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Here a Sushi--- There a Sushi----------Everywhere a Sushi SushiUmi Sushi Bar
About two years ago we did a survey that indicated The Conejo was in the potentially perilous position of pasta plentitude-plus with over 20 tablecloth quality Italian restaurants in the area. At that time there were only 6 sushi bars and most of them had been around for about 10 years. It appeared that the invasion campaign of the sushis had ended However, the area is now being threatened with a conclusively consummate conquest of the Conejo by California Roll…..or even more trendily specific… The Ventura Roll. There are now 13 sushi bar-Japanese restaurants in this valley. Six are in Westlake alone and three of those have opened in the last six months. The concentration of sushi bars in the vicinity of Agoura, Westlake, North Ranch, Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park may be about the same as the area around the Ginza in Tokyo That area has 4 million people.They are all Japanese and eat sushi almost every day. |
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Over the years we have eaten in 11 of the 13 but concluded that only 4 had enough interest to be reviewed. The latest to open is called Umi Sushi and Japanese Restaurant. Appropriately, Umi means sea in Japanese. It is located in the North Ranch Gateway Center at Lindero and Thousand Oaks near the recently opened TJ Maxx. |
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The special signs above the bar exclusively featured typical maki rolls. These rolls such as dynamite roll and spider roll were mostly in the $9 price range. There were few truly sophisticated offerings. However
the real first test of a serious sushi bar is the cut, quality and
freshness of the classic ngiri
sushi. Uni (sea urchin),
hamachi (yellowtail) and toro (tuna belly) are the choices of
dedicated sushi aficionados. We ordered all three. Toro was not available.
We asked to substitute hotategai (scallops). It was not available. |
 Lots of Rolls at Umi Sushi |
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The uni (6.50) however, was wonderful. It had that briny taste indicating arrival from the sea that day. It almost seemed a double cut. The hamachi (4.50) also was very fresh and generously cut. A number of other local sushi bars have surreptitiously and casually reduced the size of the cut over the years thus denying you a full bite of fish while charging the same price. It sort of reminds you of what has happened to the Hershey Bar. |
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My wife and I then split
the currently popular spider roll (9.50), which includes soft-shell crab
and fresh vegetables. It was badly constructed with poorly textured rice.
The individual slices fell apart as they were
picked up and were very difficult to eat. The flavor was
disappointing. Umi does offer attractive standard lunch and dinner sushi and sashimi value meals including miso soup. As an example, you get 6 individual pieces of ngiri sushi, a spicy tuna hand roll and 4 pieces of California roll for $8:50 at lunch. A deluxe Sashimi dinner includes 17 generous cuts of assorted fish for $16.50. Teriyaki and tempura meals are also available at lunch or dinner. |
| Two of the three sushi makers behind the bar appeared somewhat confused and disorganized. The ladies working the tables were pleasant but inexperienced. Rock and Pop music emanated from speakers. As we had begun to suspect earlier, all the workers were Asian, but only one was Japanese, (not a good sign for a Japanese restaurant, even though he was a sushiya). The absentee owner, in fact operates a Korean Taekwando martial arts center in Camarillo. | |
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Whether it is Chinese, Italian, French, Spanish, Japanese,
Mexican, Thai, Viet or Indian, I believe that if one wants to enjoy authentic ethnic
food and atmosphere , one should consciously seek out restaurants
owned, operated and
manned by people from the country of the food’s origin. Over a period of time you will find the total
experience to be more satisfying and the food especially to be universally
superior to the imitations.
Umi Sushi and Japanese Restaurant 30819 East Thousand Oaks Blvd Most Credit Cards Easy Shopping Center Parking |
