H is for Hana Tokyo

http://www.hanatokyo.com

Type of restaurant: Sushi

We had: Shumai, Spicy Tuna Roll, Hana Tokyo Roll, Fancy Roll, Volcano Roll, and Firecracker Roll

Thoughts: We decided to head out to Hana Tokyo on Valentine's Day around 7ish. After following the directions, we ended up in a strip mall and the H on the sign wasn't lit...not a good look. As we walked in, there were TONS of people waiting. Good sign, but not so good for our hungry tummies. After Allister talked to the hostess we realized everyone was waiting to the hibachi tables and we were able to sit right down at the sushi bar. After consulting the menu for a while, we decided on the shumai appetizer, spicy Tuna, Hana Tokyo, Firecracker, and Volcano rolls. It was Allister's first time having shumai and I don't think he was super impressed. I typically get it as an alternative to pork filled dumplings, but I thought they were pretty average. As for the rolls, there isn't much to say except they were all amazing. Seriously. They first gave us the Hana Tokyo and Spicy Tuna rolls, both exceptionally good. When we got the Firecracker and Volcano rolls, I was thinking, these have a lot going on...After I figured out the best way to dig in, I was pleasantly surprised again. The Volcano roll, which is topped with a mix of scallops, crab meat, and tobiko, was my favorite. Everything tasted very fresh, which is always a plus. It was also nice to see how much care the sushi chef put into his work, he was very detail oriented (luckily we were seated right in front of him so I could see all the action). After finishing those rolls, we chatted for a bit and decided to have one last roll. The decision was between the Fancy roll and the Dragon roll. We had to eeny, meeny, miny, moe it (I know, very precise method of choosing). We ended up getting the Fancy roll, which was pretty good. The only reason I wouldn't say it was amazing is because I have a bit of an issue with too much raw fish in my mouth at one time. Again on the plus side though, it was very fresh, and not at all fishy, its just a weird texture thing for me. Allister liked it a lot.

Overall opinion: Hana Tokyo is delicious!! We definitely have to go back and try the hibachi tables, but the sushi is wonderful. Its that perfect mix of a nice place with good quality food, but just hole-in-the-wall (i.e. broken sign, strip mall location) enough not to be too chi chi or expensive like so many sushi places in the city are. I'd totally give this a 5/5, the atmosphere was fun and the food was awesome. I'm definitely adding this to our list of favorite sushi places.