Former customers of Ninja Sushi at Ward Village are surprised to walk into the new Ginza Sushi that appeared in its place and see the familiar faces of Russell and Hannah Won.

The pair seem to live by the philosophy, "The customer is always right." After listening to area diners say that they wanted more ambience and more than a fast-food experience, they decided to leave the franchise world in favor of carving out their own niche.

Those looking for a quick takeout lunch or dinner can still get that, but those who prefer to linger can now cozy up against plush cushions on wooden benches instead of plastic chairs to enjoy a full menu of sushi to teishoku meals.

Thankfully, inexpensive sushi remains part of the formula for the new restaurant. A la carte nigiri is priced from $2.95 for two pieces of ika to $8 for two pieces of uni. In between there is hamachi for $4.50 and garlic ahi for $3.95, both for two pieces. For that price (or more) at other full-service restaurants, you’d get just one piece.

The menu continues to grow and evolve as the Wons listen to customers’ requests and recommendations, so go now to have your say. Otherwise, the menu will evolve to suit my taste. For starters, I requested they strip most of the sweetness out of the beef teriyaki sauce and some of the sushi sauces. I know many kamaaina live for sugar, but we get enough in our soft drinks and desserts — it doesn’t need to be excessive in entrees as well.

One of the newest additions is hamburger steak, which was the most popular item when the couple ran Liliha Inn at the corner of Liliha and Kuakini streets. The juicy, home-style burgers can be part of a $13.95, $15.95 or $17.95 combo meal or ordered as an $11.95 teishoku meal comprising two hamburger patties, an amuse (currently a small block of hiyayakko, or chilled tofu), and soybeans, miso soup, rice and a small salad.

Other teishoku entree choices include broiled salmon ($14.95), unagi with kabayaki sauce ($15.95), tempura ($12.95) with a crunchy shell that’s thicker than most, tonkatsu ($11.95) and beef ($12.95) or chicken ($10.95) teriyaki.

It might be worthwhile to go the a la carte route just so you can start with the spring mix salad ($5.95). I love the mix-and-match salad that can change with your daily whims via a series of add-on ingredients. My favorite is to have it with avocado ($1.75) and spicy ahi ($4). You might want meat one day, such as chicken teriyaki ($3) or Costco rotisserie chicken ($3), or tofu ($2.25) the next day. Then balance your diet with the omega-3s of ahi or salmon poke ($4) or sashimi ($7.95). No matter how you build your salad, it’s drizzled with a wonderful house ginger dressing incorporating onions, garlic, honey and some of Hannah’s secret ingredients. No MSG is added to dishes here, although small amounts may be found in condiments such as soy sauce.

The area that allows most play on the Wons’ part is the sushi rolls. You will find standard rainbow ($11.95) rolls of California maki topped with ahi, salmon, hamachi, shrimp, avocado and tobiko; and spider rolls ($11.95) of flash-fried soft-shell crab, cucumber, avocado, tobiko and spicy mayo. But they’ve also created their own kitchen sink wonders, such as the Bomb ($10.95), a crunchy, saucy marvel built with a center of crab, cucumber and tempura flakes, topped with a small dice of hamachi, tuna and salmon drizzled in spicy-garlic mayo and "tereel" sauce combining teriyaki and kabayaki sauces, with a dash of fire from habanero masago. It could be a new favorite if they serve it at room-temperature level. Rolls have been coming out slightly chilled, which defeats the purpose of warm tereel or dynamite sauces.

The Avenger ($9.50) seemed intriguing with what was described as "potato chips" over spicy tuna, avocado and "za-za" (sweet chili) vinaigrette. But the chips turned out to be shoestring potatoes that didn’t add much to the sushi roll.

Again, I’m not a big fan of sweet, so didn’t care much for the za-za sauce. I would have been better off ordering Beauty & Beast ($9.95), a roll of spicy tuna, cucumber, ebi, avocado, tereel and spicy-mayo sauce, though I’m not sure which of the elements represents beauty or beast. They’re all beautiful to me.

Build-your-own donburi or rice bowls follow the same concept as the mixed-green salad. Start with main ingredients of poke ($8.50), spicy ahi ($8.50), chicken teriyaki ($7.99) or beef teriyaki ($8.50), then toss in add-on options such as kim chee ($1.75), seaweed salad ($1.50), natto ($1.50), ikura ($3.50) and more. There is also udon or soba ($5.95) with add-ons of shrimp or vegetable tempura ($1.65 per piece), gyoza ($2), rotisserie chicken ($2) and more.

The new restaurant’s dessert of mochi ice cream has been offered free at the end of the meal, another reason to visit during this honeymoon phase.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.

BITE SIZE

Mahaloha Burger now offering its local flavors at Kailua branch

After building a career on Hawaii’s "ninth island" — Las Vegas — Jesse Aguinaldo has returned home to open his startup, Mahaloha Burger.

His first shop is in Royal Hawaiian Center, and he just opened a second branch in Kailua, where Windward diners can now enjoy juicy burgers made with grass-fed Parker Ranch beef, sold in single or double patties.

The flavors are local through and through, and if the basic burger isn’t enough, try the loco moco burger ($6.75 single, $7.75 double). I thought the egg could be bigger, but the gravy and burger itself are excellent.

Then consider a side of "Parmaroni" fries ($5.95), combining fries, pepperoni and a sprinkling of condiment-style Parmesan cheese.

Aguinaldo said he returned home for more work/life balance. "It started 50-50 but now it’s creeping up to 60-40," he said of the expansion. But he isn’t stopping. His next move will be west side, and he’s considering other sites before pursuing the Asian market.

The new Mahaloha Burger is at 143 Hekili St., Suite 150. Call 263-2777.

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