Tag Archives: hamachi

Kiku Sushi

Posted in East Bay Area by

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.

(1316 Gilman St., Berkeley, CA 94706)

Kin Chan Sushi

Posted in Oahu by

Owned by a little Japanese man and whom I presume to be his wife, although she spoke Chinese to him, this little hole in the wall place will electrify any sushi lover’s taste bud. 

We called Kin Chan Sushi and made reservations for 8 pm but arrived late at 8:30 pm due to traffic. When we walked in, they were surprised to see us and tried to send us away because they were out of rice. We told them we had reservations, so they seated us but informed us the selections were limited. I was sad we didn’t get to try the omakase but after the meal, I was overly satisfied because this was one of the best sushi meals in my life. 

We started with the negitoro roll. Most places will give you low grade toro but this was a decadent piece of toro. You can taste the fattiness.

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The salmon was so fresh, buttery, and smooth that I ordered it twice.

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Chef Kinji took five minutes to build this aji, but it was worth it. My taste buds exploded from the freshness! Hands down the best aji EVER! I’m drooling over this as I type.

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The hamachi was fresh, smooth and flavorful, which is rare to find. It was also the best hamachi I’ve ever had.

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By the chef’s suggestion, we ordered the hirame. You can taste the natural sweetness of the fish.

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Limited on options we ordered the fresh maguro (tuna). 

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The Hokkaido uni’s sweetness did not disappoint.

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Beautiful shima aji (striped jack) to end the meal.

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The chef’s knife skills and sushi knowledge is shown when you taste each piece of fish. Do not be deterred by the chef’s lack of English because it makes the dining experience better when he tries to communicate with you. He was shocked to learn people from California had found his little restaurant and knew Japanese sushi terminology. Look out for this “must go” restaurant at the Waterfront Plaza. I will be back! I just hope he’ll still be running it.

(500 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96813)