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Deftly designed sushi, masterfully molded rice balls
and paper thin slices of the finest fish are the perfect additions to
downtown South Miami.
Restaurant owner Abe Ng's Sushi Maki has transformed
the well-known Wrapido into a more sophisticated eatery, complete with
indoor-outdoor seating, a full-service wait staff, an extensive
alcoholic beverage menu and a quaint personal atmosphere.
In the ever-evolving South Miami, this new little
sushi bar is exactly what the local community needed and Ng noted that
consumer demand was the main impetus for opening Sushi Maki.
"The sushi items were the fastest growing
components of the menu," he explained.
Ng said his customers desired full-service attention,
more Japanese food and a more mature environment. Sushi Maki provides
exactly that.
No novice in the restaurant business he and his
father own five Canton Chinese Restaurants and the Toyoma Sushi Bar --
Ng says he wanted to create a sushi bar that balances taste, style and
comfort. He fashioned his restaurant after New York style sushi
legends, but without the uptown prices. Everything at Sushi Maki is
really reasonably priced.
From the rich mahogany-stained wood counters and the
luxurious black-lacquered lunch boxes to the beautiful table
arrangements, every design element is accounted for. Miniature wheat
grass gardens grow at every table, adding just the right amount of 'feng
shui' to each dining experience. Even the soy sauce gets spruced up in
elegantly curving glass bottles. Nothing is contrived or overdone.
Every ounce of decor accentuates the friendly atmosphere and savory
food selections.
And, just as the gentle aura begins to take full
effect, the tasty sushi tidbits will arrive at your table and assuage
your hunger. Whether you order one of the 17 cooked rolls (such as the
Dragon roll) that Ng says are his specialty or the delicately sliced
sashimi or the generously proportioned teriyaki plates, everything is
sure to please.
However, two items impressed my palette, the
succulently grilled salmon and the tangy kanisu. If you've never had
the courage to try raw fish, kanisu is a good option. In it,
paper-thin slices of cucumber-wrapped avocado, masago and cooked crab.
Sesame seeds and rice vinegar give it a lively combination of flavors
that will surprise even the most selective sushi connoisseurs.
The creative array of delectable dishes gives Sushi
Maki its own unique flair. Take for example these rolls -- Romeo and
Juliet, Jewelry, Three Village, and Popeye. Each arrangement triggers
an exquisite explosion of tastes in your mouth. Sushi chef and partner
David Ng shines through with each of his marvelous creations.
In a world whose complexity and chaos grows at an
ever-astounding pace, sushi offers consumers a sense of order. Sushi
Maki masters the art of the dining experience. The sushi bar is now a
standard in any cityscape from New York to London to Los Angeles.
Indeed, the opening of Sushi Maki in the heart of South Miami
symbolizes the city's evolution into a thriving urban epicenter.
Sushi Maki, at 5812 Sunset Drive, is open Sunday
through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11:30
a.m. to midnight. For more information, please call 305-667-7677.
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