Restaurant Review: Sushi Koji

Breaking up is hard to do, but more often than not, it’s the best thing for all parties involved. So when Koji Fujikawa and his partner at Sushi Koji (now Sushi Hana) on Haywood Road decided to go their separate ways, downtown Greenville claimed another good sushi spot.

Set on the corner of Main and College streets, Sushi Koji opened in February. The renovated space inside the Prevost Building has taken on a contemporary air, with hardwood floors, high-backed booths, and lantern-like light fixtures. A small liquor bar greets guests as they enter the dining room; two flat-screen TVs, a large one over the bar, and a smaller one over the sushi bar, keep sports and news hounds happy. At the back of the restaurant, a separate room—accommodating up to twenty—can be closed off from the main restaurant with French doors.

Chef Fujikawa, one of the Imperial chefs brought to Greenville from Japan to work in the now-defunct Nippon Center’s restaurant, Yagoto, presides over the five-seat sushi bar with a second younger chef. This, clearly, is where the action is, as diners watch the chefs slice, roll, and arrange raw fish into attractive presentations.

The menu proffers items to suit most tastes: sushi, sashimi, noodles (ramen, soba, and udon, which come with a variety of ingredients, Kobe beef among them), and a variety of cooked dishes. Or you can put yourself in the chef’s practiced hands by ordering one of two omakase menus. With so many authentic offerings to choose from, my companion and I ignore the Americanized fare (teriyaki, New York strip steak) in favor of sushi and the recommendations made by our cheerful, knowledgeable waitress.

Her suggestions are right-on for our starters: baked mussels and tuna tataki. The mussels could have been a bit more tender, but are flavorful nonetheless. Served on the half-shell, mussels are placed on a bed of imitation crab (why not use the real thing?) mixed with the chef’s special spicy mayonnaise and topped with tobiko. Tuna tataki is just seared, sliced thin, and served aside a tiny dish of piquant ponzu sauce.

We agonize over our entrée decisions, but finally settle on the chirashi, and an assortment of nigiri and sushi rolls. Chirashi, the chef’s choice of sashimi served atop a layer of sushi rice in a laquered box, comes with miso soup or cabbage salad.

My companion goes for the soup and is glad he did. This miso soup is a light, savory introduction to the meal, floating with strips of seaweed and cubes of tofu—and not over-salted.

The chirashi tonight contains a selection of octopus, salmon, mackerel, whitefish, tuna, and more, garnished with a large leaf of oba, a.k.a. Japanese mint. Our waitress instructs us to break off a piece of the leaf to accompany the sashimi. It’s a match: Oba’s refreshing taste—floral with a hint of citrus—adds another flavor dimension to the fish.

I order three pieces of fresh nigiri, including toro, which I am pleasantly surprised to find here. While toro, the much-prized—and relatively expensive—fatty belly meat of the bluefin tuna, is prevalent in big-city sushi bars, it is a rare occurrence on menus in our area.

Though I am tempted by the likes of a Greenville Roll (yellow tail, onion, cilantro and ceviche “sauce”) and Surf and Turf (lobster mix, avocado, and cucumber wrapped in beef tataki), I opt for a Double Shrimp roll (raw shrimp, avocado, and tobiko rolled around shrimp tempura and cucumber).

To wash down your meal, there’s a fair-sized list of wine, beer, and sake. Two pages of specialty cocktails, including one made with shochu, a distilled spirit similar to vodka, complete the roster.

With its warm atmosphere, friendly, helpful staff, and fish flown in from markets in California and Tokyo, Sushi Koji just might become your new favorite sushi bar. It may have taken a break-up of sorts to create the place, but in this case, the split had a deliciously happy ending.

Location:
217 N. Main St., Greenville

Hours:
Tue.–Thu., 11:30am–2pm & 5:30–10pm;
Fri., 11:30am–2pm & 5:30–11pm;
Sat., 5:30–11pm;
Sun., 4:30–9pm;
Closed Monday

Price of Dishes:
$8 to $35
(864) 631-1145

*Editor's Note: There is an error in the print version of this article. The title of the article (corrected online) should be Two to Tataki. We apologize for the error.