Montgomery, AL — Kabuki Japanese Steak House

Kabuki Japanese Steak House 7834 Vaughn Rd Montgomery, AL

334.273.8885  map

My first foray with Alabama sushi did not go well. Therefore, I was naturally apprehensive about visiting Kabuki. Even so, Kabuki was highly recommended so I gave it a try. Kabuki was easy to find, located in a storefront next to a Winn Dixie store.

As the name suggests, Kabuki has Teppanaki tables. They also have a sushi bar, Tatami room and dining room separate from the Teppanaki tables. I was reading a book so I wanted to sit at a table. The hostess took me into a nicely paneled dining room with a faux wood floor.

From the beginning, I knew that this would be a good experience. My waitress brought me a hot towel. Only a few of the sushi restaurants I visit do this but it is a very nice touch. I don't know the Japanese word for amuse-bouche but the sushi chef apparently did — a small dish with some noodles in vinegar appeared on my table. Awesome.

I ordered my normal meal, gyoza, an Alaska roll and the sashimi combo with a Miso soup. The gyoza was good and the sauce just a bit spicy, The wrapper was cooked just enough, it was still delicate and did not detract from either the sauce or the filling.

My Alaska roll (smoked salmon, cucumber and mayonnaise) was perfect. The pieces were evenly sized and the roll was delicious. My sashimi order arrived and while it looked good, the plate on which it was served was too large. The presentation was only average. The fish however was perfect. Nicely sized pieces of tuna, salmon, octopus, white tuna, mackerel and yellowtail. The pieces were so tasty, I wanted to hold them in my mouth and just savor them rather than swallow.

The service at Kabuki was excellent, whenever my drink reached about 40%, a waitress would appear and ask to refresh it. Kabuki even surprised me at the end of my meal. Before brining my check, my waitress brought out a plat with half an orange and some pineapple wedges — just what the doctor ordered.

A little nicer presentation and Kabuki could have been a 5. Kabuki is an excellent sushi restaurant, definitely worth a rip.

Kabuki Japanese Steak House: 4 rice bowls

Montgomery, AL — Kobe Jade Palace

Kobe Jade Palace 6050 Atlanta Hwy Montgomery, AL

334.270.3288  map

Alabama is not known for its sushi. But over the years, I have managed to find some gems in unlikely places. Unfortunately, Kobe Jade Palace is not one of them. Kobe is one of those restaurants that tries to do too many things at once. It has a Chinese, Korean and Sushi menu as well as Teppanaki.

I stopped in for lunch looking for some sashimi. The restaurant was not very crowded but it still took too long to get service. The menu had many choices both sushi and non-sushi items. I ordered a sushi-sashimi combo and a Bagel Roll (Kobe's version of a Philadelphia roll). It was a bad sign when I noticed that there was no sushi chef. The waitress was behind the bar making my sushi order. This could not be good.

When the sushi arrived my fears were realized. All of the nigiri were different sizes, even the two pieces of mackerel. The crab stick was huge in comparison to the rice. There was no sense of harmony to the pieces. The sashimi looked like it had been cut with a dull knife. The pieces were especially thin and arranged rather artlessly.

When I ate the nigiri, the fish kept falling off the rice. I guess that was OK because the rice balls were all different sizes anyway. The Bagel roll was no better, the pieces were cut unevenly and the scallions were sprinkled haphazardly over the rolls.

I would have given Kobe a 1 rating except the quality if the fish was pretty good. The fish tasted good, it was just prepared poorly.

Kobe Jade Palace: 2 rice bowls