For a child, the thrill of Christmas morning is tearing open carefully wrapped gifts, throwing aside colorful paper, ribbons and bows and discovering the treasures within. Which brings me to sushi. Think about it. Each bite is presented like a hand-crafted holiday gift, wrapped in salmon skin or rice or thinly sliced cucumber, ribboned with julienned seaweed, accented with roe like shiny baubles, revealing treasures from the sea. An edible Christmas, if you prefer.
As previously reported (San Diego LGBT Weekly, issue 153), Azuki Sushi, 2321 Fifth Ave., is one of the top rated sushi restaurants, and with good reason. The entire experience is based on shinsen, using the freshest ingredients possible and balancing elements of land and sea. We arrived without reservations on a Friday evening (“Seriously? No reservation? The day after Thanksgiving?” said my exasperated friend), but Jacob seated us promptly. He said our timing was perfect because they were “sold out” for the night. Jacob and all the staff were extremely courteous and professional, and worked together like a well-practiced team. Water glasses were promptly refilled. Empty plates quickly whisked away.
The white-walled front dining room, accented with gray, black and red is intimate and sophisticated. Stainless steel accents complete the ambience. The sushi is prepared behind a gleaming glass display case. Our neighbors were friendly and everybody was interested in everybody else’s order. While the dining room can be a little loud, there is also seating available beneath a canopy on a quiet outdoor patio located up a flight of narrow stairs.
Appetizers included the grilled Hamachi (amberjack) Collar, and the Honeymoon Oyster. The grilled collar, which is the cut along the fish clavicle just behind the gills, is tender, meaty and moist. My only desire was for a crisper sear on the skin. The Honeymoon Oyster is a firm mollusk topped with smooth uni (sea urchin roe), quail egg, bright orange ikura (salmon roe), crunchy black tobiko (flying fish roe), and a citrusy ponzu splash. Luckily for me, the Honeymoon Oyster was one large satisfying taste I didn’t have to share.
We ordered a German Riesling and several specialty rolls to split. Every selection was skillfully prepared and artistically presented. The R U Kidding Me is filled with snow crab, diver scallops, tempura asparagus and aioli, then topped with seared tuna, white truffle oil, mixed greens, garlic ponzu and flash-fried leeks. The Bonsai roll contains shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, asparagus, white truffle oil, poki sauce (a blend of citrus juice and soy sauce), beneath crunchy lotus root and sweet potato chips. The Sunshine roll is a blend of black tiger prawn and tempura green onion, topped with salmon, avocado, citrus ponzu, lemon zest and a delicate citrus dressing. A Vertigo roll was next with snow crab, hamachi, shiso (a herb), avocado, gobo (burdock root) and aioli wrapped in cucumber and drizzled with garlic ponzu. Our final selection, the Stardust roll, is filled with albacore, masago (capelin roe), spicy aioli, gobo and avocado, and topped with seared hamachi, lemon slices, chives and garlic ponzu. Our bill for four, including mochi (a thin layer of pounded sticky rice) filled with green tea ice cream, and two small sake, came to $200.
Azuki Sushi uses locally grown organic greens, fresh seafood and sustainably farmed tuna. They are open for lunch and dinner, and available for catering and private parties, too. Their Happy Hour includes drink and appetizer specials from 5-6:30 p.m., Mon-Sat. Reservations are strongly recommended. Eat this, hungry readers. You’ll be glad you did.
