Kabuki Korean & Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar opened in mid-2009 at 848 S. Main St. in Centerville under the ownership of Mae Brown and Yi Ho Suk, who makes his own soy sauce and keeps a “black book” of recipes and jotted-down ideas for recipes in his pocket at all times. Some of those ideas have become reality on Kabuki’s extensive list of “specialty rolls,” where East meets at least a touch of West.
The specialty rolls look like traditional sushi rolls but may contain ingredients such as mayonnaise, oranges, asparagus and cream cheese.
The colorful Centerville Roll ($13.95) includes cooked salmon, shrimp tempura, avocado and cream cheese rolled into a log, flash-fried, then sliced and drizzled with thin, colorful ribbons of spicy sauces, including a red sauce spiced with hot peppers and a green sauce spiced with wasabi. It packs a delightfully spicy punch. The distinctive Orange Sunshine Roll ($14.95) leaves the spice behind in favor of a refreshing citrus flavor that enhances shrimp tempura crab and salmon, drizzled with an orange cream sauce.
Among the Korean entries, the Bulgogi ($14.95) — marinated and thinly sliced ribeye beef stir-fried with onion and bell peppers, served with a slightly sweetened soy sauce — is a better choice than the Kai Bi ($17.95), broiled beef short ribs. From the appetizers, try the Harumaki, Japanese-style shrimp and vegetable eggrolls.