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| ☛Spicy Miso Grilled Pork Rice Bowl |
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| ☛Mushroom, Tofu Panko, and Chicken skewers |
The Kushi Bar on King Street gives those of us on a budget a chance to sample Chef Muramoto's creations. The interior has not changed much from when it was Muramoto, but the menu is quite different— most notably in the absence of sushi. As impractical as it is, I've always liked the dramatic lighting, very dark with pinpoint needles of light.
I started the meal with a very interesting green tea. Don't be scared by what look like clouds of floating algae in the cup—the tea hit the spot, very warming, with a nice bitter finish.
The price for the single skewers range from the low $1.50 for breaded tofu to a high of $2.75 for beef tenderloin. These are appetizers, each skewer 4-6 inches long, so don't plan to make a meal of them.
I ordered the Eringi mushroom, breaded tofu, and Momo chicken skewers. I liked the breaded tofu skewer the best, but I needed to add one of the four featured sauces to give it flavor. I guess I'm not the mushroom connoisseur I thought I was—the Eringi didn't have much of the earthy flavor I expect from mushrooms. Head for the sauce on that one too.
The four sauces are:
- Tonkatsu - dark, sweet, and tangy
- Curry Cream - pronounced coconut flavor
- Spicy miso mayo - my preference
- Hot Sauce - as advertised, this is very hot
My main dish was the miso pork rice bowl, and the sauce was excellent, a perfect balance of sweet and salty, delicious with the rice on its own. The pork was good, though slightly on the tough and dry side—my dreams of tender melt-in-your-mouth pork went unrealized. The sprouts on top were a nice touch.
The rice bowl itself was overly large, making it hard to eat, especially when scooping rice with chopsticks. The customer next to me asked for a spoon, but I was too proud to do likewise. In the typical Asian restaurant, you have a small bowl, which you pick up, and shovel the rice into your mouth. This is not possible with a bowl the size of a bike helmet.
I agree with the Isthmus review that said the Kushi Bar is trying to give Natt Spil a run for its money. Kushi does not suffer from the overcrowding (yet) that Natt Spil does, and one big advantage to me is that it has a quieter atmosphere, good for channeling far Eastern harmony.
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