Kansai Sushi Bar & Japanese Cuisine, Oakland
Posted by: East Bay Jay in FEATURED, Oakland, Sushi
4345 Telegraph Ave, Oakland • 658-7273
SERVING (See full menu):
- sashimi and sushi
- hand rolls
- bento boxes
- Japanese entrees
OPEN UNTIL: 2AM (Fri & Sat) • 12AM (Mon-Thurs) • 10PM (Sunday)
PARKING: street (easy)
THE EBI REVIEW:
I’d been trying to get friends to check this place out for a while, but in Temescal, Koryo Sushi reigns supreme. So it took a visit from an out-of-towner to get this review.
Background/Disclaimer: Sushi, like the post-Twin Peaks work of David Lynch, is something that I really want to like, but ultimately have a bit of trouble coming to grips with. My girlfriend says I’m getting better (though we disagree on the merits of Inland Empire: quite possibly my favorite since Wild At Heart). But I digress.
Kansai has a swanky motif: mod patterns with warm colors and creative lighting. Geeks will enjoy the tabletop “call” buttons that send signals to the (possibly) Japanese and (definitely) friendly waitstaff. Dinner for two with wine was under $50 with leftovers to feed a particularly epicurean neighborhood panhandler.
We ordered the following: Cherry Blossom maki (salmon, avocado and tuna), Negihama maki (yellow tail and green onion), SPLS (spicy tuna, cucumber, salmon, spicy sauce and massago) and a Garlic Albacore hand roll. As this was my first foray into raw fish (past sushi experiences being limited to shitake maki and various versions of the vegetarian roll), that last item was a bit advanced for my palette. Essentially, a hand roll is a conical configuration with tentacles. Unlike its neatly rolled neighbors cloaked in rice and vegetables, the hand roll literally oozed with raw fish. We both had a bite. Greta felt it had too much garlic. I felt it had too much raw fish. We moved on.
For those about to rock (out on raw fish for the first time), may I recommend the Negihama maki? The yellow tail was mild in both taste and presentation. The Cherry Blossom and SPLS maki were both wrapped in raw fish–the SPLS being the favored of the two due to its kick from the spicy tuna.
Kansai’s menu is extensive and runs toward the fusion style. I’d be the wrong person to ask whether this is the “best” or the “most authentic” sushi in the East Bay. For that, I defer to the Yelp reviewers (see below). However, I can tell you that with a weekend closing time of 2AM and a weekday closing time of midnight, Kansai is one of the later options for East Bay ethnic eats. I give it bonus points for atmosphere: a component often sacrificed by late-night eateries. I’d go back and try it again.
MORE REVIEWS:
WEBSITE: Kansai
Entries (RSS)
November 13th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
i’m going to have side with greta on the inland empire debate.
January 8th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
i’ll be back for the combination bento lunch box special… served with soup, salad, rice and your choice of 3 menu items- it’s a steal at under $10!
however, it did take all my polite patron willpower not to ring the special bell glued to the table
April 26th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
nyx, don’t feel the Western need for restraint. If the people really are Korean or Japanese, they seriously won’t think it’s rude at all- it’s there for a reason, so you might as well use it! Works a lot better than the old “let’s try to make eye contact” game that we have going on this side of the Pacific….
November 12th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
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