Just some snacks

As I walked by on a very busy night, I was only able to get a tiny seat close to the door. As I was on my way home, I opted to just some small snacks, skipping a full meal for another occasion. Most strikingly the menu offered no sashimi and no traditional sushi options. Instead all dishes were advertised as unique Neapolitan Japanese crossover with special twists. So I tried the king sake (salmon) maki plate, which was surprisingly amazing. The fish was marinated in a special creamy sauce that added just the right amount of spiciness to the dish. I also tried the grilled ebi (shrimp), which was advertised as locally sourced. As with most shrimps from this region, the taste and texture was excellent. Although I was really surprised by the things I tried, nothing else from the menu spoke to me at this night.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Yaki Tender is surely unique among the many Japanese restaurants in Napoli. Although the atmosphere is very modern and trendy, it still felt a little cold and distant, which is why I would not necessarily recommend this restaurant. The main selling point are the menu options, which are limited but surprisingly different from usual suspects at sushi restaurants. The taste and quality of the dishes was very good and seemed superior to the average alternatives around. The drink menu has limited options, but would be sufficient for a pleasant dinner. The service staff was friendly but a little distant, leaving room for improvement.

Review date: February 21, 2018

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Late Sushi Dinner

This time I went with 2 friends for a late seating. We started out with a sashimi moriawase plate. It came with king sake (king salmon), hamachi (yellowtail), hon maguro (bluefin tuna back), kanpachi (amber jack) and tai (sea bream). As usual, everything tasted really good and the tai was especially amazing. I had this moriawase plate many times, but it remains to be an absolute delight.

After the sashimi, I had a small dish of horenso (spinach) and then opted for some nigiri pieces. I had ainame (greenling), kamasu (barracuda), isaki (grunt fish) and toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly). Obviously the toro was outstanding, but I was also very impressed with the ainame, which I never had before. It was very tasty and a welcome surprise. The isaki was also pretty unique and was a good recommendation by our sushi chef. All of these nigiri pieces were sushi bar exclusives, so it was a good decision to wait for seats at the bar.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Sushi Ran is an absolutely superior sushi restaurant and always a good choice. It provides a very authentic atmosphere and very welcoming and warm setting. The menu options are extensive and the fish quality and taste is among the best to find. The drink menu is also excellent and offers lots of beer, wine and sake options. The service was outstanding, friendly and forthcoming. Although we only stayed for a very brief dinner, it was an excellent choice to make the trip to Sausalito.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

 

Review date: June 2, 2018

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Sashimi and Nigiri Dinner

This time I started out with an 1o piece moriawase sashimi platter with hon maguro (bluefin tuna), bincho maguro (white tuna), hamachi (yellowtail), susuki (sea bass) and king sake (king salmon). As always the taste and texture of the fish was breathtaking.

As I was sitting at the sushi bar, I decided to go with the sushi bar exclusives and opted for a 7 piece omakase nigiri menu. It starte out with umi masu (ocean trout with shiso leaf), toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly) with white sturgeon roe and katsuo (lightly cherrywood smoked bonito). After that it went on with kamasu (barracuda), zuke chu toro (red wine cured bluefin medium fatty tuna), a kusshi oyster and one amazing piece of wagyu (grade a5 Japanese beef striploin). To finish the meal I chose one final piece of shirayaki (grilled freshwater eel) as an alternative to my usual choice of unagi.

Sushi Guide Verdict

As many times before, this dinner was an amazing culinary experience. With seats directly at the sushi bar I could watch the sushi chef’s prepare the fish and could enjoy the select items of the sushi bar exclusive menu. The atmosphere at Sushi Ran is alway very cozy and welcoming, making me feel at home. The menu options are extensive and the quality and taste of the food was outstanding, above and beyond to be precise. The drink menu offered a wide selection of wine and sake and as usual the staff was extremely friendly and heartwarming.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

 

Review date: October 11, 2015

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As a group of 3 we were seated at the exceptionally beautiful open sushi bar and enjoyed the service of Sushi Ran’s executive chef, Mr. Takatoshi Toshi, their master chef since 2013. I had the opportunity to be his guest once before and cannot complain about any other chef there either, but this day truly was one to be remembered. It was a special delight to watch Takatoshi Toshi work. To give you an idea, here is a short video of him at a Gala Evening in Israel.

Omakase Sashimi Plate

Anyway, on this day we decided to go with an omakase style sashimi menu and basically went from one culinary explosion to the next. The first 1o piece sashimi plate came with 2 pieces of king sake (king salom), hamachi (yellowtail), hon maguro (bluefin tuna), ara (red spotted grouper) and kusshi oyster. We especially enjoyed the oyster, which seemed a refreshing and not so common addition to the mix, and enjoyed watching Takatoshi Toshi work on all the other delicious dishes he prepared for other guests in the restaurant.

Even more Omakase Sashimi

We went on to explore the amazing selection of sushi bar exclusives and were served even more delicious sashimi pieces one by one. We decided to stick with sashimi not only because we prefer to focus on the fish’s texture and taste but also because we wanted to make most of the experience and have room left for everything we wanted to try. This is true generally for me, I prefer sashimi most of the time and also enjoy nigiri but tend to skip makis most of the time.

During our culinary journey of the most exquisite menu items the sushi bar could offer, we enjoyed dishes like kasugodai (baby red eye snapper), iwashi (sardine), sagoshi (spanish mackerel). kamasu (barracuda), kurama ebi (Japanese tiger shrimp) and zuke chu toro (red wine cured bluefin medium fatty tuna). It was followed by kaisu uni (deep sea ocean packed sea urchin), toro (bluefin fetty tuna belly), kohada (gizzard shad), sujiko (salmon roe) and shirayaki (freshwater grilled eel).

Since that left some pieces left on the menu, we also tried tarabagani (king crab with crab butter aioli), which was an absolute delight. We continued with bincho toro (white fatty tuna belly), zuke sake (white soy sauce cured fatty salmon), meso anago (braised young sea eel) and a final piece of wagyu grad a5 Japanese beef striploin nigiri. If we would have asked for any more, we would have probably started from the beginning. I can’t remember anything important we left out on the menu.

More information about this truly one of a kind visit to Sushi Ran can be found on moritzrecke.com.

Sushi Guide Verdict

This truly was an amazing experience. With seats at the sushi bar and Sushi Ran’s executive chef Takotoshi Toshi as our chef for the day, we made the most of our visit for sure. As always the atmosphere was an absolute delight and we stayed there for many hours to taste everything we could think of. The menu options are truly extensive with even more exclusive items being available at the sushi bar exclusive menu. The quality and taste of the food was outstanding, with the rights words amiss to truly describe the experience. The drink menu offered everything we were looking for and as usual the staff was not just extremely friendly but also heartwarming. This was definitely one of the most amazing experiences I ever had at a sushi restaurant.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: October 16, 2015

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Moriawase Sashimi Dinner

This time I opted for a moriawase style dinner, starting out with an amazing sashimi plate. I came with copper river king sake (wild king salmon), hotategai (scallop), sustainable zuke chu toro (red wine cured bluefin medium fatty tuna), hamachi (yellowtail) and medai (wild red snapper). As I wasn’t able to eat much more, I just had one more nigiri piece of sawara (cherrywood smoked spanish horse mackerel), which is one of my absolute favourites at the restaurant.

Sushi Guide Verdict

As always Sushi Ran’s unique and traditional atmosphere captivated me. Whenever you enter the restaurant, it seems like a place of piece and quiet, no matter how crowded it might be. The food menu is extensive, serving everything any sushi aficionado could desire. The fish is always fresh, of the highest quality and intense taste. The drink menu is also extensive and offers everything one might look fore in a upscale restaurant. The restaurant’s staff was friendly and forthcoming as always.

Review date: June 1, 2014

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Omakase Style Dinner

This time I started out with an omakase style sashimi plate. It came with hon maguro (bluefin tuna), hamachi (yellowtail), aji (horse mackerel), zuke maguro (red wine cured tuna), suzuki (sea bass), hirmae (halibut), king sake (king salmin),  kanpai (amber jack) and ika (squid). Afterwards I had an amazing nigiri plate with zuke chu toro (red wine cured bluefin medium fatty tuna), sawara (cherrywood smoked spanish horse mackerel) and kamasu (barracuda). The last order was an unagi (freshwater eel) nigri, which is always of supreme taste.

Sushi Guide Verdict

The atmosphere at Sushi Ran is truly unique. It is a very cozy and quiet restaurant with an open sushi bar with an overall traditional and exquisite interior design. The sushi menu is extensive, offering both local and sustainable fish with additional special dishes available only at the sushi bar. The food is of the highest quality and the most amazing taste. The wine and sake menu is also extensive, allowing anyone to find what he might desire. Both the sushi chefs and the waiters are exceptionally friendly and forthcoming, making every visit to the restaurant an experience to be remembered.

Review date: September 11, 2013

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Dinner at Sushi Ran

Seated at a table close to the sushi bar, I opted for a lengthy and opulent dinner. Starting with a moriawase sashimi plate, I was swept away on my gourmet journey. It came with umi masu (ocean trout), king sake (kink salmon) and hamachi (yellow tail) among other things. Afterwards I opted for a huge omakase style sashimi plate that was truly amazing. It came with kanpachi (amber jack), tako (octopus), kamasu (young barracuda), king sake (king salmon), toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), aji (horse mackerel) and kankachi (amber jack). For a last course, I tried some most amazing unagi (frehswater eel) nigiri and some even more breathtaking wagyu a5 grade strip loin nigiri.

Sushi Guide Verdict

As always, Sushi Ran caters to its tenants with its traditional approach and the cozy atmosphere induced by the uniquely designed interior. The menu options are up and beyond anything you could desire with the most amazing quality and taste of every fish I had. The extensive wine and sake menu invites people to enjoy themselves even more while being served by the most friendly and forthcoming people. It you get a seat at the sushi bar, you can chat with the sushi chefs, who gladly share exciting anecdotes. If you are looking for more privacy, any table in the restaurant or on its lovely terrace will do just as fine. I can also recommend it as a very romantic restaurant within the picturesque and dreamy backdrop of Sausalito. Whenever you are in the area, make sure to get a table at Sushi Ran.

Review date: November 6, 2012

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“The exceptional quality of our sushi is attributed to a one-of-a-kind combination of fresh ingredients, coupled with 30 years of experience and modern preparation techniques. Never satisfied with the mundane, we are constantly experimenting with innovative culinary methods to refine our menu. Since we’ve begun our culinary adventure, we have only pursued the most sustainable and freshest products available.

Akiko’s offers traditional-contemporary sushi along with a variety of eclectic seafood items. We pride ourselves on using the finest quality of local and seasonal fresh fish, which arrive daily from local purveyors and Japan’s Tsukiji Fish Market. Maintaining a sensitivity to environmental demands, it is our practice to source out overfished stock in favor of rare and sustainable marine products. We are committed to using as much sustainable, organic and local products as possible to ensure an ecologically-minded component to your eating experience at Akiko’s.”

Source: Akiko’s Sushi Restaurant

Omakase Menu

Although the a la cart menu is filled with many amazing choices of fish, the omakase style menu seems to be best option when one is seated at the sushi bar. It is offered as either sashimi or nigiri and the sushi chef at the bar will gladly incorporate some of your preferences if you want him to.

I started out with an awesome sashimi platter composed of sake (king salmon), maguro tuna (big eye tuna), suzuki (sea bass) and hirame (halibut). Afterwards I was presented with another 7 piece platter, totally blowing me away. It entailed hamachi (yellow tail) and ika (baby squid), ayu (sweet fish), hotategai (scallop), umi masu (ocean trout), sustainable chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna) and ankimo (monkfish liver pate). For the grand finale I had two more pieces of unagi (freshwater eel) nigiri. Luckily I took some picture.

Some information about my visit to Akiko’s Restaurant can be found at moritzrecke.com

Sushi Guide Verdict

Akiko’s Restaurant provides a very modern atmosphere with open brick walls and an open bar at the core of the restaurant. The fish was absolutely delicious and of supreme quality. All dished were served in a traditional manner and the menu offers a wide selection from all seas and some select specialties. The drink menu is falling behind the great food options. While there is a decent beer selection, wine and sake options are limited. The service was outstanding with absolute nothing left to be desired. As with many other high class sushi restaurants, it might be worth mentioning that Akiko’s Restaurant is also rather pricy. But considering the menu variety and food quality, it is absolutely worth it. Since some of the personal also worked at Sushi Ran before, there is a somewhat familiar touch to dining at Akiko’s Restaurant.

Atmosphere
Menu Options
Food Quality
Drink Variety
Service
Average

Review date: June 6, 2014

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