Last week for Valentine's Day, Patty and I had a late dinner at Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine. I'm in there semi-regularly and while Patty doesn't care for sushi, the non-sushi items on the menu are to her liking so it's always a good destination. I was introduced to the chef and Owner Billy Ngo by Randall Selland, Executive Chef and Owner of The Kitchen Restaurant, and my personal cooking "Yoda". This was several years back during a Sushi Competition here in town, and if Randall says this guy has the goods, then you can take it to the bank. I found Billy to be very nice and when invited me to try his then-new restaurant I went by and was floored by the skill and the flavors. I don't know where he gets his fish from, but his supplier is among the best, I've been to other places in town and had dry, rubbery sushi. And what sets a sushi place apart for me is whether or not they get the Unagi right. For the uninitiated, Unagi is barbecued Eel, and when done right...yesssss...it's moist and tender, the sauce compliments but doesn't overpower, it's not that easy to get right. I've been to many places and if the Unagi is wrong, I never go back. It's that simple. My first visit to Kru, the Unagi was... Absolutely. Perfect. Every time I go, it's... Absolutely. Perfect. I've even run into Randall there on a few occasions, and he can eat anywhere, including any of his restaurants, and if HE's a regular there...you know it's the stuff!
Recently I was there with a friend and we were talking about some business matters, and I wasn't feeling at all well so I wasn't eating that night, and as I watched what he ordered and it wasn't familiar to me, so I asked what it was and he said "It's not on the menu, I asked Billy to let his imagination run wild and do whatever he wanted." Interesting.... Mental note made for my next visit...
Which brings us back to this past Valentine's Day, while we were dining, I asked Billy if he would make something up for me, not from the menu. He said that he'd be glad to, and asked what I liked most. We all know I love Unagi, and I am also a big fan of Hamachi (Yellowtail Tuna), so Billy took that sparse direction, and came up this:
He started with some chopped Hamachi and some green onions and placed them in the rice roll, then topped it with Unagi and some sliced Avocado, and topped that with Tempura Crumbles and thinly sliced Nori (Seaweed sheets). And the sauces applied are Spicy Garlic Aioli, a house Teriyaki sauce and a Sweet Chili Oil Glaze. There was one more sauce, but I didn't get it in my notes, and the best way to be sure is to take a trip there... When the creation was served to me I was stunned by how it all came together, and if I'm being honest the photo above was taken yesterday, because the first time I had it, it didn't last long enough to be photographed... Billy asked me what I thought of the new creation, and I told him that it was fantastic! And next time I come in, (which was today coincidentally) this is what I want, so he needs to keep that recipe on his fingertips. He said that he would but I needed to name it so he would associate it and be able to re-create it. "I get to name it?" I asked, he said "It's your roll, you get to name it." So of course, I christened it "The Big Sexy", and when I went in tonight with Nicole I said to Billy "You know what I want..." and he prepared me a Big Sexy and it was magnificent again...
Next time you are having a Sushi fit, stop into Kru and give the Big Sexy a try...I'm trying to get it on the menu officially...:)
Until next time troops!
