Sushi Yusho and Japanese Restaurant  

Very Serious About Sushi … This Must be the Place !!!

When I recently became aware that yet another Sushi Bar was opening in the Conejo bringing the body count to at least 16, I scoffed. I was certain that it was another fraud, advertising itself as a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar, but operated by Asians who were not Japanese. By my count, 8 Japanese style enterprises have opened in the area in the last three years. That’s a double.


They Know Their Sushi at Yusho,s

With one exception, they do not have Japanese owners or employees. I reviewed 3 of them and realized that in each case they were extreme novices attempting to masquerade as the real McCoy. I gave up on the rest once I verified that they were not Japanese and certainly not authentic.

 I further learned that this new entrant had an unusual approach. It was offering all the sushi you could eat in one hour for $24.50 at dinner and $19.50 at lunch. That cinched it. This clearly seemed another play on the deceitful hype of ½ price sushi also used by the pseudos. These imitators then offer second level and non-fresh fish at which a true Japanese Sushi chef would hold his nose. Therefore, I was, arrogantly, even more certain that the sushi would be limited primarily to low cost California or Ventura rolls styles rather than sophisticated hand rolls and serious ngiri sushi.

 Boy, was I wrong….on every single count.

Yusho, which means winner in Japanese, is exactly that. Veteran Japanese workers are at every skill position and it shows. You immediately hear the classic Japanese entry greeting and the accent is pitch perfect. This alone is an encouraging departure from the butchering of the language you may have been exposed to lately. In ½ those cases the person behind the bar does not even know the Japanese word for the sushi he is preparing.     

Here, the atmosphere is energetic, upbeat and confident. The understated dining room seems right out of the Ginza. The Kusho front line at the sushi bar is as good as there is.  The owner, Steve Kuge who doubles at the bar and in the kitchen has 25 years experience as a sushi master. His brother, Kenny Kuge also works the sushi bar. The latter opened The Cherry Blossom, the first sushi bar in Ventura County 30 years ago and recently sold out to enjoy life a bit more. Satoshi Morishima is a young sushi tiger with notches on his belt  from Matsuhisa of West Los Angeles. It is rated by many as the best Japanese restaurant in the United States. These guys are on good terms with the fish. Fumiko Kuge cheerily manages the room “teinei” style.


Clean understated Ginza-like room

The “all you can eat in an hour” offer is not hype. All the ngiri sushi is available including premium uni (sea urchin), kaibashira (scallop), uzura (quail egg) and unagi (fresh water eel). All the basic rolls can be called for including rainbow roll, spicy albacore, tuna, eel or salmon hand rolls. The wonderful Yusho house special roll is a must. If you want more than sushi while at the bar, you can add kitchen food including edamame, gyoza, tempura, yakitori and teriyaki, all for that  $24.50. If you are a serious sushi person it may be the best deal in Ventura County. If there are smaller appetites, one can order off the regular menu.

 

Obviously, however if one person orders the “all you can eat” sushi, others in the party must refrain from feeding off his plate. The quality and preparation are equal to the three top-of-the-line sushi bars in the County. Yusho also offers a complete array of interestingly varied luncheon and dinner specials featuring the typical Japanese kitchen food usually immaculately prepared by Steve Kuge.

My wife and I ran the test and went all the way with sushi. I was able to consume 11 full portions with emphasis on the premium ngiri.  I estimated that had we been dining at Sushi Agoura, which offers good and fairly priced sushi but has an unpleasant atmosphere, my bill would have been around $40 and my wife’s bill would have been about $30. This bill was a flat $49. Their liquor license is pending.

 

 

Of course the cherry on the whipped cream is that you don’t have to spend a moment checking the total.

Yusho Sushi and Japanese Restaurant.   2365 Michael Drive Times Square Shopping Center Newbury Park 805-375-2269  - Most Credit Cards -  Easy Shopping Center Parking. Reservations Generally Not Needed