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Sushi-ii, a closer look
 Mari and Melissa at Sushi-ii! |
 Lindsey Muraoka on Sushi-ii! |
 Sushi-ii from Yelp! |
 John Heckathoran for Honolulu! |
Aloha!
5/5/11 - Yep - minus Gogi Korean Taco Truck last time, we're still checking out the never-ending slew of old and new Japanese restaurants around town, with today's feature spot, Sushi-ii, being open for less than six months now. Not that Chef Garrett Wong is anything of a newbie - he's a long-time veteran of such excellent Japanese restaurants as Tokkuri-tei, Yanagi's, Maguro-Ya, and Natsunoya Teahouse. And judging by his many fans accumulated over the years, several of which you'll probably see sitting at the sushi counter on any given night, it's apparent that this is one chef that's worth following!
His new dig is located in the Sam Sung Plaza on Keeaumoku St., deep inside the lot, almost to the end, and on the right as you drive in. Parking is free but you'll need to grab a ticket from the attendant near the entrance and validate it on your way out. The place is relatively smallish but not cramped, with a long sushi counter, several tables across the aisle, and a bright tone of orange throughout the room.
Regular's at Sushi-ii are the norm, and it gets pretty darn casual around here. Our first time over, on a busy night, chef kindly and apologetically asked if we could write down our own orders on a pad of paper! No worries, chef! Later, we found that the woman kindly serving us water was no waitress at all, but a regular seated at the sushi counter! They do have official waitresses here, but I guess not on every single night. Alas, who needs 'em anyway? Busboys, cooks, even customers - they all pitched-in to get the job done! In fact, after a while, I, myself began grabbing sake glasses from a nearby counter for a few old-time friends who happened to stop by.
Unfortunately, the free byob policy applicable since Sushi-ii opened and also upon our first visit was rudely awakened by a $5 corkage fee per person upon our return, a policy move that began on the very night we arrived again! Lucky us! No worries, though - when you drink as much as we do, you still come out ahead!
Before moving-on to the grinds, let me just say that I've finally decided -the camera has to go in! After so long knowing that my shots weren't as sharp as they should have been, and that my focus feature has been getting progressively worse, I've finally taken it to the experts. The only reason it hasn't been done yet, aside from the fact that I'm a notorious procrastinator, is the horrific thought of being without it for a good week or so, which is around the time it takes to get fixed. Hopefully, things will get better as a result, but it's gonna take a while to flush all the sub-par pics out, such as these:
And here's the thing about Sushi-ii - like so many other modern Japanese restaurants, especially of the sushi/izakaya brand, there's a huge dose of modern fusion going around! Prosciutto, mango, arugula, almonds, and vinaigrette? Not exactly the most Japanese of ingredients, I must say! Chef Garrett's better half actually takes care of non-sushi/sashimi items in the back, and she does a great job with salads like these, the one above a play on the popular prosciutto/melon ($12) of Italian fame. The smoky/savory, yet still-sweet prosciutto matched beautifully with the sweet mango; an ever-so-slight touch of acidity in the vinaigrette upped the ante like a splash of lemon over a good fish; chopped almonds provided a crunch of contrast; fancy veggies gave it a healthy, sophisticated, rounding balance of green - it all combined for a flawlessly-crafted dish I'd definitely order again.
Another salad presented upon our return, and one which carried no greens at all besides a few herbs, was a shrimp salad ($12), completely off the cuff:
Off the cuff, since it wasn't even on the menu, and crafted together as a special order that may or may not be available next time you arrive. It will, however, receive my vote for a regular menu item, its seared shrimp, herb/oil drizzle, orange slice, and goat cheese once again combining for a refreshing taste and classy presentation.
Once upon a time, Sushi-ii offered popovers as a complementary dish. Popovers? In a sushi house? Well, sprinkle this classic Steakhouse bread with a healthy coat of nori, and voila - Asian muffins ($1.50 each)!
My first experience with popovers was actually only a year or so ago, at BLT Steakhouse, where they were about triple the size of those given here. Both were airy-light, but these carried a slightly eggier, more custard-like taste, and a few slices of nori-infused butter was also given on the side. For such a light, delicate product, I was hoping for a soft butter, but it was as hard as a fresh stick right out of the refrigerator. Outside of that, they were delicious, and though it may seem like a stretch in a sushi house, it blended surprisingly and seemlessly well with the rest of our meal.
Another great dish was their soft-shelled crab:
Chotto takai at $10, but the piece was bigger and fuller than most versions I've seen before, and the deep-frying was beautifully done. The outside was super-crisp, while the innards were suprisingly safe and mellow despite being, well, full of guts! A sprinkle of lemon, a dip of ponzu, and we were set!
Their salmon ($10) is also spectacular, perhaps not so much in presentation as in taste:
Touched-up with a light pesto, this small slice of salmon was probably the softest fish I've ever had, perhaps aside from on over-cooked uhu! Chef says it's from the cooking process, almost like a confit, and slow-cooked in olive oil to retain its fat content. It was a bit light on seasoning, but the natural flavors of the salmon really shone through, and as is so often the case with Japanese-style fish, you can always add a touch of shoyu as well.
The only dish I really didn't care for was their mirugai korokke (croquettes; $8):
We actually asked for a mirugai sushi, but to our surprise, 3 deep-fried balls of very creamy, slightly briny poofs were presented before us. Not wanting to cause problems, and also because a mirugai nigiri would've costed a whopping $14, we figured this mistake could've possibly turned into a net positive. Wrong. I could have forgiven the fact that there were no apparent chunks of mirugai inside, so long as it had a decent mirugai flavor, but it didn't, and the inner layer of panko crisp around it was mushy and rather thick. Just didn't work for us, is all.
If you're wondering where the sushi is, no worries. You certainly won't be lacking for sushi when you come here. We went through more than a few orders of nigiri, some picture-chronicled and some not. Here's a platter we did capture:
I think it's safe to say, this particular chef knows his sushi. The scallop, squid, salmon, shima aji, aji (not shown), spicy ahi roll (not shown), and sawara were all fresh, portions were generous, and the rice was fully, shiny, and vinegared nicely. As always, I appreciate when the chef lets you know exactly what is coming in at peak seasons, what is arriving particularly fresh, and even what isn't particularly up to par on any given night, all of which chef Garrett was kind enough to divulge freely. Those guys that tell you "Everything is good, always!" just aren't telling you the truth or are too lazy to be bothered - there's several chefs around town like that, lemme tell ya!
I see sawara, or Spanish mackeral, becoming a bit more commonplace in sushi restaurants these days. Different from aji, or horse mackeral, in that it isn't nearly as oily-fishy-stinky, it is generally considered the best mackeral for sushi or sashimi since its flesh does carry a slight, mackeral-like taste, but juuust barely, and only enough to keep things exotic and interesting.
As good as their sushi is, I was struck by their non-sushi offerings as well. Aside from the items above, our courses continued with a crowd favorite, called a mom's minoage ($10):
At first, I was a bit confused, as mino can mean the first stomach of a cow, while age (ah-geh) can mean deep-fried in Japanese. What actually came was thinly-sliced potato shreds forming a set of 3 individual bird's nest's, all surrounding an inner core revealing a single shrimp tail each. I have no idea how the term mom's minoage came about, but if you're into deep-fried, you'll love this dish!
I was tempted to order a branzino ($22), a whole fish also known as European seabass or sea dace, but chef said the karei (flounder) was much better on that particular evening. Branzino is becoming more and more of an internationally recognized fish these days, since it does well in fish farms that are now thriving throughout Europe, Central Asia, and North Africa.
Trusting chef, however, we stuck with his recommendation (($18):
This was simply a spectacular dish. Every part of the flounder can be eaten when deep-fried like this - head, tail, fins, spinal chord - everthing! Sometimes, the head and spinal chord in particular can be a bit hard and a little too bony, but on this one, the entire fish was almost as easily consumed as a thick-cut potato chip! And the taste? As good as it gets! I also loved the fact that they scooped-out the meat, deep-fried the pieces separately, and placed them back onto the fish for not only a spectacular presentation, but for convenience' sake and also more crispy surface area to partake of.
Another dish I highly recommend is their lamb lollipops:
Smallish in size but not on taste, these tender, juicy, succulent, lollipop-looking pieces could hold their own against any fancy restaurant on the island! There were no fancy guava hoisin or li hing wine sauces of any kind, but were simply rubbed with salt and pepper in the good, old-fashioned, but tried-and-true way. Combine that with a good grilling and criss-crossed lines to prove it, as well as one of the least-gamey lambs anywhere, it was a simple but excellent and rustic taste sensation!
And finally, a great way to end your meal is with a bowl of miso soup, and not just any miso soup! This particular bowl will set you back $3.50, and it looks a bit different from most versions since it's tinged orange with kabocha pumpkin!
Sushi-ii is definitely ii (good). Just don't come here if you're particularly sensitive to a lack in service. Like I said, it's pretty casual around here, so while servers are friendly and do what they can, sometimes, it's too understaffed to provide all the cares of a normal restaurant. Instead, bring a giant bottle of sake and chill out with your loved ones - lose track of time and concentrate on having a good time instead, and you'll be fine! You may have to toot your own horn for service, but once given, it's all smooth sailing from there. In the end, you'll more than likely be happy and satisfied with the food here, as we surely were.
Next time - more sushi!!! And next time after that? More sushi again!!!
Take care, and Aloha Kakou!
Aku
Sushi-ii
655 Keeaumoku St., Suite 109
942-5350
Wednesday-Saturday 11am-2pm
Wednesday-Sunday 5pm-close
Validated parking inside Sam Sung Plaza
