Kabuto A&S

About 10-15 people were waiting outside the restaurant when we arrived. It was 7pm on a Tuesday evening, and the restaurant gleamed in the darkened neighborhood. The soft yellow walls and orange Kabuto lettering made the place look inviting. It looked brand new. It sparkled. The old gray-toned space across the street still had the sign up, but everyone knew the fish was here.

We waited about 20-30 minutes for a table, and we ended up sitting right by the door. This wasn't too bad, except whenever patrons walked in to add their name to the waiting list, or to stare at everyone's food, they kept forgetting to close the door. Cold air wafted in and chilled us. We quickly asked for tea and it arrived in a huge, pretty teal striped pot.

The menu was overwhelming. There were so many dishes to choose from, sectioned under "Cold", "Fried", "Grilled", "Sashimi", even a curious "Matchless Sushi" category. There were specials such as Foie Gras Sushi, topped with a raspberry and a fruity sauce; Crispy sushi which was fried halibut topped with a special curry sauce. We ordered both of these, some Hijiki, Oshitashi (spinach with bonito flakes), Poke, and finally the fish. That was what I had gone there for. Fresh huge pieces of nigiri: Maguro (yellowfin tuna), Toro (fatty tuna), Hamachi (yellowtail--my fave), Amaebi (complete with fried shrimp heads), Uni, and an unagi/avacado inside out roll.

The hijiki and oshitashi were standard, but well done. The bonito flakes in the oshitashi were large, and added a nice flavor. The poke was served in a martini class with a slice of lemon. There was about half a cup of tuna chunks, not quite enough to share among four hungry people. I'm so used to poke from Hawai'i, purchased from the grocery store and generously served in plastic deli bowls. The poke here was topped with a red chili sauce and very spicy--different, but very tasty. We had a piece of tuna each then fought for the leftovers.

Then came the nigiri. It arrived on an enormous round plate that took up more than half of the table. The hamachi was exquisite. It melted in my mouth. The maguro was okay; not a pristine as the hamachi, but palatable. The toro was delicious--it was the first time I ever tried it, and though I found the huge marbling of fat somewhat disturbing, it wasn't so bad. The uni was just okay--it was a tad reminiscent of the ocean bottom, and I've had better. Amaebi was very fresh, and you can never go wrong with unagi and avacado.

The foie gras nigiri was smaller than I had imagined it to be. The pieces were tiny, and along with the rice and the raspberry sauce, the flavors didn't quite complement each other. There was a slightly bitter aftertaste--none of that buttery mellowness that you usually get from foie gras. The crispy sushi was like a piece of tempura on a square of rice--what saved it was the curry sauce, which was light yellow and creamy. They both arrived on their own white square plates, squiggled with sauce. Artful presentation is definitely valued here, though it borderlined the feeling of "designer sushi", even Iron Chef (not that there's anything wrong with that).

We were still hungry, so we ordered a couple more rolls: Sammy Roll, which was a California roll topped with salmon and curry sauce, and a Dragon Roll, stuffed with more unagi and avacado. The Sammy Roll wasn't too bad--the curry sauce actually pulled it together (I'm not a huge fan of California rolls). We scarfed these down really quickly. The door kept opening and closing. Cold, we went through two pots of tea.

Overall, Kabuto is a great neighborhood spot. It's a tad out of the way for me, and street parking is hellish, but if I were to return, I'd do so for the cooked dishes. There is a large variety to choose from, and they all sounded delicious. As for the fish, while it was good here, I'll probably stick with Ebisu, my neighborhood haunt. Ultimately, if I were to trek anywhere for nigiri, I'd venture to the Benihana in Millbrae, which surprisingly has excellent, very fresh fish (the sushi chefs are fun, it's never crowded, and it's cool to watch planes take off and land at SFO).

Kabuto A&S, 5121 Geary Blvd at 15th Ave., San Francisco
T: (415) 752-5652

Comments

[frelkins]

hiya!

i love unagi & avocado too! yummy.

thanks for the link to bccy. you're the best!

happy coffee,

f

[stephanie]

ebisu cant be beat, hands down! its the best and doesnt bother with the more "trendy"! i love it!