Vol. 4, No. 8, August 2007
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Asian Offerings
OSAKA SUSHI & STEAK HOUSE 5200 Ventnor Ave., Ventnor 609-823-8618 www.osakasushinj.com
After emigrating from his native China, Li Lin worked for years in Japanese restaurants in Queens, New York and northern New Jersey. When he decided to buy his own eatery, he chose Atlantic County because he felt the people were so friendly.
Lin and his manager Irene Tong opened Osaka Sushi and Steak House over Memorial Day at the site of the former Pho Ha Vietnamese restaurant. He had searched the region for the past three years before finding this location.
Osaka Sushi is spacious, with high ceilings and fans for extra air circulation. An open dining room seats 71, and a new sushi bar accommodates another seven guests. The large entry area prevents anyone waiting to be seated from feeling crowded.
White linens and glass top overlays cover the tables. One fresh red rose sits atop each table in a small vase. Turquoise and black chairs complement the tables, which are far enough away from one other to prevent conversations from being overheard.
Recipes use vegetables that are available all year, and Lin cooks only in vegetable oil. He makes all his sauces, and any dietary requirements or cooking requests are easily adaptable. Also, Osaka offers both regular and low-sodium soy sauces.
The menu includes dishes from the kitchen and the sushi bar. Hibachi entrees are prepared in the kitchen. Lin claims that because of an upstairs residence in the building, fire codes prevent them from cooking on a hibachi grill in the main dining room. However, he assures hibachi fans that the dishes are identical to those prepared before a large table audience.
Appetizers are priced from $4 to $10, and sushi and sashimi a-la-carte items cost from $4 to $5 for two pieces. Complete sushi, hibachi dinners and combination dinners are priced from $11 to $24. Twosomes who want some variety may opt for a sushi ($35) or sushi/sashimi ($45) combination platter served in a “love boat” plate.
Other menu items may be individually ordered. More than three dozen rolls are available for $3 to $13.95. For those preferring a main course without any side items, dinner-sized portions of fish, chicken and steak may be selected for less than $8.
Three types of ice cream desserts—tempura, banana tempura with ice cream and mochi ice cream, which includes ice cream with a rice dough exterior—cost $3 to $4.50.
Casino employees receive a 10 percent discount with an I.D. Daily appetizer and roll specials are available. All a-la-carte sushi and rolls are reduced 30 percent on Monday and Tuesday. Other specials include free appetizers, when eaten in the dining room, on Wednesday and Thursday.
Osaka Sushi and Steak House is open noon to 10:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday; until 11 p.m. on weekends and from 1:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. There is free street parking. Reservations and credit cards accepted. BYOB, but Lin will heat sake for customers. A full menu is available for takeout.
CHEF’S CORNER
Tuna Dumplings
Because it is raw, sushi is made with only the freshest ingredients. Osaka uses high-quality Bigeye tuna for this dish. The tuna needs to be fresh, not previously frozen, and make sure the tuna steak you buy is a nice dark red and has a translucent appearance, and the steak is not falling apart.
Ingredients
Bigeye tuna steak
Snow crab meat
avocado
tempura flakes (panko bread crumbs)
wasabi mayonnaise
eel sauce
black caviar
To Prepare
Slice the tuna thinly into four-by-four inch squares.
Place equal parts snow crab meat and avocado in the center of fish (approximately one tablespoon worth). Sprinkle with panko bread crumbs.
Bring all four sides of tuna together and pinch into dumpling. Top with black caviar.
Plate on top of wasabi mayonnaise and eel sauce.
(Wasabi mayonnaise is equal parts wasabi paste and mayonnaise, and along with eel sauce can be found in most Asian grocery stores.)
