Rolls with a Fruity Twist

Something about the soft blue light of the sushi bar in Mitsuba calls you to sit there, like a moth to a flame. Even if you end up sitting in one of this establishment's numerous tables, you still end up looking over at it, where all the action is.

There is nothing quite like sitting at the bar of a sushi restaurant. The chefs are much more likely to tell you what is good today, what is the most fresh or the best quality. At a recent trip to Mitsuba, the waitresses and chefs tipped me off to the marbled tuna, which was served a la carte as sushi (two pieces of raw fish, each served on top of a small slab of rice cooked in vinegar, which makes it sticky) that were so rich with flavor that it seemed too delicious to swallow.

Every sushi restaurant serves a variety of staples that everyone recognizes, and they look more or less the same no matter where you go: A California roll (crabmeat, cucumber and avocado, $5), a Philadelphia roll (smoked salmon, cream cheese and avocado, $6) and a spicy tuna or spicy salmon ($5.50 each) roll will not require too much of an adventurous spirit. The spicy sauce that Mitsuba uses is benign enough for even a sushi novice, but without sacrificing much in flavor.

For those with a more adventurous attitude to sushi, restaurants also offer a variety of specialty creations. The success of  these dishes often depends on the quality of the fish, along with the recipe itself. I recently ordered a Pink Lady Roll (plantain, salmon, shrimp, avocado, crunchy flakes and wasabi caviar wrapped in pink soybean paper and served with spicy sauce on the side, $13).

The Pink Lady looks almost too pretty to eat, but once you get over that you are in for a special treat. It tastes almost like a banana, but far more exotic, and the pink soy paper seems almost to disappear on your tongue.

Another specialty roll at Mitsuba is the Chatham Roll ($13), which adds an unusual ingredient to the mix: Mango, mixed with a spicy tuna roll, and with shrimp and spicy sauce on the top. The combination of these fish with anything less tangy than mango could have been a disaster, but as it was the Chatham Roll tasted like a party in the sunshine.

As I waited for my food, I witnessed the creation of another specialty roll: The New Century Roll ($15). Watching the chefs put this roll together is uniquely interesting, almonst exhausting. First, they cover the plate in crunchy tempura flakes, and then top it with two different kinds of sauce. The roll itself is made with spicy tuna, avocado and cucumber on the inside and topped with pepper tuna and spicy wasabi sauce. It's a mouthfull, but the combination of textures created by all these ingredients and the underlying taste of tuna makes this one a must-have.

Mitsuba is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from noon to 2:30 p.m. Dinner hours are 4:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday. It is located at 237 Main Street in Chatham, but for those who do not feel like going out, they offer delivery for a minimum order of $30. Take-out is also available. For more information, call (973) 635-3888 or go to www.mitsubachatham.com.