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Sushi Sasabune
Where do I begin? This place from the outside looks like a regular run-of-the-mill sushi joint.
I came in thinking I've been to ALL of the top-tiered NYC sushi palaces as well as in San Diego, San Fransisco and LA and I was ready to poo-poo this place. Oh how wrong I was. This place rules with an iron grip. Must be the freshest, most mouth-watering sushi I've ever eaten.
The chu-toro is the epitome of tuna. So oily, so fantastic, so sublime, that it was like a secret weapon smuggled into the restaurant and set to explode in our mouths.
Every piece that we ordered alacarte was mind-expanding! Changed the way I eat sushi now. Like many other reviewers mentioned, Sushi Chef is watching over his place like an eagle. My wife inadvertently turned to look at the sushi counter and he was STARING at her! Eerie to say the least. A little disturbing but it's his joint.
The funniest part of the whole experience is that the wait staff was carrying on like they were the Sushi Chef. Hey guys, wake up! You don't pick the freshest imported fish and prepare amazing menus of absolute deliciousness, you're waiting tables! Mind you I've waited tables myself and it's no fun but guess what, I didn't have an attitude of being a chef, they did! Slow your sushi roll fellas.
Listen to everything you're told and you won't feel like you're gonna get scolded. He does know his stuff and you should trust him but do the alacarte. I have done both the omakase and alacarte.
Not only do you retain some semblance of independence in this sushi mecca but you're picking from the list of sushi that he picks from. The other benefit is that you order only what you want to eat and not a single morsel more. If you do the omakase he gives you what he wants and you have to take it even if you're overstuffed. Sounds like Sushi Chef is morphing into a Japanese grandmother.
I've heard much about this man they call the Sushi Nazi; a legendary figure who has mastered the art that is sushi and demands his fish be eaten only one way--his way. "No sushi for you!"
So, my wife and I visited Sasabune and sat at the sushi bar. Next to us was a couple visiting from the mainland. They appeared to be having a good time until the woman attempted to cut her sushi in half with her chopsticks.
"Sushi is like a boat," the chef explained in a very profound, zen-like way. "If you cut it in half, it will sink!" Of course, it made no sense at all, but, heck, this is his house; he can say whatever he wants.
A short time later, the woman dipped her sushi, rice-side down, into the soy.
"Dip in soy fish-side down!" the chef said, sternly.
"Wouldn't that capsize the boat?" I thought.
At that point, she was pretty flustered and whispered to me "I'm afraid to eat. What should I do?"
After I gave her a crash course in eating sushi, I said "you're paying good money for this meal, so you should be able to eat it anyway you want. That being said...sushi is a privilege not a right, so I suggest you wait until he is looking the other way and eat your sushi quickly."
Bottom Line:
1) Excellent sushi...probably the best on the island,
2) Expensive...you can easily spend $75 per person,
3) Sushi bar is omakase only (the chef decides what you eat),
4) Sit at a table if you want to order off the menu,
5) What happens to the boat when you put the sushi in your mouth and chew it into tiny pieces?
Been here 8+ times.
BEST sushi in the world! I've had sushi in Japan, Korea, China, Germany, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong and many other places.
I'm usually picky on the types of sushi but I loved everything Ken-san prepared.
Dining at Sushi Sasabune was an experience I will NEVER forget. Each course in the omakase was carefully prepared with love, and I felt it in every grain of rice. The adorable pocket chef (who I am totally enamored with!) dished out an array of insanely fresh and delicious fish with simple instructions on how to eat each item. Trust him, just shut your brain off, close your eyes, and devote all your energy into savoring every morsel you put in your mouth.
Ooh flashback... I'm going to need a cold shower now.
Sasabune changed my life.
I was so excited to try Sasabune and especially the one in HI (closer to Japan = fresher?), because I had heard so much about the LA location. Since I was in HI with my bf for our anni, we thought Sasabune would be the perfect gift to each other!
We of course ordered omakase. A lot of reviews say they are sushi nazis, but we were seated RIGHT in front of the sushi chef and he was friendly and willing to answer any questions we had. I found his suggestions on how to eat the sushi very helpful and enlightening! He also explained where the fish came from and what to expect when eating it. It was the sushi lesson of a lifetime. I'm surprised to read that people are eating their sushi in two bites (amateur!) or using shoyu/wasabi - why try great quality sushi if you're just going to cover up the freshness with sauce? Because we were right in front, I didn't dare bust out my camera and take pics - although I so wanted to!!! Sorry, no food pics.
Here was my omakase list, in order:
1. We started with a plate of tuna/albacore sashimi in ponzu. No shoyu/wasabi. A palette cleanser. Tender and tasty, very refreshing.
2. Baby squid stuffed with sweet crab, covered in teri sauce. The baby squid was so tender. The sweet crab was mixed with mayo, but I wish there were a bit less mayo to taste the sweet crab more.
3. Blue fin toro from Spain. I don't know why the toro in Spain is so great, but this was the best toro I've ever had - buttery in texture and tasted like the ocean - better than what I've had in Japan.
4. Halibut and red snapper.
5. Hamachi.
6. Salmon from New Zealand and sweet scallop from Boston.
7. Baked oyster from Vancouver covered in mayo. Heavy, but I was very surprised at how similar the oyster's texture was like pork belly or pork fat - jelly-like then dissolves in my mouth. The taste was earthy and sweet.
8. Blue shrimp and Spanish mackerel. I wish I could have taken a picture of this! The shrimp was literally blue. It was a beautiful translucent blue. The texture was tender with a slight crunch, and the taste was like salty ocean water and sweet shrimp.
9. The golden eye red snapper and amberjack (kanpachi) - The red snapper was seared so the texture was interesting. The halibut texture was also interesting because it had a crunch to it - similar to an unripe melon. The kanpachi was the best dish of the night, until............
10. Negitoro. STFU. Literally, the moment I bit down, the fish dissolved, no, MELTED into this amazingly buttery ocean-fresh goodness all over my tongue. If butter were a fish, it would be negitoro. Life changing sushi. Do it. Best dish of the night.
11. Baked South African rock lobster tail. Covered in mayo. Very buttery and heavy. I was ready to tap out at this point, but..................
12. The final dish was dessert: anago (sea eel) from Japan on top of tamago, no rice. I have never tried anago and I love tamago so I had to power through it. I'm a trooper. And this dessert was sweet and rich and savory and melty...ugh, I wish I had more room to eat!
One note: omakase is really 13 dishes; after dish #12, you can have a crab hand roll (crab and mayo mix in hand roll) or "free choice," meaning the chef can choose something for you or you can choose whatever you'd like. You can even encore #1-11 if you'd like. I had to pass on this option however because I was stuffed. Don't make me feel bad, I was disappointed in myself. Also, you can tap out at any point in the meal. If you're full by #5, stop. No need to waste your money if you're not enjoying the food. People next to us had to tap out by #7 and watched us in awe/disgust sprinting to the tamago finish line.
The presentations were beautiful and the quality of each dish was visible. The rice was flavored with sweet vinegar and served warm, which I loved! The combination of warm rice and cool fish was amazing. I would highly recommend Sasabune to anyone on Oahu that appreciates and understands good sushi. If you're used to ordering cut rolls with names like Spider Roll or Rainbow Roll, this place is not for you. If you love wasabi and shoyu on your rolls, this place is not for you. In no way am I a sushi snob, but this place is for the true sushi lovers who are willing to pay the price. Our bill was $230 not including tip - omakase for two people, beer, and dessert. It was expensive, but entirely worth it. We are saving up to visit the LA location next!
Two words..."Trust Me." That's what the Chef at Sushi Sasabune asks his patrons to do when they walk through the doors of his tiny shop. And when a Japanese man with a knife tells you to listen to his instructions...you listen. Some call him the Sushi Nazi, I call him a Sushi GOD!
When you order the Chef's special (an assortment of cold and warm sushi served until the buttons pop off your pants) the servers at Sushi Sasabune tell you exactly how to eat your dish.
-"Dip in warm ponzu sauce."
-"No shoyu please."
-"Eat it in one bite or you will die a thousand deaths!"
Okay so maybe the server didn't say that last one but boy do they put on the pressure to eat his sushi the right way! I think that the Chef at Sushi Sasabune could tell me to stand on my head and I'd listen because the food is spank my bottom delicious!
My only complaint about this place is that most of their plates are sushi. As much as I love sushi...there is no way I can do a 13 course meal with all that rice. By the end of the meal I was hunched over in pain because I had consumed so much rice with the fish! I definitely would have been happier if there was either less sushi or less rice per fish.
OK aside from that...the sushi here was very fresh and it was the melt in your mouth type sushi. I'm not really sure how I feel about the whole sushi nazi thing (as this is what intimidated me into eating all the rice with each piece of fish where I normally would have just removed half the rice) where they tell you exactly how to eat each piece of sushi and you are not to eat it any other way. The crab stuffed squid, toro, uni, oyster, salmon were some of my favorites. I will definitely be coming here (although not too often because it is definitely $$$$$).
Oh my god...what is this place??? WHA? Why is their sushi this good? This place is INSANE!!!
Ok, so, am I the only the Japan-born Japanese writing a review for this amazing sushi restaurant? (sorry, didn't have time to read all your reviews)
Did you know that they have two sets of omakase menu? One for Japanese and the other for...um...non-Japanese. I am serious. Because when my friend (who is also Japanese) and I sat down for a omakase, our appetizers were different from the table next to us...we had a whole abalone (oh so yummy) and the other table was served some sort of tuna in some kind of ponzu sauce. Hmmm? I could be wrong but I don't think you are allowed to modify the omakase menu?
Anyway, you Hawaiians are so lucky as it is not easy to find sushi that good even in Tokyo. I am dead serious.
I just called them and made a reservation to two. Yes, I am going back to Honolulu soon!!! I can't wait! :)
my sushi world has been ROCKED.
yes yes ya'll.
this is a sushi only establishment. don't expect rolls - you'd just embarrass yourself.
i went in expecting a hole in the wall and got instead a fairly decent sized restaurant.
"sushi nazi"? i was expecting a grumpy old sushi chef but instead got two smiling chefs - one middle aged and another younger one behind the sushi counter. two's better than one, i say!
now, i can't say im disappointed that the place isn't a dump and the chef wasn't a grumpy old man. but i guess i was.
we did the omakase cause, hello, there are neon signs that said "trust me". :)
and, needless to say, the fish was fresh, the rice was warm (what a novel idea! more places should do this!), and either perfectly seasoned or instructed with which ones we can dip in soy sauce.
now, i was expecting this place to be uber expensive. and, it wasn't cheap, but when the most expensive nigiri are $10/order (one order has two pieces), that's not exactly a whole paycheck kind of meal either.
in fact, the sushi was so earth shatteringly fresh and well balanced that we came back two nights later to omakase it up again.
this time around, we added uni and mirugai to the lineup. the waiter and host remembered us and noticed our request and suggested that since we seemed to like shellfish, next time we should request the japanese omakase. it includes shellfish rather than the traditional nigiri, with slight variations.
Dang it - we were leaving tomorrow morning! Ah well, next trip here, you bet your bottom dollar we're making another stop here for the japanese omakase. :)
And, my God. the uni was so succulent and sweet and the nori seemed like it was just lightly toasted. perfection. the mirugai wasn't crunchy but still firm with a hint of lemon and a shiso leaf. my tastebuds were dancing in delight. in fact, i got another order just because i was in shock at the amazing flave.
My sushi world would never be the same.
Hurt my walet, but made love to my tongue. This place is amazing and I recommend it to any sushi lover.
Oh. My. God. I walked in a mere mortal and came out transformed.
This was my first Sasabune experience (okay, I've only had one other), where I, to paraphrase The Doors, broke on through to the other side. Don't be alarmed by the rules and instructions. When they tell you to use/not use soy sauce or wasabi, obey. When they tell you to eat it right away because it will be less than perfect if you wait 30 seconds, surrender. If they had told me to take my clothes off and do cartwheels, I would have gladly complied.
It's that good, I swear.
W O W!! Very fresh! The hamachi kama was removed from the bone with a light, slightly sweet (rice vinegar) sauce - sooo delish we ordered a 2nd. All the nigiri sushi (ordered off the menu - not chef's choice) was amazing!
We didn't do chef's choice because there were specific items we wanted to eat & had no idea what the bill would be. Already it was near $150 for 2 with only a small sake. No we didn't leave stuffed - not hungry but not stuffed.
Yes, eating instructions are given with each sushi order. No biggie for me because I notice most people use too much wasabi & soy sauce anyway.
Did it live up to its hype? HELL YEA!
We came in around 8:45 without any reservations which was almost equivalent to coming to a job interview 20 minutes late. The Host almost fell over when we said "walk in". However, he checked with the chef and a good 15 min we sat down.
As you read the other reviews they will go on and on about the sushi. I agree with all of the below. Sushi melting in the mouth-CHECK; nazi sushi rules-CHECK, best damn sushi I ever had in my life CHECK.
GO GO....but please make reservations.
After reading many good reviews on Sasabune on Yelp and other sites, we decided to try it out while on vacation in Hawaii last week. We parked in the back of this tiny restaurant which looks like a hole in the wall. It does not look like a formal place from the outside. I was pleasantly surprised that the door opens by itself when you enter(I was on crutches due to an ankle injury). Their slogan on the outside of the restaurant and inside is "Trust Me!" and that's exactly what we did for them. We sat down at the sushi bar, where you must have the omakase. Let me tell you, the experience here was outstanding!
Here are all 12 dishes in chronological order:
1. Albacore, 2pcs
2. Baby squid sliced and stuffed with sweet crab
3. Blue fin toro from Spain, 2 pcs
4. Halibut and red snapper
5. Hamachi, 2 pcs
6. Salmon from New Zealand and Sweet scallop from Boston
7. Baked oyster from Vancouver
8. Blue shrimp and Spanish mackerel
9. Snow crab and yellowtail
10. Signature dish: Blue fin toro (melts in your mouth!)
11. South African rock lobster
12. Unagi and Tamago dessert sushi
I would say 11 out of 12 of the dishes were 5 stars. The quality of the fish is amazing! You would think that only the toro dishes would melt in your mouth but the quality of the other fish is so good too that they almost melt in your mouth too! Can you say that about other sushi joints you've been too? Probably not. My favorites were 10 and 11. The toro was probably the best I've had. The way they prepared it literally melts in your mouth. And the baked lobster was YUM. Great way to finish a main course. Oh yeah, and they serve the rice warm with every piece of sushi! That was nice, because believe it or not, it brings out the flavor of the sushi much more!
These guys are serious about their sushi. With every dish they serve they will instruct you how to eat it, whether or not you can use shoyu or wasabi with it. If you do not comply, you will get yelled at like how I was. =P People in other reviews say it was too much $$. I disagree. I've had other omakase that was much more and was nowhere near as good as Sushi Sasabune! In my opinion, Sasabune was relatively "cheap" compared to other high end sushi restaurants such as Morimoto, Katana, Nobu, Roku, etc.
I've posted pics of Sasabune in my picture section. I'm still waiting for my friend to post all of his pics, he took pics of every dish(because he's an SLR camera fiend). Toshi told us that their original restaurant is in LA. I will definitely go back next time I am in Hawaii or LA!
Sushi Sasabune definitely lives up to its reputation. At first when you walk up, you might wonder if you're in the right place. Its in a sort of grungy looking shopping building, and while the place is clean and fairly classy, its a far cry from what you expect seeing a $$$$ price tag on Yelp.
Like a previous reviewer, I and my wife also showed up without reservations, and the host looked like we told him that the US and China had just obliterated each other in nuclear warfare. Nonetheless, a few minutes later we were seated and given a lecture on exactly how and when to eat our sushi. We ordered the chef's tasting menu, and each new dish came with new instructions. Was it totally anal retentive? Yes. Was it perfect? Yes.
I've had a lot of sushi in a lot of cities, and nothing else compares. The chef sent us dishes I would have never conceived of ordering on my own, and I was never disappointed.
The only other sushi that I've had which was comparable was part of a 5-course Asian-French fusion menu that cost around $250/person. So, despite the seemingly high price tag I consider Sushi Sasabune a value.
Go broke and get fat. And trust the chef. That's what sushi sasabune is all about.
Once you step past the motorized bamboo screen door that slides aside the way doors do on Star Trek, get seated and look up to an ominous glowing red sign that says "Trust me!" you know you're in for a treat.
Sit down. Order a drink. And let the dishes roll in. Fish from all over the world, Canada, Japan, South Africa, you name it, it's coming to your plate. Tuna, oysters, lobster, baked, raw, hand-rolled, and tartare'd. I all of the fish, including raw shrimp, snapper, and a few others that I'm usually not crazy about were at least good, while others like the baked oyster or the house specialty toro tartare, were remarkable.
The service is interesting, the waiters are very specific in terms of telling you how to consume each dish.
One of the waiters mentions to my girlfriend, "We noticed you weren't eating all your rice, so we made these with less rice."
She laughs, "That's nice of you to notice!"
And he responds, "We see EVERYTHING."
And to the couple behind us, "You'll want to eat those soon, if you let them sit there any longer, they're going to get soggy."
Yup, they're pretty serious about their food. And it shows. For our last dish, our waiter asked us if we had any requests. We made it uni. "The uni we serve is the best, anywhere. It's from Santa Barbara."
And it didn't disappoint. I've come to realize that there is bad uni that tastes like ocean, and good uni that has a texture and taste unlike raw foods from the sea. This uni was so delicate, it starts out with a texture of soft tofu and quickly melts away in your mouth like ice cream. And the taste is something like a soft, aged cheese. It's brilliant.
And then there's the bill. Ouch. After Craftsteak, Morimoto's, BLT Steak, and just before Blue Ginger, this was the fourth most expensive dinner for two I've ever eaten. And though I'd reserve eating at a place like Sushi Sasabune for an extra-special occasion, it's definitely worth it.
Hands down the best Sushi I have ever come across. No spicy tuna, no dragon roll monstrosities just the best damn fish from the whole planet served unpretentiously and deliciously. Don't even think about how much something this good should really cost.
Ive heard the hype, read the reviews so I had to go......
I would say this is definitely a sushi lovers extravaganza. One must do the omakase. Otherwise I dont see any way alse to go. The selection of fish and preparations are dazzling and super fresh. Dont expect all Hawaiian-based fishes as Sasabune brings in fish from all over.
I think the "sushi nazi" moniker is a bit overdone. The fish is amazing in its own right and Chef's choice of sauces are complimentary to fish and not to overpower the delicacy. If you are one to over-soy or over wasabi your fish, you shouldn't be going to enjoy this level of sushi eating in the first place.
I would probably give this 5 stars except for one thing... Im not a fan of the Chef's rice preparation. It is his style to serve the rice on the warm side. This is a nit picky comment on my part but it is my preference. Also the Chef does a few "appetizer" type of presentations such as the Lobster Tail stuff with crab. The dish is to die for but in the end my expectation was to be a pure sushi experience. Again a nit picky preference on my part.
One of the good things that is part of the service is that you can substitute out any of the courses (if you know what is coming!) without any hassle.
The service is attentive and the environs are casual. I would definitely go again.
Is it just me or is the "trust me" slogan a bit cheesy for a phenomenal sushi bar? Sounds like a wannabe tagline. Maybe not even Japanese owned? It could potentially be a turn-off for a true sushi connoisseur.
Before I get into my review, I want to address a concern of mine. The phrase "melts in your mouth". People throw that phrase around loosely. I'm sorry but sushi from Sushi Boy does not "melt in your mouth". Sushi from Todai does not "melt in your mouth". Sushi from supermarkets does not "melt in your mouth". Even sushi from 99.9% of all US sushi bars does not "melt in your mouth". Unless your saliva is hydrochloric acid, sushi from those places does not "melt in your mouth".
So how do you define "melts in your mouth"? If the sashimi dissolves when you press your tongue up against the roof of your mouth, that is "melts in your mouth". When you chew, it is 100% effortless and all you hear are your molars high 5ing each other, that is "melts in your mouth". You get the idea? Now onto Sasabune...
When you sit at the sushi bar, it is completely omakase. It's basically a fixed menu. Some raw, some cooked. Some sushi, some not. You'll get whatever is fresh that day. You have the option of 1 or 2 pieces. I suggest 1 so there's room in your stomach to try more flavors. The chef informs you of the region, type of seafood and how to eat it. Please listen to them! Don't be that ignorant person. Honestly, everything is amazing. Perfect ratio of fish and rice. The tuna, yellowtail, albacore, salmon and toro will all "melt in your mouth". Please...don't expect everything to "melt in your mouth". Squid will not "melt in your mouth". Duh! I can't even describe how good the uni is. So so sweet and buttery! You can encore any of your favorites at the end of the meal.
The chefs are Japanese and extremely friendly. If you sit at the bar and plan to order beer/sake, expect to spend about $150 per person.
Sasabune in Honolulu is the best sushi I've had to date.
Probably the best sushi on the Island. They're a little heavy-handed with the saucing- the Binnagamaguro (Alabacore) and Honmaguro (Bluefin Tuna) with Ponzu comes to mind... And the rice is a little too warm but by no means was I disappointed. If you're familiar with the Sasbunes in LA and NY, you'll know that eating here means you'll be having Omakase and that they're pretty stringent on how they expect you to eat (soy sauce, no soy sauce, eat it in one bite etc).
My favorites of the night were the baked oyster, the baked lobster tail (one of the best I've tasted as far as freshness, taste, and preparation), the Shima Aji (Yellowjack), Sawara (Spanish Mackerel), Blue Shrimp from New Caledonia, and the Negi-Toro Maki (chopped Toro with green onion).
The service was fair and the general experience was pleasant- our sushi chef was neither too intrusive nor unfriendly. The menu for Omakase seemed never-ending... I couldn't finish everything and if you know me that rarely happens, especially when it comes to sushi.
My only recommendation for sushi if you're in Oahu.
Hands down, the BEST Sushi in Hawaii. Possibly the best sushi outside of Japan... and certainly one of the best meals and culinary experiences of my life.
The Sushi Masters at Sasabune have created the perfect course of sashimi and sushi, combining the freshest, most exquisite cuts of fish and the finest sushi rice imaginable. Fresh seafood flown in from around the world, an outstanding selection of Premium Sake, and world-class service exhibited by both the wait staff, and Sushi Chefs have made this place a destination not to be missed. When they say "Trust Me"...Do it; and you will leave feeling satisfied that you've been spoiled by the best.
Pricey, but worth it. Go with "Omakase" (or Chef's Choice) style, and you won't be disappointed. 5 Stars is not enough, I wish I could rate this incredible establishment much, much higher.
Our Omakase Menu included:
1. Albacore
2. Baby squid sliced and stuffed with sweet crab
3. Blue fin toro from Spain
4. Halibut and Clam
5. Hamachi
6. Salmon from New Zealand and Sweet scallop from Boston
7. Baked Oyster from Vancouver
8. Blue shrimp and Spanish mackerel
9. White tuna belly and yellowtail
10. Blue fin O-Toro (simply melts in the mouth)
11. South African rock lobster
12. Unagi (eel) and Tamago (egg)
13. Uni (sea urchin roe) and salmon eggs
14. Crab with crab roe sauce, and red snapper belly with plum sauce and shiso leaf.
This place is incredible.
I went with my brother for dinner and both of us were pretty blown away. We had gone to the Sasabune in Santa Monica when it was still open in 2005 and remember it being pretty awesome then. After eating at a gazillion other Japanese and sushi restaurants since then, this place was even better than I remembered. We had about 13 or so dishes of the omakase, and EVERY single one of them was an experience. The toro literally just dissolved in your mouth and even the King Salmon roe, which I'm not a big fan of, was delicious. The blue crab roll, as always, was excellent as well. I really can't say much more that has already been said by the other reviewers, but I can't stress enough that you haven't really eaten sushi until you've had Sushi Sasabune. Go today!
Three words: Best sushi ever.
I've eaten a lot of sushi in my day. Good sushi (Tomoe in NY, Hime in SF, Kuromon market in Osaka). Bad sushi (too many to count). Expensive sushi (Jewel Bako and Nobu in NY). Cheap sushi (Sushi House in Alameda, Tokyo Express in SF). Bastardized sushi (i.e. rolls).
And in my 29 years of existence (and 26 years of eating sushi), never have I had better sushi than I had at Sasabune.
You don't go for the decor (drab, commercial). You don't go for the service (they are mean and tyrannical). You go for the truly amazing pieces of sushi that melt in your mouth and have your tastebuds screaming "YES, YES, OH YES!"
Yup, it's THAT good.
I was fortunate enough to sit at the bar and experience RAW sushi. I would say Sasabune has the best sushi in the island and would highly recommend it for those who appreciates good quality seafood.
Let me start with the service. As soon as I stepped in, I felt the delightful ambiance knowing that I'm in for a surprise. Once we sat down, our waiter offered us warm towels, our cups were always filled, and the chefs were great at presenting the food (explaining where the fish is from and how you should eat it).
We started off with Salmon and Tuna sashimi soaked in some kind of sauce. Then the list went on and on. The squid stuffed with blue crab was awesome and the blue fin tuna was perfect. Everything that I had was great and they have a great selection of Sake.
Pricey but worth every penny. Be prepared to spend some $$$
The hyped omakase was pretty good.
After so many years of hearing about the "sushi nazi", I was looking forward to the dinner I had planned. After eating there, I realized nothing too fascist about the man behind the sushi bar. I suspect that the traditional omakase-style is probably very alien to people in laid-back Hawaii: I've seen worse. He started to serve up the nigiri, and I was excited.
We had an array of different sushi, and it seemed that all of us at the sushi bar were on the same rotation: I found that a little peculiar. Perhaps there actually is a "fixed" preparation/menu after all? However, he serves up great sushi none the less. My personal favorites were the Lobster Tail Squid stuffed with Blue Crab. The Lobster Tail was another hit, and I love my lobster. Baja Californian Toro was my absolute favorites: one of the best pieces of fish I've had in a while. I was surprised that the Spanish Toro was not even close to how good the Baja one was.
Although the fish seemed pretty fresh and delicious, the rice seemed unexpectedly disappointing. The rice was undercooked, and was pretty luke warm. Not the texture nor the consistency you would expect from someone labeled the "sushi nazi." The rice is not the sole basis of my rating, but I can' t help compare it to Sushi Masa: Masa is more personable and his sushi more amazing.
Great sushi from the "sushi nazi"; whom is more tame than people lead on.
This was the best sushi dinner I've ever had. And yes they are crazy about the rules. Every plate (of which there will be many) came with specific instructions, often ending with "please, no soy sauce for this one". But the rules are quite fun and kind of add to over all awesomeness of the place. Less so if i went often, but Honolulu is off the beaten path for this giraffe.
Highly recommended. I didn't catch if they actually have a menu or if it's always "Trust Me" (aka Chef's Choice), but just do what they say and let them run the show, you will leave a much happier person.
Holy cow. The melt-in-your-mouth toro alone is to die for, but for pete's sake, TRUST THE CHEF: Go with the omakase. Yes, some items aren't as good as others, but even those are way better than what you'll get at any other sushi place.
Go hungry, 'cause you'll want to try it all!
Unf***in' believably good! As explained by many others - the menu at this place is: Trust Me! That is, there is nothing but an omakase menu, and the sushi chefs decide what to serve you, and while there is a regular rotation, on top of that are some seasonal items too (in case you ever possibly get through the whole menu!!).
We were lucky enough to be seated right at the sushi bar where we could watch each creation get hand-crafted and have a presentation from our chef - who told us what we were eating, where it came from (fish was flown from all corners of the earth here!), and how to eat it (drip soy sauce, no soy sauce, one bite, two bites!). It was quite a treat, and with the exception of one of about a dozen different dishes, I enjoyed every single bite. Really - it was all quite HEAVENLY!
We learned from our host that it is possible to eat the ENTIRE menu - although, I can't imagine ever getting through even HALF of all the wonderful little bites offered (each dish will be one or two pieces, and cost around $8-12 each). By the time my stomach could contain no more, as much as it wanted to, we were only about $90 in the hole including tax and tip - which, for that quality, was a pleasant surprise. Further, to give your stomach more space, you can (and should) ask for less rice.
On leaving, I wondered why they couldn't have such a thing in NYC (since none of the fish was native to Hawaii), and happily learned there is a branch in the Upper East Side. I only hope that it is just as good!!
Okay, I ate some of the best sushis ever at Sasabune.
It's kinda funny. We decided to "trust the chef", although we did not understand fully the concept of it. Well, we understood the part that says that the chef serves you what he chooses to. We did not know about the part where you are supposed to say stop whenever you want. We thought it was a set menu. Like 10, 15 or 20 pieces served. So the sushi kept coming and coming, and we were so stuffed, we couldn't do anything for the rest of the day, and ended up paying about $110 for lunch for two !
So
Just so you know: Sasabune = excellent sushis. Sit at the bar so you get the full on where-it-comes-from-how-to-eat-it chebang, and SAY when you want to stop :)
This is the best sushi I've ever had by a country mile, and I've eaten at some of the most expensive and critically-acclaimed sushi restaurants in America (I've never been to Japan).
By about the third item, I was beginning to stand up from my chair and do fist pumps after bites.
Sasabune . . . Trust Me!!!
Easily the best Sushi that I've ever had. I find it hard to imagine sushi being any better. Sasabune is an omakase style sushi joint, which basically means chef's choice. They make the experience easy: Walk in, answer the disclaimer question (are you allergic to these foods?), sit down AT THE BAR!!!, turn off your cell phone, and don't stop til you get enough. I must reiterate, SIT AT THE BAR!!! The experience is just not the same if you sit at a table, you need the chef there to tell you in broken english what you're eating and how to eat it. And like the sign outside the restaurant says, trust him. I'm telling you you've never had sushi this good. The toro should be put on display in the Smithsonian as the perfect example of what sushi should be. Perfect Toro, with the consistency of butter . . . mmmm . . .
On any given night there are about 13-15 courses averaging about $8 a course. Expensive, most definitely. But worth every penny. The best part is that if you make it through all the courses, they take requests. Of course after 15 incredible plates of sushi, I went for the one thing I hadn't been served, the uni. The chef was delighted to hear that I wanted the uni, and informed me that I would not be disappointed. Suffice to say, I've never had uni on this level. Simply Incredible.
If you're strictly the california roll type of sushi eater, 3 things:
1) You suck
2) Just kidding about #1
3) Sasabune is not the place for you. There are no rolls to be found, you MUST eat what is given to you, and you MUST eat it how you are instructed. And this place is expensive. But again worth every penny, and no trip to Honolulu is complete without eating here . . . Trust Me!!!
Utterly divine. Went here for valentine's day dinner. Ended up spending about $350 (including tip, drinks). Sat at the sushi bar and was not disappointed. Service was topnotch - never had to wait long for the next course, water and tea were always promptly filled. We were each able to down 18 plates (check out the photos) - a new record for us!! Needless to say, there was some belt loosening afterwards.
I've been here before and am extremely pleased every time I come. The quality of the fish is amazing. The toro melts in your mouth. They use the perfect amount of warm rice, and you can really tell they pride their presentation and quality.
I'm not a huge sea urchin fan, usually because it generally tastes so bad, but I like to judge a sushi restaurant by the quality of their sea urchin for this reason. And this place has some of the best sea urchin - semi-firm (not goopy), tastes like the ocean, without the strong fishy odor.
Also, I've heard the rumors of the sushi chef "nazis", so I've never disobeyed the chef's recommendation ("no soy sauce," "one bite," etc.) but they seem pretty friendly to me.
I can't wait to go back. I can honestly say that I was really happy with EVERY single dish. Even though this place is a bit pricey, if you love sushi, it'll be worth every single penny.
Yes, Sasabune lives up to the hype, no frills but the best sushi.
The one thing that I do not like (although others disagree) is that the omakase is ALWAYS THE SAME. Sorry but after the 2nd and 3rd time, this gets kind of boring and I want something new.
My first experience with the sushi nazi was amazing. I'm big on wasabi but diligently followed specific instructions when told not to use shoyu etc. I was delighted at each dish that came out, especially the stuffed squid, crab, bluefin ahi (melted in my mouth!) and even the last requested piece which was uni (my favorite of all sushi). Not only was I impressed by the freshness and quality of the ingredients, but the smartness of how everything was executed and put together completely enthralled me. Not to mention someone else paid for the bill, that was nice. :-) hehe.
My second time with the sushi nazi, I forked the bill. I wanted to treat a friend to this fabulous place and I have to say, I wasn't as happy as I thought I'd be. No, not because I paid the $250 bill (with sake) this time, but because it was the SAME good stuff, nothing new and exciting or different. I guess you can say it's consistently good! But I guess I was hoping there would be new things to try and experience. You know, spice it up and wow me! Honestly, I don't know why I was expecting a different variety, but I just did, and think it would add an extra oomph if they changed just some of them around (but not the favorites!). *shrug* Hence, I am giving a 4.
Btw, when I went the 2nd time and finally knew how much it cost, I was surprised. I thought the meal was going to be $80/person but I guess they just charge you as they feed you.
I think this place is definitely one to experience, worth it if you can afford it. So yes, go see what the sushi nazi has in store for you.
I loved it.
We had "Omakase" which is Chef's Recommendations.
The sushi with warm rice. Yumm-o!!
Only thing I didn't like was...
I know they're proud what they serve but waiter told me not to break sushi rice while I'm try to save some room for more sushi by not eating too much rice. Sorry guys. (-_-;)
It's good for a couple on special occasion.
It's too expensive to come as group for me.
Sushi Sasabune really impressed me: with it's quality of fish, inventive presentation, and exotic choices. I was excited to go because it was highly recommended by a friend. I also happened to see it recently mentioned in Details and NYT.
There are three Sasabune locations: the original mothership in LA, Honolulu, and the most recent one in NYC which opened 3 years ago. Each one is owned by different people and have different suppliers. What they all share is training in LA: Chef Keiji trained/worked in LA for 12 years and came to Honolulu 11 years ago.
Sasabune is located in a "modest" neighborhood on S King St. The restaurant itself is fairly generic, about 10 tables and a sushi bar that seats 12-15 people. At the tables you can order off a menu, but at the bar its one way baby...omakase.
The meal started with six slices of albacore and bluefin in a ponzu sauce. The fish was extremely tender and "creamy," the sauce adding a bit of salt and sour.
Other highlights:
Spanish Toro
Young squid stuffed with blue crab
Grilled Lobster/Clam
Spanish Mackerel
Tekka-toro:(bits of toro are scraped of the bone and packed into a "patty." Awesome!
Jackfish
Santa Barbara Uni (Chef Keiji considers this the best Uni in the world, he thinks it tastes like mango)
***Ikura (Salmon Roe). I am a snob with Ikura. Most Ikura in the US comes from Alaska King Salmon. Salmon roe is extremely fragile, after removing it from the fish, the eggs will spoil within hours if it isn't processed. The producers add olive oil and seasalt to preserve it a little bit before packaging. This coating obviously overpowers the delicate sweetness of the roe. When sushi restaurant receive it, the low end restaurants will just serve it straight out of the jar. The better restaurants will prepare their roe by washing off this salt/oil coating. For instance: Sushi Yusuda (NYC) soaks it in a mixture of soy sauce, sake, and water. Here at Sasabune, they soak it for just 5 hrs in fish broth and sake. This gives the roe a very light, fishy taste which apparently is more consistent with the style in Tokyo.
I have stopped rating restaurants as "the best or not." I think this place is on par with anything out there in US. The quality of the fish is superior. I was not such a fan of the hot sushi rice. The general thinking is that the rice should be a lukewarm temperature. Chef Keiji insists this is the traditional Tokyo style. I'll take his word for it, but if I could change one thing it would be the rice temperature.
Some people call this place the "Sushi Nazi." But I guess their just unfamiliar with the omakase concept. Chef Keiji was extremely friendly and interactive. He told me his life's passion is sushi. He loves his work and that is the special ingredient that make his food good. It sounds corny, but it was extremely sincere and clearly evident to me.
This place is not cheap (the bill was $104), but i think worth it. I would recommend this place to anyone who truly enjoys good sushi and I look forward to returning to it one day. Next time I will try his butter fish covered with miso/uni.
We've all heard of Sasabune, particularly the one in LA. Spending a week in Honolulu, Rob took me here for dinner for our first real dinner on Oahu. You gotta love a man who goes out of his way to feed you the best food on the planet - so for the experience in itself - it's 5-stars all the way.
Going in, I knew it was going to be expensive.
Going in, I expected it to be worth every single dollar.
First off, I am not all that thrilled about every single person being served Omakase in this restaurant, table or bar. I believe you can pick which Omakase items you will have and not have - but there is NO divergence from whatever they offer in terms of sushi. Some of us have friends who are not adventurous eaters, and they are forbidden from sitting at the bar and basically not all that welcomed in the restaurant if you're not going to go with their idea of "Omakase". When I do omakase in a restaurant, it's because either a.) I am testing out the talent, creativity, and perception skills of the sushi chef (which was this evening's case), or b.) I already know I'd lay my life down for him and will eat whatever he serves to me as "sushi".
Second, every single Omakase I have been to has been customized for me specifically by the chef, whereas at Sasabune, "Omakase" simple means you're being served the menu of the evening. "Trust me," their slogan posted all over the restaurant, actually means, "You have no choice, shut up and eat it in the order it arrives." With customary Omakase, I often observe the sushi chef gauging the customer's reaction to certain dishes, and trying to one-up the last dish by his new creation. With people who seem to oooh and aaaah over his cooked dishes, you find that each serving becomes fancier and more ingenious with the flame or grill. With people like me who prefer the fish still thrashing over my rice, it becomes more and more adventurous. This "relationship" between sushi chef and customer is what I consider to be "OMAKASE". Sasabune doesn't have this - - they go in order from dish 1 to dish ___ when you call the meal to an end - - -PERIOD. Furthermore - the Omakase menu is the same every NIGHT? HOW, and WHERE ON THIS PLANET is that OMAKASE?
Third - and this is perhaps my biggest problem with Sasabune, is the rice. I understand that there are SOME fish out there that are better with hot, plain rice. MOST, in my opinion, is better served atop good, sushi rice that is not hot, not room temperature, but rather cooler than room temperature. In fact - at a good sushi restaurant, fresh fish is EXPECTED - - excellent sushi rice is what makes or breaks the restaurant. Case in point - be it at Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo or my favorite Ino Sushi in San Francisco, the freshness of the fish is incredible - but the rice kicks butt, and the combination KILLS you.
Sasabune - not so much.
Fourth - I understand that it's busy. There's one chef serving the entire restaurant, and all things considered, the speed is acceptable. But to PRE-SLICE the fish is ridiculous. It sounds ridiculous, and it looks ridiculous to see the fish slices just sitting there on plates, and the chef will take the plate out and use the slices one at a time, in the order he's decided already. I'm no sushi chef, but I have to think that there is SOME benefit to slicing the fish when needed.
Now, the food.
The albacore tuna was divine - and would have hit a home-run if served on its own and not served with a ponzu type sauce drenched all over it, making me wonder WHY. Even having negi-toro, God bless you, but why would you chop up this fillet of gold to put in a handroll - give me slices instead unless you're covering up the lesser quality? Ikura was basically right out of the salmon good - the uni was no better than any other sushi joint. The lobster tailed stuffed with blue crab was quite delicious. BUT - putting ponzu sauce on more than one dish, or EVER putting mayonnaise on any piece of fish at a sushi restaurant knocks it off "5-star" level for me. When you need either of those to present your dish, something is off in my book.
Finally - the cost.
Granted, Rob and I did order two bottles of sake which came to $110. The final bill being $500, I have to assume that food, taxes and tip (15%) was what made up the remaining $390. That breaks down to nearly $200 per person (we eat a lot). Doing the typical Grace-analysis on cost - - my favorite sushi dinner in the US ALWAYS breaks down to $100 per person at Ino Sushi (omakase). Sasabune costing almost twice as much, I have to have experienced something twice as good to justify the cost. I didn't. Nothing brought tears to my eyes, and unlike Ino Sushi, the company and quality time outshone the food.
That said, the experience was fun and worthwhile. Once was enough though, no more.
Sasabune, like Nobu, is more hype than substance.
I was ready for Sasabune - I was ready to go 12 rounds, or whatever it took to get to the "anything else" victory once you've made it through all the courses. The mantras of "trust the chef" and "no soy sauce on this, please" had been practiced, and repeated. I had studied up on sushi etiquette, and learned that if sushi already has a sauce, do not dip it into soy sauce as well - this all seemed common sense to me now. You're even allowed to eat sushi with your fingers. Dammit - I'm a bonafide sushi Otaku!!
I made a reservation to sit at the bar, knowing that the only option would be to have the Omakase. I had also prepared my wife for, what would be, an introduction to the correct way to eat sushi. We walked in and were given our seats at the bar. Shortly after a waiter asked if we wanted to get started with some drinks. I had already scoped out the sake list, and noticed a $35 daiginjo - yes please. I was expecting a small bottle, but it was a 720ml size - pretty good value.
Seated at the bar, we didn't receive a menu, and didn't have to say anything, until the arrival of the first dish - let the feast begin. I won't go in to detail on each sushi, but it has been commented that liberal use of ponzu and other sauces has a tendency to overpower the fish flavors, and I'll have to agree in a few cases.
I'm not sure, as has also been pointed out before, why the fish is already pre-sliced. As I kept eating, I kept waiting for that "goddamn!" moment where I would realize that I had truly reached Sushi Nirvana, but it never really occurred. i don't know if I had just psyched myself up for an inevitable letdown, or if this just was not the best sushi I'd ever had - either way, it didn't quite blow my mind, and I'm still trying to find out for exactly what reason.
I guess the anti-climax came when, after my wife had already thrown in the towel, and I had proclaimed that I was all in, that I was served a hand roll with blue crab filling - uuuuh, what??.... I liked it the first time, when it was served as the second dish of blue crab-filled squid... odd, that it would be held in such high regard to make an encore appearance - even before any uni, ikura or tako had even appeared (I had to request those later) - wow, I was a little stumped, but I proudly ate it. I thought maybe the chef was testing me out - you think I can't eat any more??.. you're wrong!... I said I'm all in!! - gimme everything you got. Seriously - maybe I'm losing my cool a little here, but seriously??. (that's the cause of the missing last star, btw) I'll probably never know what that was all about - and it's not worth dwelling on. A few other things I wasn't too excited about was the baked oyster with the cheese, and the unagi on egg (which tasted fine, but should have been served last).
Altogether, I enjoyed the experience at Sasabune - but I'm not quite sold on how great this place is. I think, conceptually, it's quite a unique experience. The chef has created a restaurant where he can serve his masterpiece menu set for a captive audience. It's not an old-skool, hard-core sushi bar, but more of a fine-tuned, modern, open-ended prix-fixe menu.
You could say it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience - for me, more so because I don't think I will go back, even if I could afford it.
This place was definitely a great new experience for me.
Thanks to a good friend of mine or I would have never found this place.
The venue is easy to find and there is a parking lot on the same block. I rode my motorcycle so I didn't have to pay, otherwise I'd tell you all if it is worth parking on the lot or just search in the street.
I don't remember seeing a menu because my friend told me we should have the Chef's special...I am so glad I agreed!
We had some Jasmine tea while we waited and soon, our courteous waiter was bringing amazing sushi for our enjoyment. I really liked how he would announce what kind of fish he was bringing us and from what part of the world. He also gave suggestions to either add some soy sauce or not to add any (because some sushi is so delicate, it will fall apart with soy sauce...I didn't listen one time and had to lick the rice out of my plate with my tounge) Also, I never had to wait for my water to get refilled so good job on the waiter once again.
The fish tasted as if it was just caught an hour ago. The freshness was amazing. Each wave of sushi was a different fish and once you try all the sushi thye have to offer, you can reorder any pieces you want to have again. I was full by the time we tried everything so I didn't take them up on the option...although I really wanted to anyway.
I spent about $100 total and it was well worth every penny. Highly suggested for everyone wo likes sushi and yes, I will definitely come back.
Now that I reviewed it, I want some sushi! =)
Ok, we were all excited to eat here. After meticulously reading all the yelp reviews BF and I were ready to try the "heavenly sushi".
I could really care less the location of the restaurant or the friendliness of the staff, good food is what I came for and good food is what I want!
Ordered the albacore appetizer, baby squid, baked oyster, uni, scallop, salmon, albacore, toro, blue crab hand rolls, and yellowtail. Albacore appetizer was garbage, tasted like it went bad yesterday, baby squid was whatever, the only thing that was heavenly was the toro. The uni is better down the street at Gaku. Halfway thru our meal, the rice seemed to change consistency and was undercooked. Kinda crunchy. Overall quality of fish was good, but for the price it should have been better. Go down the street and wait a bit for Gaku but leave a lot happier. Or if you're in Los Angeles, go to Hiko and you'll know what I mean. Damn you Sasabune, damn you.
DO NOT TRUST THEM!!! You can order everything from the omakase menu a la carte. Do yourself a favor, save a couple bucks and omit the albacore appetizer, baked oyster, and baby squid.
I've been a member of Yelp for several months and I couldn't believe my eyes when I realized I had yet to review my favorite Sushi place. Sasabune to me is the gold standard, nay platinum standard, by which all other sushi restaurants in Hawaii are measured. I'm probably ruffling the feathers of some Ideta and Yohei loyalists, but this is my favorite raw fish purveyor, warm rice and all.
It's inconceivable that a few people gave this place a one star review based on just the food unless they had some sort of agenda.
First, don't be afraid of the chef's over blown, Nazi-like reputation. It's just a marketing ploy. For the most part, he's quite friendly and so are the staff.
Second, it's true that you have to endure the repeated instructions by the servers on which pieces must not be dipped in soy sauce. But their purpose is to ensure that you enjoy the sushi as the chef intended.
Third, I think the warm rice is not a detraction but an addition as it provides an interesting juxtaposition to the chilled piece of fish. Also the softness and warmth of the rice, especially with the Toro and Hamachi, makes the sushi FEEL like it melts, like a warm piece of decadent chocolate, in your mouth.
If you go and you DON"T trust the chef, sit at a table and order the following in this progression:
Albacore with Ponzu Sauce
Salmon
Baked Oyster
Scallops
Baked Lobster
Hamachi
Squid stuffed with blue crab
Bluefin Toro- if available, if not, regular Toro.
TRUST ME.
LOL.
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