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.