KAI SUSHI

Before turning to our discussion of the amazing sushi served at Kai Sushi, I first need to vent a little to set the scene.  God save the next person that uses the expression "authentic" in front of me, as in "authentic sushi" or "authentic Italian food."  By definition, an authentic dish cannot exist unless you are narrowing it down to a specific restaurant of very tiny geographic location.  If you say, "I want authentic BBQ like they make it at the Voodoo BBQ on Drusilla Lane in Baton Rouge," I'll let you slide.  But if you say "there is just no place to get authentic Southern BBQ in California," then I have to slap you.  Even if you traveled to the South, every restaurant in every region makes different BBQ, so which one is authentic?  Even within chain restaurants there are differences -- the Avila's Soup at the Santa Ana restaurant is completely different than what is served at their Lake Forest location.  Do you get "authentic" Italian food when you are in Italy?  By what definition?  The northern and southern cuisines are very different.  So help me kill this notion of authentic cuisine by slapping anyone you hear use the term.

I have repeatedly heard the refrain that the sushi sold in and around Tustin is not authentic, because in Japan you get real sushi, consisting only of fresh fish on a little rice, not the fancy concoctions served up here.  If that's your definition of authentic sushi, then you have it made because any sushi place can serve up fresh fish on a little rice (unless you are going to contend that it is physically impossible to have fresh fish in California, in which case I can't help you).  Don't give me authentic, give me the best recipe (i.e., concoction) you can come up with.

By that criteria, no one can compare to Kai Sushi.  Oh fear not; you can get delicious unadorned sushi and sashimi if that is your boring preference, but give me the killer rolls such as Hot Night, House Special and Rainbow.  Personally, I prefer to dine on all the rolls written on the board, and finish with a few more basic hand rolls.  Fortunately, Kai Sushi offers the option of all you can eat pricing if you tend to go through the entire menu like me.  I can leave Kai completely sated for around $30 instead of the $100 or more I pay at other establishments.  And the all you can eat option is also offered at lunch for a lower price.

Come on.  Get past your ego.  The sushi isn't any better because it is tiny and served with roe in a carved cucumber.  Let yourself be ruled by your taste buds and go to Kai Sushi at Irvine and Newport.  For its fresh, delectable sushi rolls, courteous servers and all-you-can-eat option, the Editors of Tustin Magazine rate Kai Sushi the Best Sushi In and Around Tustin.

Kai Sushi

13112 Newport Ave, #D

Tustin, CA 92780

(714) 573-1571

Call for hours

SUSHI WASABI

Sushi Wasabi receives a very strong honorable mention.  I'm back to the $100 tab when I go there, but it sure is good.

Sushi Wasabi

14460 Newport Ave

Tustin, CA 92780

(714) 505-3496

We DO NOT currently recommend:

WaSa Sushi, 13124 Jamboree Road, Irvine (714) 665-3338.

We plan to give WaSa Sushi another chance because it appears to have a loyal following and must have something to recommend it, but when we reviewed the restaurant, the results were abysmal.

During our visit we were promptly seated and served beverages, but we waited 20 minutes and only after much prompting did anyone appear to take our order.  We then waited another 25 minutes for the food.  We would have tried another round of sushi, but didn't have another hour to kill.  We did order another appetizer when the food finally arrived, but it was never served.  When we finished eating, we waited another 20 minutes for the check.  I placed a credit card in the folder, but after waiting another 10 minutes for someone to pick it up, and realizing that if they did I might be looking at another half hour before the charge slip was returned, I gave up and left cash.  In the interests of full disclosure, it should be noted that the restaurant was nearly full, but this amount of delay is inexcusable.

Turning to the food, we didn't get to sample much due to the slow service, but what we did receive was unimpressive.  We ordered some pretty standard fare (intending to get more adventurous in later rounds), but even these basics missed the mark.  The crunchy roll was blasé; a real disappointment compared to Kai Sushi, whose crunchy rolls inevitably draw gasps of pleasure from diners.  The rainbow roll was average, but a dish called the "treasure sampler" consisting of albacore tataki, ahi tuna and Atlantic salmon was different and tasty. 

We might be willing to write off the service as just a bad night, but since the food was also unimpressive, at least for now we cannot recommend WaSa Sushi.