Mr. Moto has launched a new Brooklyn-based sushi delivery service.
Photo courtesy of The Parcels of Mr. Moto
The Mr. Moto universe, made up of restaurants The Office of Mr. Moto and The Residence of Mr. Moto, has been joined by a new delivery arm.
The Parcels of Mr. Moto is a chef-driven sushi delivery experience providing service in Brooklyn. Nigiri, maki rolls, chirashi don, and more are packaged into artfully designed boxes, and arrive with a hidden riddle that unlocks an exclusive discount to one of the brand’s physical locations.
The Parcels is Chef Tomotsugo “Tomo” Kubo’s latest effort to make traditional edomae sushi accessible for everyday New Yorkers and anyone who can’t always make it out for the experience.
AMNY caught up with Chef Tomo to hear about his journey from Tokyo to New York, what it takes to deliver omakase-quality sushi at scale, and how this city made it all possible.
The Mr. Moto universe is deeply rooted in storytelling and atmosphere. What role does New York City play in shaping your approach?
When UNESCO named Japanese cuisine as one of the four World Heritage cuisines in 2013, I was cooking in Tokyo at a very popular restaurant. I remember being so proud of cooking food that was considered a World Heritage and seeing all the international customers at our restaurant who were interested in learning more about the traditions and history of our food. One aspect of being a chef in Japan is that you often do it all—you’re cooking but you’re also interacting with customers. Even though I was so proud of the fact that all these customers I was talking to were really interested in getting to understand Japanese cuisine, I was also frustrated because I was not able to properly communicate the culture of our food due to my English. I decided then that I wanted to go to the U.S. to improve my English and also be a part of sharing Japanese cuisine with the rest of the world.
How does the city’s dining culture and New Yorkers influence what you’re creating with The Parcels?
New York was interesting to me because it felt very similar to Tokyo but different. It had all these different types of people and neighborhoods—each with a distinct individual vibe. There are silly people, serious people, funny people, creative people, kind people—all considered “New Yorkers”. This was important to me because my dream coming here was to not only cook Japanese food but to share a very authentic version of Japanese food—food that Japanese people would eat in Japan—to a very broad and diverse audience. I believe only in New York, you can do that because you can offer authentic Japanese cuisine and have a very diverse base of customers who are interested in buying it. And you can offer a very authentic version of Japanese food and still be considered an integral part of “New York” dining culture.
The Parcels of Mr. Moto aims to make traditional edomae sushi “more accessible” through delivery. What inspired you to bring this typically in-person experience into people’s homes?
My goal coming to New York and opening a restaurant was to introduce more people to authentic Japanese cuisine and culture. When we started The Office Mr. Moto, we knew we wanted to focus on edomae sushi, which is a traditional style of sushi originating from historic Tokyo that people in Tokyo now would regularly eat. This style features fish native to the Tokyo region and a lot of traditional Japanese curing techniques that were used back in the day when there were no refrigerators. The Office helped achieve the goal of sharing a part of edomae sushi with New Yorkers, but at the price point it wasn’t that accessible. So we wanted to create something more accessible with Residence of Mr. Moto, our more casual restaurant focused on the kaisendon and a la carte sushi. The Parcels of Mr. Moto is an extension of that goal of making this style of sushi more accessible as it now brings it directly to your home. A lot of our customers also tend to be new parents (my business partner just had his first child!) so we wanted to also create something that was accessible for people who may not always be able to dine out easily.
How do you maintain the precision and quality of omakase-style sushi in a delivery format? What were the biggest challenges in translating work from The Office and The Residence to The Parcels?
The biggest challenge is finding the right team of chefs. Making sushi takes years of training and learning. Keeping the precision and quality high when you are doing that type of delivery volume is challenging and requires a team that is disciplined, passionate and dedicated. I believe our team is the strongest it’s ever been but it wasn’t easy finding this team and it’s still a work in progress! The reason I wanted to be a chef is because growing up I always thought chefs were like the modern day samurai. To be successful, you have to be patient, be constantly working on your craft, and have deep humility. Finding a team that has these same values is very difficult but it’s what makes it all possible. Each day we are hoping to get better and better.
Can you walk us through how you select the seafood and seasonal ingredients for the rotating menu? What can customers expect currently?
Our menu focuses on fish that can often be found on traditional edomae omakase menus, including bluefin tuna (both akami and toro), sea bream (madai), golden eye snapper (kinmedai), Hokkaido scallops (hotate), gizzard shad (kohada), mackeral (saba). We rotate certain fish onto the menu depending on the seasons including bonito (fall), Spanish mackerel (spring), and gizzard shad (winter).
What would you recommend to someone ordering from The Parcels for the first time?
The Mr. Moto Sushi Set! It’s a wide variety of fish you are able to sample, including fan favorites like bluefin tuna and toro, but also more traditional pieces like sea bream, golden eye snapper, gizzard shad (depending on the season), etc.
The packaging includes a “hidden riddle” that unlocks discounts to your physical locations. How does this puzzle element tie into Mr. Moto’s larger story and world?
I think when people think of restaurants, they usually only think about the food and service. When we created The Office of Mr. Moto, we wanted to create a “new” experience that extended beyond just the guests’ time in the physical space. That’s when we arrived at the concept of a “speakeasy omakase,” which has probably now become its own category in itself in NYC. To bring that speakeasy experience alive, we had a door that can only be entered by solving a riddle that you received when you book your reservation. We also had a cipher at the end of your meal that you can solve for early access to our reservation books. We wanted to create a similar hidden concept and “new” experience for our delivery customers. To that end, each delivery comes with a hidden riddle letter that once solved, will reveal a prize!
What do you hope the at-home experience feels like compared to dining at The Office or The Residence?
We hope that people are able to feel like they are experiencing a little bit of Japan when they open up our sushi sets. We want the experience to be very Japanese as the fish is imported from Japan, it’s prepped by Japanese chefs using very Japanese techniques. Even the packaging uses Japanese wrapping practices.
Do you have any tips for enjoying the sushi at home?
If you order our Hokkaido Donburi, you can use the seaweed paper to make your own handrolls! We also recommend our ochazuke (sea bream broth), which is nice during the colder winter months!
The Parcels of Mr. Moto is available for delivery in Brooklyn from 5:30–9:10 PM, seven days a week. Place your order through on the website.
