SAPPORO SUSHI FRESH FROM THE SEA
By Tony Reverditto
It was a welcomed surprise to discover Sapporo Sushi within the Menifee city limits. It is really quite miraculous to see that their purveyors, The Fish Company in Los Angeles ship fresh fish all the way to the desert for us Menifee residents to indulge in. The owners Sang and Mia Kim have such a great backstory prior to moving to Menifee in 2002. Mia owned a high-volume Chinese restaurant in Texas for 10 years and needed a break so she came to LA to go to fashion school. Sang was attending culinary school in Los Angeles specializing in Japanese cuisine and sushi. They were introduced through a mutual friend and eventually got married. Sang wanted to open a sushi restaurant here but there was no space back then, so they opened a first location in Murrieta in 2004. But they had kept their eyes on Menifee because that was Sang’s original dream. Finally in 2019, they found the perfect local location at the Menifee Lakes Plaza.
Because of the current mandate for outdoor seating only, they have created a wonderful alternative with 8 tables that were almost filled up when we arrived at 2pm. They have beer and wine, so I thought it only fitting to order a Sapporo Beer, which is named after the fifth largest city in Japan, and the largest city on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The menu is quite extensive and they have something for everyone which ranges from Sushi, Sashimi, Tempura, Teriyaki, Curry, Bowls, Noodles, Salads and so much more.
We ordered the Tempura Shrimp Curry and Salmon Teriyaki for starters and both were absolutely phenomenal. The sushi chef on duty executed Sang’s recipes beautifully and the portions were very generous. They have a great lunch menu and platters also in which you can get a better price on many of the menu items, although I felt their prices were reasonable. From there, we ordered the small Sashimi Platter which consisted of 15 pieces which could be 3 of any of the following, Tuna, Salmon, Yellowtail, Albacore, Shrimp, Cajun Tuna, Cajun Salmon, Cajun Albacore and/or White Tuna. The featured sashimi for us was Salmon, Ahi Tuna and Yellowtail, tender and fresh as can be and visually a rainbow for the eyes. They are also available in medium (25) and large (45) depending on the size of your group.
I could not wait to try the Sushi, but there were dozens and dozens of traditional and unique specialty options with clever names such as the Hummingbird, Rainbow, Happiness, Love, Hottie Hottie, Spider, 3 Amigos, Flamingo, Honeymoon, Queen and many more with some of the most creative combinations that I have ever heard of.
We narrowed it down to the Hawaiian rolled with Spicy Tuna, Shrimp Tempura, Avocado topped with Seared Black Pepper Tuna, Sliced Jalapeno, Chopped Nuts with Garlic Ponzu Sauce and the Lobster Tail Roll with Real Crab, Lobster Tail, Gobo, Avocado, Cucumber topped with Masago, Soy Paper, Eel Sauce. The sushi rolls had an exquisite presentation including the ones that we saw going to other tables and they tasted fantastic. I highly recommend Sapporo Sushi and am looking forward to trying some of the other rolls.
Sapporo Sushi Restaurant
29787 Antelope Rd Suite 120, Menifee (951) 679-3141
39252 Winchester Rd Suite 137, Murrieta (951) 461-7629
Website: www.SapporoSushiRestaurant.com