KUMI JAPANESE RESTAURANT & BAR LAS VEGAS
Let me start by saying that I’m a sushi person. Not only I love the taste, texture of raw fish and all related ingredients like wasabi and ginger, in every bite I see sushi Chef knowledge. See how he is honoring great Japanese traditions and bringing some his own and unique touches to the food.
So far I’ve visited many different places all over the world and can honestly say that US definitely can be called a sushi capital due to the highest concentration of talented and ambitious Chefs working here. Every big city has its own star in this segment and today I want to tell you about one in Las Vegas and about my unbelievable sushi experience at Kumi Japanese Restaurant & Bar By Akira Back.
This time I was traveling with my husband, who is a heavy sushi lover as well and being together we had a better opportunity to try a wider selection of dishes and appetizers. As always we decided to start our experience with a sake tasting and found a gem! A sake that is truly locally-produced, is made with the local Ginginga rice which took over eight years to develop and perfect. The water, yeast and brewing team are also all from Iwate prefecture. It has a Junmai Gingo quality grade, which speaks for itself! The taste in very rich-textured, with slight wood spice and floral aromas that quickly move towards apple compote and lively citrus notes akin to lime rind. From green fruit flavors upfront to a creamy mid-palate with some super ripe cantaloupe and honeydew, the mild acidity allows the minerality to exert itself on the finish.
This sake is a true gem or every seeker of Japanese perfection. It is brewed at Nanbu Bijin brewery, that was founded in 1915 and is located at Iwate Prefecture. After that we both immediately understood that we came to a right place, where Japanese cuisine will be respectfully served in the way in meant to be and moved to the main menu..
Our tastings we decided to divide in 4 categories. For each category we picked, to our opinion, the most dared three options from the menu, that only the highest level restaurant and only the skilled Chef can handle – the sake experience raised the bar very high!
Our first choice were three cold appetizers – Octopus Crudo (thin sliced octopus with onion salsa on top and some olive oil), Hirame Carpaccio (with super tasty dry shallots on top) and Salmon Tiradito (it sits on charred peach and has beautiful rounds of cilantro oil). All three were honestly good. The best vote goes to Octopus Crudo, the taste is crispy clean and fresh, you feel the octopus texture very well and only then salsa kicks in with its lightness. Amazing combo! (second place – Hirame Carpaccio)
For the second course of cold appetizers we chose – New Style White Fish Sashimi (covered with hot oil and yuzu soy), Blackened Tuna (OMG!) and AB Tuna Tacos (tuna pieces in avocado puree sits in taro taco-lookalike chip).
Winner is Blackened Tuna, the fish has such an amazing texture, free of any additives taste and overall freshness, that you can not even compare it with anything else. Then kicks the lemony spicyness of the edge and it takes to another dimension. Pure winner! (second place – AB Tuna Tacos. Actually a very good and tasty dish, would be great for companies and beer parties. Tuna has nice creaminess and spicy flavor!
Second was three hot dishes, Miso Black Cod (super tender fish covered in yuja miso), Yuzu Kosho Scallops (has a truffle parmesan) and Japanese Eggplant (covered with sweet miso and freshly grilled mozzarella).
Scallops is our choise number one, nice texture and great company of side like pancetta and parmesan. (second place – Miso Black Cod. Very tender, almost a thick smoothie texture, nice sweet taste.)
Of course between all this we ordered our beloved random nigiri sets and tried the Sakana Platter, that is the Chef’s daily selection of sushi and sashimi. Faty tuna, Salmon, Scallop and Octopus are a must! All served in a traditional way, all deliver very nice balance of rice/fish combo. High class!
Evening ends with two desserts of our choice, Coconut Rice Cake that sits in front of vanilla ice cream ball and Seasonal Souffle that is accompanied with fresh strawberries. Happy ending )
As a conclusion, this place deliver even more than I expected. Everything starting from great interior to a smooth atmosphere very pleasant. Food had a highest quality and all our fish dishes were outstanding. If you are looking for a great Japanese place in Vegas – search no more, Kumi Japanese Restaurant & Bar By Akira Back is your place to visit.
P.S.: tip from me, if you want to get a better food experience, make friends with a person who takes your order ))). Michael helped us a lot and his advices on the menu and deep understanding of the Japanese cuisine were remarkable.
