THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Pearl Sushi

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Pearl Sushi Restaurant Review:

Pearl Sushi is like no other sushi bar and restaurant in San Diego. Pedigree, location and the highest quality ingredients ensure its long-term popularity. Chef Makoto Okuwa hails from NYC’s esteemed Morimoto. He brings his innovative style and finely crafted dishes to an area accustomed to standard rolls and nigiri. Its close proximity to the Del Mar Racetrack attracts the high rolling, seasonal crowd; off season we bet these same denizens won’t stray. Chef Okuwa’s dishes combine traditional Japanese ingredients with European preparations and California presentation. Despite this global approach, the menu is focused and well executed. The not-to-be missed appetizer is the Butakaku pork cheeks served with pickled nappa cabbage and soba steamed buns; the luxurious fattiness of the pork melds perfectly with the sticky, starchy buns. The vegetable tempura is light and crisp with a whimsical, avant-garde art presentation. Complexly flavored, the miso soup is laden with silken artisan tofu. The kyou no soup combines exotic matsutake and mitsuba mushrooms, ginko nuts, shrimp and white fish in a smoky bonito broth. The miso-saké black cod, a dish made famous by Nobu Matsuhisa, is no less impressive here; the buttery Alaskan cod combines a lush mouthfeel with a salty-sweet-sour flavor that epitomizes umami. Favorite rolls include the bond shrimp (sesame-crusted shrimp with curry sauce), monkey (toro, yellow tail, ahi, asparagus, avocado and cucumber) and Pearl Kobe beef (seared with shiso leaf, plum paste and fried shallots). Don’t miss the interactive dessert called miracle fruit. Served on a bed of ice with lemons, limes and grapefruit, this African berry, like magic, makes everything you eat turn sweet.