Kihachi [2], Columbus OH

When I last visited Kihachi – almost 2 years ago despite it being less than a mile from my door – I stated “from the moment you enter the door to the moment you leave the experience is challenging yet simplified, complex yet refined, formal yet fun, and all-in-all wonderful.” but after that visit I’m afraid I fell out of love with the simple elegance of simplified cuisines and raw fishes…between work, studies, and living in the Midwest where there is a logistic limitation to the freshness of the fish I’d spent more time honing my palate in the formal realm of America’s best restaurants while on vacation than enjoying a culinary diamond in the rough in my own back yard. With that noted, I have to say I was excited when a colleague suggested a return visit to Kihachi – it is not often a friend has the money or inclination for such a place.

Planning around our schedules we decided Tuesday at 6:00 – the restaurant’s Mon-Sat opening time – would be ideal and arrived before the sign flipped from closed to open. The first persons to arrive in the restaurant we opted for counter seating and the restaurant quickly filled behind us – a situation no doubt somewhat due to Bourdain’s recently aired episode of No Reservations (actually filmed in November.) Greeted by the same two ladies who functioned as my translators/servers on the last visit water was filled promptly and service was exactly on par with previous, though items progressed from the kitchen slightly slower given the large crowd. Selecting between the “set menu” and the daily specials we each opted for four courses and then sat back to chat and watch Chef Mike’s masterful knife work. Sitting next to a pair of Japanese females the chef showed his preference for the language of his ancestors talking almost exclusively with the pair throughout the meal – he certainly seemed more personable on this visit than last.

For our first courses my dining companion ordered the baby octopus of my last visit while I opted for something new, a food I’d not yet encountered - the nightly special of Sea Cucumber with Melon, Lemon, and Seaweed in garlic soy broth. With a texture somewhere between Octopus and an actual cucumber I found the mildly sweet and snappy protein quite excellent while the mélange of sweet, sour, and salty in varying textures provided for a very appealing contrast – a well thought out dish, and a memorable one as well.

Our second courses would see my dining partner get two courses – the geoduck with miso and scallions (another dish I ordered on my previous visit) and the chef’s arranged tempura plate of fried japanese sweet potato, pumpkin, lotus root, shrimp, and octopus. For myself, the second course would entail my favorite dish of the night – a simple Otoro Roll with Ginger and Wasabi. Wound tightly and with just enough wasabi to add some heat the Fatty Tuna Belly was amongst the best I’ve had anywhere – and at $20 for twelve pieces much cheaper than I’ve had anywhere, as well.

Arriving shortly after my second course would be another sushi dish – this one much more interestingly paired. A box-style sushi that was interesting to watch the chef prepare, Sake Sea Bream with Lime and Mint would prove a very intoxicating concoction – the sweet fish painted with a bit of sake and the other constituents exuding hints of a mojito, but tamed enough by the savory fish and mild rice to prevent any one flavor from dominating the plate. Paired with a passion fruit infused soy sauce this dish was excellent.

Chatting some more while the burners were firing and the kitchen was working at a rapid pace we watched multiple other items come from the kitchen – fried mushrooms stuffed with shrimp, pork cheeks, a fried soft shell crab, amongst others. Shortly thereafter our main courses would arrive – simple, straight forward, salt-grilled Ayu. Served whole with the head on we each started from the tail and dissected upwards (tricky with chopsticks) identifying glandular meats as we went along. Salty, savory, perfectly crisp skin – and with liver and cheeks that trumped even the flesh…my only advice would be order this but skip the stomach.

When it was all said and done the four courses, tax, and tip rang in at just over $50 – certainly not cheap to say the least, but certainly not for a meal that you can find anywhere else in Columbus either. With all the debate going on about Bourdain’s strip malls and Applebee’s comment I still contest that I largely agree – but I’m also glad there are places like Kihachi in town to keep those of us who want a bit more from our cuisine happy. At some point I need to come back for the Omakase – perhaps when Uni season is back. Sushi restaurant or not, I still contest that Kihachi is the only place worth visiting for raw (or minimally cooked) fish in Central Ohio.

Kihachi, Columbus Ohio

In a city typically considered to be lacking in diversity and dominated by chains, one often must go out of their way to look for a great experience and great food....sometimes one even has to look for a strip mall off of Sawmill where the owner answers his own phones, has to respell your name five times due to his thick accent, and specifically states "if you have never eaten here....is not a sushi bar, is traditional Japanese cooking" on the phone. Welcome to Kihachi, welcome to something you'd NEVER expect in "Cowtown."

Seated at a reserved table for two near the wide-open kitchen manned by chef Ryuji Kimura and one other chef, the menu (all Japanese with short translations of some dishes) was described to us in full detail by one of two wonderful female servers. One menu included a set list of meals from Soba to Udon to Tempura to Rice dishes while the second entailed a list of sushi options and daily inspired appetizers gathered at local markets. Some of the options ranged from ultra-high-end such as Bluefin Oh-toro and brined Berkshire Pork cheeks while others such as eel stuffed
with diced lotus and arrow root simply reminded me of the sorts of dishes described by those who've dined at Masa Or Ursawa. After much debate we made our selections and began a rollercoaster tasting at a perfect pace while marveling at dishes brought to other diners.

Course one consisted of six perfectly poached whole baby octopus in a lemon ginger dressing. While the appearance alone was off-putting to my mother, the flavors were a perfect combination of brine and sweet with a fleshy yet smooth texture that dazzled.

Course two, included with my mother's dinner, was a relatively standard miso soup and sweet salad with creamy miso dressing. While both dishes were relatively 'standard' for a Japanese meal, both were excellent in quality and presentation.

Course three, from the daily inspiration menu was Mirugai muta, or Geoduck clam with sweet pea pods in cream sauce. While pricey, this dish was absolutely sublime in presenting a flawlessly fleshy clam contrast against crisp peapods in a decadent sauce. Having only had Geoduck once prior (and significantly more expensive) I can state that I'd certainly opt for Kihachi's presentation on future visits.

Course four consisted of Ebi Tukariage, an enormous sweet shrimp which was flash fried and meant to be consumed head-to-tail along with tempura lotus root and arrow root and a ginger soy sauce. Crispy yet smooth, sweet yet meaty, this dish was as fun to look at as it was to eat. Certainly not for the faint of heart I must say the head and carapace certainly had a different taste and texture from the body or tail, but like everything else I'd strongly recommend the experience if it were available.

Our mains arrived next. For myself I opted for the warm duck soba which paired thin buckwheat noodles in a salty broth with fatty duck breast and thin scallions. Definitely better than any soba I've experienced in Columbus and on par with the versions at Nobu SoHo or Lily Toronto....knowing the quality of everyting, next visit I'll certainly opt for the mixed Soba with Japanese Eggplant and Hot-Yam.

My mother chose the tempura platter with Shrimp, lotus, sweet potato, onion, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini as her main and for $17 I must say the portion was enormous. While everything was certainly fresh, well done, and good I guess I'm just not that big on tempura and this dish seemed pretty "standard" to me. Certainly not bad and I guess it is good to have a safe option for those not so keen on eating whole crustacean's or cephalopods.

Dessert, like the rest of the meal, was truly unique. Though multiple options from Japanese grapes to green tea icecrea to a peach boiled in red wine were available, we opted for the Azuki Shiratam - Glutinous Rice flour dumplings with anko sweet beans and the Sasadango - sticky red bean filled rice balls wrapped in bamboo leaves. While definitely not YOUR traditional desserts, these options are apparently very traditional in Japan and both were unique and equally pleasing to the eyes and the palate with the Shiratam unlike anything I'd ever experienced....something like the flavor of Boston Baked Beans combined with fluffy jello balls and the Sasadango like a fruit roll-up perfected.

All told, I was extremely impressed by every aspect of Kihachi and absolutely astounded that I'd missed out on going for so long. When the owner states that this is not a sushi restaurant it is the truth....sure they have some stellar looking sushi....but there is so much more and you owe it to yourself to check it out. Blink and you might miss it, the place isn't easy to find, yet from the
moment you enter the door to the moment you leave (for us, 2 hours and 20 minutes) the experience is challening yet simplified, complex yet refined, formal yet fun, and all-in-all wonderful. If this were "a sushi bar," it'd be the best I'd ever been to.....alas, it will just have to settle for best Japanese place that also happens to serve sushi. Fantastic.