Kimi's Corner - Mitch's Sushi Bar

Mitch's Sushi Bar

When it comes to good seafood, the first and most important quality I look for is the freshness, and if you’re the like me, then look no further than Mitch’s Sushi Bar, located near the airport at 524 Ohohia street, where freshness is the main ingredient.

Mitch’s Sushi Bar is hosted by Douglas Mitchell, better known as “Mitch” and is owned by son Craig Mitchell.  The small restaurant of only 15 chairs blends right into its industrial surroundings because it’s built into the warehouse of Dow Distribution, Craig’s fish importing company.  Approaching this warehouse, with a 22’ Boston Whaler, trailored in the garage, first timers might not realize the unforgettable fine dining they are about to experience.

Because the restaurant is part of the fish importing company, it just doesn’t get any fresher than this.  “With all this fresh seafood on hand, what a perfect idea to open up a sushi restaurant,” Mitch explains.  “I used to run a poke shop with my wife, but after she passed away, I closed it.  I needed a break.  But now I like the feel of running the restaurant because you get to sit and talk with the customers. The poke shop was a take out place so everyone was always in and out so quickly”

Now for the food, ahh the food.  I started by ordering the lobster sashimi and within seconds, restaurant manager Hiromi Hendrix headed out the door into the garage and returned to present our table with a live New Zealand lobster!  As soon as I nodded with approval, the lobster was then darted off to the kitchen for preparation.  Minutes later, a beautiful presentation of lobster sashimi, sliced and placed right back into the lobster tail, arrived on a plate with fresh ground wasabi root and a slice of lemon.

I asked Mitch for instruction on the best way to eat this dish and he explained that there are two ways.  Most of Hawaii’s locals like to mix the freshly grated wasabi, imported from Japan, into their shoyu and enjoy it as a dipping sauce for the raw lobster.  However, Mitch’s Sushi Master Hideo Mitsui, and Chef Masa Murakami, feel that the best way is to place the wasabi directly onto the sashimi, squeeze a few drops of lemon juice, and eat it just like that, skipping any use of soy sauce.

Naturally, I had to try both methods.  First the chef’s recommendation- simply delicious, the flavorful and spicy wasabi along with the tart zest of the lemon hit my palette first and were immediately followed by the succulent sweetness of the delicate lobster meat.  These contrasting flavors did nothing but compliment each other and create a harmony of clean, pure, delight.  “This way must be my favorite,” I thought to myself, but decided to give the good ol’ wasabi and shoyu method a try anyway.

As I mixed my wasabi into my dish with shoyu, I immediately noticed the tiny minced pieces of the freshly ground radish separate and swirl around, unlike the pasty mixture you get from store bought wasabi.  I squeezed a little lemon on my lobster meat, and then dipped it into the shoyu mixture.  Although I thought I had made up my mind the first time, the minute that salty shoyu and sweet lobster meat hit my tongue, I felt the local girl within me wake up and smile.  The shoyu, though a little strong for such delicate meat, sure did add a savory goodness that pleased my taste buds with pure, soul-satisfying comfort.

Mitch then informed my party that the head and body of the lobster were being used to make a miso soup that would be presented to us at the end of the meal.  He told us that the lobster tail, along with any leftover sashimi pieces would be taken back to the kitchen and added to our soup as well.  How delightful; however, at our table there were no leftovers of sashimi, so we just sent back the empty tail.

Next up, fresh Tasmanian abalone!  Mitch’s Sushi Bar always offers the abalone sashimi style, but after glancing at the chalkboard on the wall with the nightly specials listed, we decided to try the awa bi kimo yaki.  This dish is a combination of the broiled outer edges of the abalone and the abalone liver.

This time, it was the chef’s apprentice Shingo who headed out to the garage and returned with a fresh abalone to present to the table.  This thing was huge!  At about five inches in diameter, it sort of resembled a giant opihi.  We all “ooh’d” and “ahh’d” in delight over the magnificent shellfish, and when we were finally done admiring it, Shingo delivered it to the kitchen.  It was then that that I realized what a fun and magical dining experience we were all sharing, moment by moment at Mitch’s.

When the abalone returned, it was cut into irregular shaped, bite sized pieces that were sitting in a savory, buttery sauce.  We looked at the pieces in amazement, as we tried to distinguish which ones were liver and which ones were parts of the abalone’s outer edges.  Even though I’ve never enjoyed liver as a kid or an adult, I bravely picked up the biggest piece on the plate and put the whole thing in my mouth.    I tasted the silky, buttery sauce first and then the intriguing flavor of the abalone itself.  As I chewed, the flavors got more and more pungent, and before I knew it, I was reminded that sure enough, I still haven’t acquired the taste for liver.  Mitch smiled and chuckled as he watched my facial expressions change. “You wanna hold my hand?” he teased, as I swallowed my bite and quickly chased it with some green tea.

The others at my table then begun to dig in, and absolutely loved the liver.  I realized that in this particular case, I became one of those people who just didn’t know what they were missing.

The broiled outer edges of the abalone however, were just my style.  I could still taste a little bit of the liver flavor on them since everything was cooked together, but in much smaller dosages, that I could enjoy.  It brought a deep hearty flavor to the dish, which was complimented perfectly by the tantalizing butter sauce.  The flesh itself was absolutely succulent.  When slightly broiled, the fresh abalone became tender and extremely juicy.  The flavors were perfect.

The rest of our night was spent eating seafood delicacies from around the world.  We tried the toro, a highly prized and well-marbled cut of ahi (from Spain), sake salmon (from New Zealand), uni sea urchin (from Alaska), hotate scallops (from Japan) and much more.  Then right when we were all getting stuffed, Mitch reminded us to save some room because the best was yet to come.

The waitress Jennifer (Hiromi’s daughter) brought bowls of luscious lobster miso soup to our table.  The lobster’s head and tail were sticking out of our individual soup bowls, and now cooked, the shell glowed a vibrant red, making an astonishing presentation.  We broke through the legs of the lobster and sucked out the moist sweet meat and then took long sips of the soothing miso flavored broth.  What a way to finish a feast.  Every sip made my taste buds dance as I savored the salty, sweet, and even creamy flavor of the broth.  We all ate it slowly, because as full as we were, we still wanted this heavenly taste to last forever.

Mitch then got up and did his rounds, checking in on everyone in the restaurant as they thanked him genuinely and looked just as content and satisfied as we were.  He explained to us that although 80% of his customers are local, he gets guests from Japan, New York, New Zealand, and all over the world.  “We never advertise,” he said, “So we don’t know how they find out about us.  But if you serve good food, people will find you.  All of our customers always come back”.

I highly recommend Mitch’s Sushi bar for an adventurous fine dining experience at its freshest.  Although Mitch’s is a “come as you are” restaurant, reservations are a must.

Micht's Sushi Bar
524 Ohohia St
Airport Business Area, Honolulu
Tel: 837-7774
Daily: 11:30am, Last Seating 7:30pm