Friday, June 4, 2010

Sushi Sake


SUSHI SAKE in the suburb of Richardson has been touted as "best of.." by the Dallas Guide (alongside such names as Nobu) for as long as I remember, and yet last night was the first time we made it to this sole-location family owned spot.

In this case Location does not determine popularity, as SUSHI SAKE is a stand alone restaurant hidden from highway 75 on Collins and Campbell but don’t let this fool you. Word of mouth has ensured that you will have a small wait on weekends here.

They don’t take reservations here unless you want the private Tatami rooms in the back for 6 or more people so the wait can be long on popular nights.

The rather plain exterior was reminiscent of restaurants in Japans suburbs ..Plain brown with simple hanging curtains above the doorway.
On entering the doors I was taken aback with how busy this place was and the simple elegance of the décor.

Modern yet traditional seems an oxymoron yet SUSHI SAKE managed to fuse those two styles perfectly from the large curved sushi bar flanked by bright coloured sake barrels and (to my amusement) porcelain lucky cats smiling moronically from above.
The rest of the tables were bench style with cushions on the seats. Designed to seat four or six, so be ready to share a table with another couple during busy times.
If you do opt for the back Tatami room rest easy in the knowledge that the floor has been "scooped out" allowing for easier seating for our less flexible western legs!

The lighting was candlelit and romantic and the waitresses all dressed in traditional Japanese dress (even though our waitress was Chinese)
Ambience alone scored this place brownie points in my head so I waited with baited breath hoping the food wouldn’t let it down.
It didn’t disappoint !

The menu was noticeably absent of most pimped out rolls you find at more Western geared joints and its focus was on more simple and traditional foods.
The Sake list was impressive and served in the wooden box (typically overfilled) style. We started with edamame ( $3.50) and gyoza (pork dumplings..$4.50) which I didn’t eat but apparently they were very good as our dinner mates promptly ordered another plate of the same dumplings

My Sashimi mix was fresh and fleshy and presented beautifully ($15). Hubby had the tempura and cold soba ($13.50) and whilst good couldn’t compare to the same dish eaten in Tokyo recently.
Our friends ordered a selection of sushi from the separate menu and all of it was fresh and delicious. This included the stunning rainbow rolls and a hand rolled (ice-cream cone looking) sushi roll.
To finish we shared a black sesame ice-cream (tasted rather like peanut butter)
We sat back fat and happy looking up at those Lucky Japanese cats realizing we were now smiling BIG just like them!

www.sushi-sake.com/

Sushi-Sake on Urbanspoon

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