Nusr-Et opened in Brickell last October and the consensus among critics was essentially one collective poop emoji (it didn’t do much better in NYC according to our Time Out brethren). The reason the steakhouse got so much attention in the first place was because it is helmed by meme sensation Salt Bae, an honestly charming Turkish chef who fumbled into internet super-fame thanks to his seductive ways of working with meat. Isn’t the 21st century just the weirdest thing?
But it’s been less than a year since Salt Bae came to town and most of Miami seems to be over it already. Such is the curse of the internet attention span.
However, we think we may have found a proper replacement chef for you to obsess over and there’s good news: he’s local, he’s inconceivably cool and his food is actually crazy delicious. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Shuji Hiyakawa, the chef and owner of one of our favorite new neighborhood spots in Miami, Wabi Sabi by Shuji.
Just look at him! Have you ever been this cool? Ever? Like, even in your most ambitious lucid dream, have you ever even approached the same galaxy as this cool?
Let’s, for a moment, ignore the fact that he has impeccable style, perfect hair, skin that glows like a lamp made out of gold and a pudgy little dog named Toast (who is also cooler than you, by the way). No, let’s talk about the food (an area where the poor Salt Bae just couldn’t deliver).
Wabi Sabi’s chirashi bowls are so damn delicious. The thoughtful, perfectly balanced bowls will fill you up without weighing you down. As the former executive sushi chef of the Hard Rock’s Kuro, Hiyakawa manages to deliver fine-dining taste in a comfortable and absolutely beautiful atmosphere.
He designed much of his quaint space in the Upper Eastside, which features an origami wall and a masterful minimalist decor. Also, did we mention Toast! What a name! Five stars in the dog-naming department!
So, if you simply must obsess over the online persona of a chef, make it Mr. Hiyakawa (Sushi Bae? The Fish Bish? Bobby Slay?). He, unlike so many flashy kitchen personalities, actually deserves it. Stop by Wabi Sabi soon and you’ll see what we’re talking about.
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