Last week I was in Oklahoma City for appointments. I didn't have a lunch meeting scheduled, so I was on my own. I had been craving sushi the previous weekend and didn't get to have any, so I knew I needed to have it for lunch. I couldn't find a place I wanted on restaurant.com, so I then checked out keepitlocal.com. I came across Sushi Neko, and since I had heard great things about it, decided to go there. It's on Western Avenue, not too far from downtown where my final appointment was. As I arrived, I noticed that there's a bunch of road construction right where I needed to go. And of course I parked on the other side of the street. As I walked to the corner to cross the street, I saw Musashi's on my side of the road. And decided to go in there instead. Yes, that's really lazy. But I couldn't help it. Turns out Musashi's and Sushi Neko are sister restaurants. And both are part of the Western Concepts Restaurant Group. So I wasn't truly cheating.
As you enter, the bar is to the left. It's a small bar area, with only 4 booths each seating 4 people, and then the bar with barstools. Beyond that is the Fire Room, where I was seated. This is the sushi section, with 6 tall tables along the semi-circle window, and the sushi bar is against the wall that leads to the main dining room. The main dining room is pretty large, and is nothing but 5 huge hibachi stations. Each one seats about 20 people, and one of the stations is behind a sliding door that can be used for a private meal. There is also the Sake Lounge, and outdoor patio that wraps around half of the restaurant.
My server came to the table and offered me a hot towel. I've never seen that in a restaurant before. I really like that touch.
My server came to the table and offered me a hot towel. I've never seen that in a restaurant before. I really like that touch.
I started with an order of edamame
It came out in record time, and was hot and fresh and lightly salted. I was really shocked at how big the serving was. It's definitely for more than one person. By the end of my meal I still had about half left
For lunch I went with the spicy calamari and the spicy smoked salmon rolls
I really enjoyed both rolls. I've never had lemon zest in a roll before, and it added a big punch of flavor. When I first bit into it I had totally forgotten there was even lemon in there, and was just trying to figure out what it was. But it was a great contrast to the salmon. I was really impressed with the large chunks of salmon. Parts of the calamari were a little overcooked, but that was the only negative. Other than that, the roll was excellent. The creamy avocado worked really well with the crunch from the calamari and cucumber.
By the time I was eating my sushi, I was practically the only person left in the restaurant. Which makes sense, since I got there late and it's primarily a business lunch crowd. I joked with my server about missing the lunch rush, and he told me that it was a good thing. Because had I arrived much earlier he was so swamped, and wouldn't have been able to give me the great attention that I got. Good to know!
Will I go back? Most definitely! The sushi was delicious, and I would love to do a group hibachi dinner one night.
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| SPICY CALAMARI - fried calamari, spicy sauce, lemon, cucumber, avocado, masago SPICY SMOKED SALMON - smoked salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, masago, spicy sauce |
By the time I was eating my sushi, I was practically the only person left in the restaurant. Which makes sense, since I got there late and it's primarily a business lunch crowd. I joked with my server about missing the lunch rush, and he told me that it was a good thing. Because had I arrived much earlier he was so swamped, and wouldn't have been able to give me the great attention that I got. Good to know!
Will I go back? Most definitely! The sushi was delicious, and I would love to do a group hibachi dinner one night.
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