You fall like flies when its your first time....

              Everyone remembers their first time. Excitement, fear and probably some liquid courage.
Mouth watering, beautiful yet at the same time, something so unknown that you're left wondering "Is this really safe?".  Just remember, we wont laugh if you gag and if it smells like fish, its probably bad.

Everyones first time eating sushi is a daunting experience (what were you thinking of? Pervert.) If you've never had it before your first thought is usually the California roll. Nothing raw, thats pretty safe right? Yes.. But extremely boring to your sushi chef. As a sushi master, i loved to be challenged with every customer i met. Now, that being said, do go out and order a bunch of things that you wont eat. Look on the menu.....okay, see where it says Eel? Dont run! Eel is a wonderful starter for most beginners. Its cooked, its sweet and its taste when done right i.e. served warm. Get a roll with Eel. Nom Nom Nom! Good right? Okay, next, shoot for shrimp. No, its not raw. A majority of places just fry whole shrimp. (We didnt, at Harbor Docks, which i think was the best way, but who listens to me? Im white) Anyways, get yourself a crunch shrimp roll. Mmmmm, tasty right? With rolls like that, you can pretty much drown the bastard in soy sauce and it will still be good. So go wild girl, its your party. When you start getting into bigger and better things then i might have to slap your hand away and tell you know. But just know i do it because i love you. This blog will be cut short because im hungry and ive got a better idea of something to write in the coming weeks, but i will close on this thought.
       Wasabi. If youre new, dont touch it. It wont kill you, but you need to know how to play with fire before you can fully use it.
      Everyone have a good night and Aloha from Hawaii


P.S.- Next week ill be coming to you live from a secret location!!! So secret that the very mention of its name would destroy the world as we know it. <3

Chiba-ken

                  Chiba-ken is nestled in between a small bubble tea bar and some other random shop. The restaurant itself is a testament to a modest japanese establishment. Nothing too flashy. A few plants surrounding the outside patio. A small sigh above the door is one of the only indications that it is in fact  Chiba-ken. Inside is a a mix of modern and traditional decoration, with bottles of sake lining the back wall like a very tantalizing advertisement.

                        When i first walked in this place. i had an instant sense of home. Ive been to many a sushi bar and havent felt this kind of excitement in a place since the first time i walked in to Harbor Docks (ill explain later). Greeted with a friendly “irasshaimase” which means “please come in.”  Like almost every mildly traditional place ive been to, they offer you green tea from the start and a hot towel. On our last visit they failed to do so,which was kind of a disappointment, but I can over look that. The menu is written in both English and Japanese, which i love. Along with the phonetic pronunciation of the Japanese words on the page.

My appetizer was going to be a spicy Himachi roll. Himachi is yellowtail by the way, also known as a Japanese Amberjack. (Yellowfin is a type of tuna, people get Yellowtail and Yellowfin mixed up constantly.) At first apperance, I was a little turned off by the way the inside of the roll looked. It tasted great, but looked strange. Perfect amount of spice, along with cucumbers, made it a very tasty roll.



After that, came the main course. Tuna and avocado roll along with Tuna and Octopus nigiri....

 Definitely the highlight of the night. I will always have an undying love for the tuna avocado roll. Two beautiful flavors, melding together to make something that can excite my taste buds in a way ive only imagined in my dreams.

  In addition to the heaven that was the Tuna avocado roll, my Tuna and Octo nigiri made a perfect ending to a culinary trip that was almost derailed be a strange looking roll. I do want to comment on how fresh all of this tasted. Ive rarely enjoyed tuna as much as i have from here. It tasted like it was cut directly from the fish, just out of the ocean. Im sure it wasnt directly pulled out, but thats also something to say about the quality of this place.



Other fun things from this night....

Shrimp Tempura

Oni-goroshi sake

Firecracker Roll

Good night. 

So, overall a fantastic experience at Chiba-ken. For me, it was a familiar reminder of why i enjoy sushi so much. For others, it will be a venture in a new territory.