Business & Tech
Bites Nearby: Domo Sushi
Japanese cuisine at an affordable price. Gyoza, miso soup and Santiago and Hot Kiss specialty rolls are reviewed.
You could stand on a corner and look around until a restaurant sign draws you in. But we've got a better idea. Each week, Santee Patch picks a great restaurant, either in town or nearby, that is worth checking out. Here's this week's choice:
Overview: Japanese cuisine at an affordable price. This fun and funky sushi house offer a lot of daily specials and deals which makes eating healthier even easier! Fresh, quality fish at reasonable prices makes this sushi house a neighborhood staple.
Decor: The walls are brightly colored splashed with several interesting Japanese sculptures and wall hangings. The restaurant has a casual, relaxed and happy atmosphere, with a bar at the front so patrons can watch the sushi chefs skillfully craft edible art. The dining room is moderately sized with room for approximately 40 seats, give or take.
Entrees and Sides: The menu is typical of most sushi restaurants with some signature dishes and rolls. The lunch special "bento box" includes salad, soup, rice and combinations of different meats such as chicken teriyaki, sushi or both. The lunch specials are well under $10 and many happy diners at tables around me had ordered the bento box.
I opted to try a miso soup, gyoza and a few of the signature rolls. The miso soup was very tasty, a large scoop of tofu and seaweed which I love, and the warm salty miso broth had a beautiful balance of flavor. The gyoza wasn't bad, not the best I've ever had but still nicely done, good texture but perhaps lacking some in flavor. I ordered two spicy rolls, the "Santeeigo" and "Hot Kiss." Both have spicy tuna with different fish inside, topped with hot sauce and plum sauce. Both rolls were absolutely delicious, filling, fresh and flavorful!
The menu prices listed the Specialty rolls around $12-$15 per roll (1 roll is enough to feed 1 person) however when the bill came the prices had been discounted! The lunch special that day was 40% off dine-in orders, which brought the cost way down. If this dine-in special is standard, this might be the most affordable quality sushi I have found yet!
Service: Friendly, efficient and the sushi chefs at the bar are always entertaining.
Signature Dish: Several large, signature rolls with a variety of different fish and flavors.
