While Old Town Sushi is all the rage in San Mateo, I discovered Dash Japanese Tapas and Sushi last year. It surely didn’t disappoint. I recently went again and fell in love all over again. The shop is inconspicuously located in the alley of downtown San Mateo next to the movie theater. There’s not much of a wait but reservations are recommended for dinner.
We started with the baked baby scallop with uni. This dish was amazing! The creaminess from the uni was well balance with the scallop and roe.
Fresh sushi places for a decent price are hard to come by in the Bay Area with its rising cost of living. Kiku Sushi keeps their prices reasonable despite being in Berkeley. The upside to this is getting to enjoy fresh sushi without breaking the bank.
The negi toro roll was decadently fatty. After one bite, I wanted more and couldn’t stop until the plate was finished.
From the specials menu, I got the sardine and hiramasa. Hiramasa (yellow amberjack) is the pink fish pictured below. It was fresh and delicious. I was excited to try the sardine since it was served in two parts: two nigiri pieces and a deep fried body. The nigiri was salty, just like sardines, but flavorful. The fried body is dipped in a special ponzu sauce before consuming. It was crunchy and tasty.
The chirasi bowl was different from the norm since they only offered one slice of fish per variety. It had eel, sardine, hamachi, salmon, albacore, tuna, and tomago. The fish was fresh however, the eel was coated in a cinnamon sugar sauce, which was off-putting. Otherwise, I would recommend this.
YUMTRAVELS 