s the tried-and-true cooking competition format: Two timed challenges, the chefs making commentary and quipping with each other as they cook, things going wrong, judges and host visiting the chefs to see their progress and have them describe what their dish is.

However, if you’re a fan of sushi and sashimi like we are, you’ll salivate at the sashimi-grade fish the chefs have to work with and cringe when one of them does serious damage to a piece of fish, as one of the competitors repeatedly did. It’s a strong group of chefs; one of them, Michael, was even given a Michelin star, and he’s got the cockiness and competitive drive to match that star.

It also helps that Morimoto is a joy to watch, especially when he encourages even the most nervous chefs during both the timed competition or the judging phase. Okano, Weiss and López-Alt have more than enough personality and knowledge to give informative and entertaining critiques. One of the things we heard repeatedly during the first episode is that almost everyone needed to use a little more seasoning, which seems repetitive, but it’s a good indication that the collective group was anxious to not make any egregious mistakes.

Sex and Skin: Besides food porn, there’s nothing.

Parting Shot: After the first chef is eliminated, the chefs are immediately launched into their second challenge, which involves fire.

Sleeper Star: Two chefs stood out, personality-wise: John, who is showy and emotional, and Venoy, who calls himself a “steak guy” but seems to know what he’s doing with all of that fish.

Most Pilot-y Line: The subtitles used when Morimoto speaks don’t always match what he’s saying. Yes, that’s common, but the man is speaking English, folks!

Our Call: STREAM IT. Morimoto’s Sushi Master is bolstered by the personality of Chef Morimoto and his fellow judges, the quality of the competition, and the appealing dishes that are being made.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.