“You are welcome to help yourselves to any of the models — they’re ready now,” announced our host, Thom Pham.
So began a night of eating sushi off the thighs, chests and arms of naked models.
The Nyotaimori/Nantaimori — or naked sushi — fad started in Japan and spread to Berlin, London, Paris, New York, Chicago, L.A. It even was highlighted in an episode of “CSI: New York.” And on Saturday night, it made its Twin Cities debut at Temple, Pham’s Minneapolis restaurant.
About 200 of us — a sold-out crowd — paid $75 each for the experience. And it was an experience. Each of us was handed wood chopsticks and told the rules: No touching or talking to the models. No cameras. Turn off your cell phones.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I was surprised at how tasteful and tasty it was. Pham sure knows how to throw a party. Everybody I told about the event wanted details. Here’s what it was like:
The models. There were four models — two men and two women — lying on tables. Their bodies were entirely waxed, shiny and flawless, with flowers and petals providing modesty. They were manicured and pedicured — the women with dark purplish polish. They kept their eyes open but didn’t move or make eye contact with diners. Each model had a handler standing nearby to make sure guests behaved. A makeup artist was on hand, touching up lip gloss and applying lotion.
One of the guys had a crew cut and muscular thighs — he looked like G.I. Joe. Several models sported tattoos, including a woman with a small star on her inner thigh.
The event lasted three hours — a long time for a model to lie still — so there was a shift change midway through. Later, I saw one of the models (fully clothed) mingling with the crowd, and I was surprised by how short she was — she had looked much taller on the table.
The food. I felt nervous as I nabbed my first piece of salmon nigiri off the model’s chest — especially since he took a deep breath just as I picked it up. But soon it seemed normal, and I stopped worrying about dropping food and started to relax along with the rest of the crowd.
The sushi was delicious, and the chefs did a nice job of keeping up with the demanding crowd, replenishing the food on the models as quickly as it disappeared. The chefs even replaced the banana leaves the sushi rested on. There was also plenty of champagne and sake to sip. Waiters walked around with platters, handing out delicious hors d’oeuvres, including spicy tuna poke, shrimp bisque, seared Kobe beef on crostini with truffle oil and lotus root wrapped in bibb lettuce.
The scene. It was like being at a hipster’s house party, with a lot of mixing and mingling. The crowd was a combo of men and women, mostly 30- to 40-somethings. You could sit in the lounge or a booth, but most people worked the room as they ate off the models strategically placed to encourage a party atmosphere.
Recommended? Definitely — it’s fun, worth the money, and I’m glad I didn’t miss it. But once is enough. Truth be told, I like my yellowtail with a little soy sauce and wasabi but preferably without so much skin.
Nyotaimori/Nantaimori — or naked sushi — will continue for private parties of six or more ($150 per person). For more information, contact Temple restaurant, 1201 Harmon Place, Minneapolis; 612-767-3770.
