A Beloved Chef Returns With Sushi Yama

We were not alone in mourning the closing of New Japan when its building on Washington Street was demolished in 2008. New Japan had been a fixture for decades and an unpretentious, steady favorite. Now, seven years later, sushi chef Yukio Hiyama has returned with Sushi Yama.

Sushi Yama occupies the old Flan Y Ajo location on Westminster Street. Though the renovations seem minimal, it has a calmness and simplicity, and is now entirely seated.

Our dinner was off to a great start with the Miso Soup ($3.50). Most Japanese restaurants serve a cookiecutter miso soup, so this creative version made its mark. Along with the seaweed, we discovered transparent icicle-shaped daikon and three types of locally grown mushrooms, probably pioppino, enoki and sliced shittake.

The miso soup wasn’t the only personalized touch that set Sushi Yama apart. We immediately noticed the coat rack, a grove of real trees. Then the symmetrical chopsticks, smooth and tapered on both ends. After we settled in, the soundtrack of jazz standards.

With our miso soup, we enjoyed a can of Orion Premium Draft, a rice lager from Okinawa ($4.50). The restaurant’s beverage menu includes a variety of beer, wine and sake. BYOB beer and wine is allowed, but corkage fees are fairly high and the selection is good, so you might as well stick to the menu.

The Three Salad Tasting Plate ($6) offered an opportunity to experience a variety of flavors and textures. The eponymous ingredient in Wakame Salad is the translucent, emerald-green seaweed found in most miso soups. Our Sweet and Sour Pickles were long, slim, tangy spears of radish and carrot. Hijiki seaweed is dried and almost black with a deep, earthy taste complemented by the sprinkle of lemon zest. The three salads can also be ordered a la carte ($3-$5).

Don’t skip the Small Plates; we had two. The Rhode Island lobster ($9) was loosely mixed with chunks of ripe avocado and dressed with a wasabi-soy sauce. This sweet lobster was sourced from Narragansett Bay lobsters out of Point Judith. The Gyoza ($6) are available in a vegetarian and a pork version. We ordered the latter, made with pork from Pat’s Pastured.

For such a small spot, Sushi Yama has a good selection of sake on the menu. We started with the Nanbu Bijin “Special” Tokubetsu Junmai ($19.50/10oz), which had a wonderfully fresh flavor. With this, my husband ordered the Sashimi Maki Combo ($20). This combo had six pieces of sashimi (that’s sliced raw fish, for the uninitiated) and two spicy or vegetable sushi rolls. The sashimi included two each of yellowtail, tuna and salmon, and he chose spicy salmon and spicy tuna for his rolls. Instead of the usual monochrome spicy rolls, these were bright with avocado, asparagus and tobiko. I had the Chirashi ($18), a feast of sashimi over rice. My sashimi included salmon, tuna, yellowtail, shrimp and uni (sea urchin), with a garnish of salmon roe, a favorite. All of our fish was very fresh and well prepared.

My only complaint surfaced at this point in our meal – the counter height added in the renovation prevents diners at the bar from seeing the chef’s operation. I always enjoyed watching the cooking behind that same counter when it was Flan Y Ajo, and seeing an expert sushi chef at work is a special treat. But this is a small complaint for a great meal.

Not ready to end the night, we ordered two Tobiko Nigiri with Quail Egg ($4.50 each). I attempted to buy Chef Hiyama a sake for his hard work, but he coyly suggested that he was too young and recommended one for us instead: the Kiku-Masamune “Chrysanthemum” Futsushu ($6/6oz). This comes in a drink-ready glass (complete with pull-off top for emergency sake imbibing) and is usually a single portion, but was a good size to split when you’re winding down.

The tobiko would have been a satisfying ending, but we were easily talked into an ice cream dish ($5) with small scoops of lychee, peach, green tea and sesame (the last was my favorite).

New Japan always impressed, so I was expecting the quality of the fish and the chef’s work. I was, however, astonished by how well the small space worked for its new tenant. The size was chic rather than cramped, and made our meal feel like a special secret. This is the perfect venue for Chef Hiyama to tiptoe out of retirement and quietly delight his dedicated fans.

Sushi Yama
225a Westminster Street
932-2450