Dropped into the new Wilmington Riverfront restaurant Kooma Asian Fusion Sushi Bar, 543-6732, after work yesterday with two pals.Very cool place - at the corner of Harlan Boulevard and Justison Street.
The address is 400 Justison St. (It's near the old Kahunaville, if that's any help. There were also huge signs - and balloons - outside of the building.)
High ceiling, big sweeping bar (actually there are two bars -one is for sushi). Very white overall color scheme. Looks like there is a place for a DJ to set up equipment in one of the dining rooms.
It seems much like a place you'd find in Philly. Not many people yet - servers and sushi chefs were mostly standing around with little to do during our visit - but then the restaurant just opened.
The doors and windows were flung open and it was actually almost a little too warm sitting at the bar. (Gotta love that Delaware humidity!) Just when I wishing for some AC action, a cool breeze kicked in.
We dove into the martini menu and agreed that the $10 "French Whore" was the way to go. (And a couple of guys at the bar couldn't get enough of three chicks talking about "French Whores," which - get your mind out of the gutter, chuckleheads - is a combination of Grey Goose, Chambord, pineapple juice and o.j.
Very tasty drink, though the dirty-brownish color - hence the name, I guess? - leaves a lot to be desired.
A much more pretty drink is the Smooth Criminal ($11) - see my crappy cellphone photo above- a blend of Herradura tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, orange juice and a splash of cranberry.The Stoli Razzle ($9) - champagne, Stoli Razberi, drop of grenadine and sugar around the rim of the flute - is a girly-girl drink, but, if truth be told, I preferred the other cocktails.
JUST A PRICE-SAVING FYI: During happy hour, appetizers and beer are 40 percent off.
We skipped the sushi [this visit] - and shared the appetizer sampler ($22 normally, $13.20 during happy hour) a combination of chicken yakitori (skewers), edamame, tempura, negimaki (grilled sirlon steak wrapped around cream cheese and scallions), and three crab shumai. Chicken was a little overcooked, but the negimaki and shumai were very good. You get a huge bowl of edamame.
I also ordered the tuna tataki ($11 normally, $6.60 during happy hour) - tuna seared and sliced - served with a side of ponzu sauce which was perfectly fine, though nothing I'd brag about eating.
I'm interested in working my way through the menu during another trip - entrees range from $15 to bibimbab and tofu teriyaki to $37 for twin lobster-scallop hibac
hi dinners.Nigiri is priced per piece - $3.25 for tuna, "special" rolls can go as high as $22 (that's the lobster tempura roll.)
Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat. includes $12 sushi lunch - six pieces of sushi or sashimi and a choice of a California or tuna roll. The Kooma combo ($9) includes a choice of two rolls.
4 comments:
My girlfriend and I tried Kooma on Tuesday night. It was the columnist's BIG mistake to "skip the sushi!!"
Our experience? The waitstaff was superb, attentive and informed. My friend loved her French Whore, and I really enjoyed the Dirtee, Dirtee.
But the highlight of meal was the SUSHI. Some of the best fish I have had anywhere. Freshly prepared, unique combinations beyond the standard "check off" lists in some sushi places. And, generous quantities. Just fabulous.
The decor is hip, comfortable and exciting, with a private room that has it's own bar.
From the drinks to the service, the sushi to the atmosphere, we were left thinking "What can we do to get people down here so this place thrives??"
Answer - June 18th is International Sushi Day - I know where I'm having dinner!!
how do you go to a sushi bar and not order sushi? what kind of food critic are you?
Geez. Angry much? Did you read the post? This isn't a food review, just a "first look" glance at the eatery. The restaurant has only been for, maybe a week? An indepth review on the food will be coming when they've been in business a little longer. Also, Kooma isn't just a sushi bar - it's an Asian Fusion restaurant with a very large menu of many dishes OTHER than sushi.
And we didn't sit at the sushi bar - we sat at the regular bar.
some sushi bashing at....
http://www.yelp.com/biz/kooma-restaurant-and-lounge-bar-wilmington
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