Jizake Is Fun Destination for Sushi Lovers

A friend of mine has been recommending to me for a long time. This week my husband, daughter and I finally took her advice and went to see what she has been raving about.

Jizake is located at 30001 Crown Valley near Niguel Road. The exterior of the restaurant is fairly nondescript, and it is easy to miss while driving, but we successfully found it. As we entered, the staff greeted us by saying something in unison, which was fun and welcoming. Inside the restaurant, it is light and bright. The décor is very simple, with a sleek, blonde wood sushi bar, as well as regular dining tables. We opted for the sushi bar.

A server took our drink orders immediately. Jim and I split a large Sapporo and my daughter had a soda. I suspect there are some excellent sake options available also, as the name Jizake refers to sake, but that is something for us to try another time.

We ordered some edamame and began to look over the menu. The sushi chef handed us each a very hot, wet towel for our hands, which was nice. Next, he set a large leaf down in front of each of us, and placed a generous portion of ginger and wasabi on each leaf.

The drinks and edamame arrived quickly. The soybeans came steamed in a basket and were very hot and perfectly salted.

In addition to edamame, the menu offers other starters, such as cucumber, seaweed, calamari and salmon skin salads. Hot appetizers include: clam soup, yellowtail cheek, green mussels, baked scallops, butterfish and something called chawanmushi, a seafood egg custard.

There is a selection of fried items such as shrimp and vegetable tempura, soft shell crab, tofu nuggets, calamari and gyoza. Chicken and New York steak teriyaki bowls are available as are three varieties of Japanese noodles.

The real gems of the menu are on the page of interesting and imaginative sushi rolls. A tempting example is the Viva Mexico, made of lobster, jalapeno cheese, and crabmeat, wrapped in soy paper and tempura fried. The lollipop is tuna, salmon, albacore, and avocado, wrapped in cucumber.

After reviewing all of our choices, my husband chose an order of tuna sushi and the doublex2 roll. This roll is made of shrimp tempura, crabmeat and tiger shrimp. It comes with special mayo sauce and is covered with little bits of fried tempura batter.  My daughter selected the spring roll, which is made from tuna, salmon, albacore, crabmeat and avocado wrapped in soy paper, and is served with special mayo and eel sauces. Feeling adventurous, she also ordered the “try me roll,” which is fried shrimp, spicy tuna, crabmeat, and avocado wrapped in soy paper, and served with special mayo sauce.

I went with the tsunami roll, which is prepared with spicy albacore and avocado layered with salmon, rolled and served with special mayo and eel sauces.

As we waited for our selections to be prepared, we listened to Alicia Keyes and Beyonce on Sirius radio, which played in the backround. Each customer who came in was greeted by the staff as we had been, and the atmosphere was fun and relaxed. Some waited for to-go orders, some were enjoying dinner in the dining room, but most were seated around the sushi bar.

As our sushi was served, we all noticed that the quality of the fish seemed very good. The pieces of fish were large and flavorful. The presentation of the rolls was beautiful, with the sauces artfully swirled on the plates. We loved everything we ordered, but my favorites were the tsunami, the perfect mix of spice and salmon, and the spring roll, which tasted light and refreshing. 

Four rolls for the three of us were more than enough as the portions are large and satisfying.

We loved Jizake! The relaxed, casual ambiance and great food are a nice combination for a dinner out, especially if you are a sushi lover. The talented sushi chefs are friendly and the servers are attentive and efficient. Jizake is open for dinner daily from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

I give Jizake 4 out of 5 Patches.