Passing the word along on great sushi

Mary Furr

The first question we were asked when we entered Sushi Ya Restaurant

was “How did you find us?”

The answer was simple: “Friends told us” of the new Korean

restaurant they had discovered in the far back corner in the Marina

Village Shopping Center.

The dining room has booths at the windows, fresh clothed tables in

the center and the sushi bar in the back. Box lanterns on poles add a

touch of style.

Opened barely a month, Sushi Ya has combinations of two-to-three

items at $8.95 to $10.25 for lunch, and $11.25 to $13.25 for dinner.

The combinations include a perfect miso soup with tiny tofu cubes and

green onion, an absolutely huge, fresh green salad, bowl of steamed

rice and drink.

While you decide, it’s great to pop the soy beans in your mouth

from the bowl of green pods -- very fresh, as is everything here.

Then, comes four California Rolls -- a cold, sticky rice roll with

nori wrapped around pieces of crisp cucumber, fish and smooth

avocado. On the side are thin strips of ginger and pungent wasabi,

the Japanese version of horseradish, to add for taste.

Next was the tonkatsu, lightly-battered strips of pork with a cup

of thick soy dipping sauce and to the dish, and two big pieces of

fried shrimp, with the tail on and its own dipping sauce.

Another selection was beef strips in teriyaki sauce sprinkled with

sesame seeds and a pile of beautiful tempura vegetables -- yellow

pumpkin, broccoli, zucchini and yam -- fresh and more varied, than

most.

Chicken katsu strips with its own tonkatsu dipping sauce and a

huge fresh green salad filled the plate.

Chef Daniel Kim prepares not only the sushi but all the entrees

too.

The well-organized staff is comprised of family members who help

each other in looking after the diners.

Desserts are hard to resist, especially the Asian Mochi ($2.95),

which I chose. It’s a round, coffee-flavored rice ball, like ice

cream in a firm shell drizzled with chocolate syrup. My friend

selected a warm tempura covered ice cream ($3.95), which tends to

melt quickly.

As Manager Ree Choi says, restaurants have always been in the

lives of the Kim family in Korea, as well as when they came to the

United States.

“We still enjoy quality food and service,” she said.

That is what you find at this gem of a restaurant in the far

corner of the Marina Village Shopping Center.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail

[email protected].