We bond with our friends on the basis of many shared interests, but if food isn’t one of them, there’s bound to be irritation when it comes to mealtimes.
It’s known that the person with the most food aversions controls the group. So, say the majority wants sushi but that person can’t stand fish. Everyone is forced to tamp down their craving so that person can eat comfortably.
But now there’s a sushi bar that offers enough alternative hot foods to keep both sides happy.
Sushi Spot just opened in Waikiki at the corner of Kuhio and Liliuokalani ave nues with a full menu of nigiri, sashimi and surprising bevy of non-fish appetizers and entrées.
The new menu additions help to differentiate the restaurant from the original Sushi Spot in Aiea, which Jongwan Kim opened a decade ago after moving here from San Jose, California. The Kim family recently sold the business to set up the new shop in Waikiki, but both sets of owners retain the same name.
At the new Sushi Spot, Jongwan shares sushi counter duties with son Dawit, while siblings, in-laws and aunts fill other roles — meaning, this is one of the few restaurants I’ve seen in recent years that isn’t lacking helping hands.
Service is almost too good as food arrives quickly, filling the table before you have time to take a few bites and dispense with a few plates.
The menu is readable via QR code, but a supplemental sheet presents the newest appetizers such as agedashi tofu ($10), baked mussels ($12) and deep-fried chicken wings ($13). But the specialties are light, airy pineapple shrimp ($16) made from Dawit’s grandma’s recipe, and crisp jalapeños ($12) stuffed with spicy ahi and cream cheese.
So how spicy was the latter? I guess it depends on whether you have the pepper seeds in your mix because three of us came up with several very different experiences. Mine was mild. Another friend described his as mildly spicy, and a third, accustomed to fiery food, claimed extreme heat. Luck of the draw.
On the main appetizer menu, there is a house salad ($8) providing essential greens; edamame ($5), lightly seasoned with Hawaiian sea salt; and a range of tempura items, including oysters ($12), soft-shell crab ($16), shrimp ($6 for two pieces) and mixed vegetables ($9). The shrimp would be more accurately described as ebi fry because of the coating of panko that makes it so pleasantly light and crispy.
After appetizers, you could go the sushi route and/or depending on your mood, opt for hot entrées. These include tasty rice bowls topped with bulgogi ($21) or Korean spicy pork ($21). Both are winners for me.
There’s also a satisfying rice bowl topped with chicken and potato curry ($16).
If soup is on your mind, the restaurant offers a handful of udon bowls, including shrimp tempura ($18) and a spicy kimchi ($15) option.
All of the above are plenty filling, but if you have any appetite left, a la carte and combo sushi and sashimi platters await. A sushi deluxe combo ($36) recently featured a 12-piece chef’s choice selection of snapper, shrimp, ikura, ika, tamago, maguro, hamachi, unagi, crab, octopus, salmon and hokkigai.
A la carte items range from amaebi with their fried heads ($14) to scallops enveloped in lemon ($12 for two pieces of nigiri/$26 for five pieces of sashimi) to brighten their flavor.
Maybe it comes with the family’s California background, but the sushi rice is sweeter than usual, which generally fits the Hawaii palate inured to the taste of sugar. It may bother traditionalists, but enough soy sauce and wasabi can provide more balance.
Nineteen sushi rolls round out the menu so you can take your pick of favorite ingredients, whether in the form of Baked Dynamite ($22) with crab, avocado and cream cheese, or Black Spider ($22) with soft-shell crab.
One of the more unusual rolls is the Cherry Blossom ($22) with a center of shrimp tempura. It’s then topped with crab, spicy mayo and a sweet layer of pink shredded coconut.
If you’ve left any room for dessert, there are about four flavors of ice cream ($8 each) available daily, as well as mochi ice cream ($10) and banana tempura with vanilla ice cream, caramel drizzle and macadamia nuts ($14).
Sushi Spot
204 Liliuokalani Ave., Honolulu
(street parking only)
Food: ***½
Service: ****
Ambiance: ***½
Value: ***½
Call: 808-369-7242
Hours: 4-9:30 p.m. daily
Prices: About $100 for two without alcohol
Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).
