Akai Hana

I got a surprise night off this past Friday, and decided to go shopping.  It started raining, and I was hungry.  I started off thinking how good nabeyaki udon from Japanese Oriental sounded, but somehow ended up having sushi at Akai Hana (meaning "red flower"), the restaurant formerly known as Restaurant Japan.  Until now, I had only been for lunch, and I discovered that at 7pm on a Friday night, it's quite busy.  Thank goodness for sushi counters, my seat of choice in any sushi restaurant anyway.  My only complain with the sushi counter at Akai is you cannot see the hands of the sushi chefs; the prep area is too high. 

But on with dinner . . . Occasionally, especially when eating at Kihachi, I feel a little pedestrian ordering BBQ eel.  I know I should have the sea urchin or something else really challenging, but I can't help it.  I love BBQ eel, and I will never apologize or stop loving it.  I even love the little bones (in moderation).  I also tried two things I've never had before - first was tomago (tamagoyaki), a sweetened, rolled Japanese omelet flavored with rice wine and dashi (fish stock).  Chef is always waxing lyrical about tomago, how he always saves it for last, etc., and I couldn't remember ever having it before.  It really is quite tasty.  At first it seems a little strange to be eating a cold, sweet omelet, but it really is delicious.  Second was a plum and shiso roll; truly a different experience.  Shiso is a delicious herb which is traditionally served alongside sushi.  When you get sushi and there is a little piece of grass-like plastic separating the sushi from the fake wasabi paste, it is fake shiso (Kihachi serves real shiso leaves with their sushi).  There are two kinds of shiso - red and green.  Green has a nice sharp and refreshing flavor, and the red has a deeper flavor and is used for making pickled plums.  The roll contained pickled plum and shiso paste, which is a salty, tart and delicious condiment all on its own (it scares Husband.  He accidentally ate a cured plum once and now won't try the pickled plum paste), along with fresh green shiso.  It was a taste difficult to explain - tart, salty and strangely savory, I think I might have found my new favorite vegetarian roll.  Lastly was one piece of nigiri white tuna.

Next up, tempura appetizer.  Here's another thing I will never apologize for being smitten with.  There is no cuisine whose frying capabilities are superior to tempura.  It's so perfect and delicious; Akai Hana's was no exception:

A lot of people think Akai Hana has the best sushi in Columbus.  I certainly find it far better than Haiku, another restaurant purported to have the best.  Their sushi is good - maybe even great for Columbus - but on a few occasions the rice has been horribly overseasoned, to the point where I deconstructed the sushi and ate only the fish.  Rice is very important in a sushi restaurant, so I would only encourage them to make their rice consistent.  I feel I should mention that on this occasion it was perfect.  The one benefit Akai Hana has is they always seem to be busy, so you can rest assured everything is fresh.  The execution might not be as refined as Kihachi, but if you are looking for a good sushi experience without the seriousness, visit Akai Hana.  I only wish it were located closer to downtown.

According to a recent Columbus Dispatch article, Akai Hana owner Takashi "Tony" Takenaka plans to open a seafood restaurant, Tenkai, later this month in the same shopping plaza.  I can't wait!

Info:  Akai Hana (fka Restaurant Japan) 1173 Old Henderson Road (Kenny Square Shopping Center, corner of Kenny Rd and Old Henderson) Columbus 614.451.5411

Totally arbitrary grade:  B+