When being a foodie, it is extremely important to find people in your life that share the same food indulgences you do. I would go so far to say that these people become your food "soulmates". The great thing is that you can have many food soulmates for different cuisines and never have to worry about the repercussions of cheating! So today I will be sharing with you my adventures with my sushi soulmate, Allison.
I frequent Huntington Beach a lot, because sadly this is where my sushi soulmate moved to. The great part, however, is that it extended the radius of where we could eat sushi! It didn't take us long to find our favorite haunt, Sushi Zen Bistro. Tucked away in the middle of a strip mall in Costa Mesa, this happened to be the first place we tried in her area. We feel in love at first bite.
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| Spicy Tuna Bites The first thing we ordered was the Spicy Tuna Bites. I have to admit that we only got it because the people next to us ordered it. They looked too good to pass up! The appetizer is a wonton chip with a huge portion of spicy tuna mounted on top. It is layered with their house made spicy mayo, avocado, and tempura flakes. Hands down, this is one of the best appetizers I have ever encountered at a sushi joint. |
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| Salmon and Yellow Tail Nigiri The next dish we ordered was some simple nigiri, which did not disappoint. Even though the best salmon and yellowtail nigiri I ever had was in Seattle, this still satisfied our palates. They also did not put a lump of wasabi in the nigiri, which I am not a fan of because I think it overwhelms the flavor of the fish. |
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| Ama-ebi I was introduced to ama-ebi ("sweet shrimp") a while ago and the dish never fails to be a conversation starter. It comes with two components to it, the sweet shrimp and the deep fried shrimp heads. This is definitely not something for those with weak stomachs, but if you can manage to get your head around what you are eating then it truly is a delicacy. |
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| Fire Crunch Roll The finale dish was the fire crunch roll, which is warned to be one of their spiciest rolls. It is adorned with jalapenos and a spicy Sriracha sauce, but if you love spice like I do - it wasn't that hot at all. Spicy tuna is on top of the roll and tempura shrimp with avocado on the inside. |
So if you are in the area, do not miss out on a great meal here. They also have a really great happy hour if you are looking to save some money.
Kampai!
