Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Behind a sparkling piece of glass you see giant clams, squid, octopus and abalone – no, you aren’t at the Birch Aquarium, you’re at the Yama Restaurant and Sushi Bar. If eating mollusks isn’t your preference, the restaurant also offers a variety of fish, including tuna and salmon.
Owners Shizuko (Susie) Miyamoto and Hank Yamada have created a corner restaurant with clean lines and an orderly interior, a style which is so prevalent in Japanese décor. Amazing sand paintings by Japanese artist ‘Riley’ add life to the classic setting.
The decorative order in the restaurant also extends to the food presentation. The Japanese have been elevating food presentation to an art form for over a thousand years, so they know how to get it right! Yama’s three sushi chefs deftly prepare their artistic hand-rolled creations.
The sushi menu is extensive and the ‘Ikura’ (salmon roe) is a good choice for the novice. Once you get past the surprise of the slight pop as you take your first bite, the experience is a pleasant one. Just don’t expect it to taste like Beluga caviar. For those, like me, who are familiar with the soft, delicate flavor of caviar it is a somewhat different but equally pleasant experience.
Sea Urchin is another delicacy that is available at Yama. At La Jolla’s Shell Beach, I have watched determined snorkelers yank red sea urchins from rocks and place them in netted bags. Sea urchins are plentiful in our area and reputed to have the best flavor in the world, but you don’t have to hunt them under rocks when you can order them at Yama. Just find ‘Uni’ on the menu.
Traditional teriyaki dishes abound, but for the more adventurous, ‘Ika’ (squid), and ‘Tako’ (octopus) might tempt the palate. “The food is healthy,” said Shizuko. Even the tempura is 100% cholesterol free.
For dinner I chose the ‘Salmon Teriyaki,’ which was $9.75 for a full dinner with soup, rice and salad. I was served a generous piece of sumptuous salmon, which was grilled and topped with a teriyaki sesame glaze. The ‘Miso Soup’ was a delicious mix of tofu and soy with a few green onions tossed in for flavor. Shizuko said it is soothing to the throat and is a traditional breakfast dish in Japan.
Forks were politely offered, but I refused and proudly ate my entire meal sans fork thanks to my friend Kazumi, who taught me how to eat with chopsticks when I was 14. Kazumi also taught me how to count to five in Japanese and say a hello-type greeting – “Konichiwa.” Konichiwa came in handy, but I couldn’t for the life of me think of a way to use my numeric vocabulary.
The idea for a Japanese restaurant was conceived in the minds of Shizuko and Hank after they observed several Fallbrook residents eating at a Japanese restaurant in Oceanside. Five years ago they decided that it was time to bring these wandering diners home. Hank enjoys visiting with the people he meets behind the sushi bar, where he is able to have one-on-one contact with his customers.
Yama Restaurant and Sushi Bar is located at 1067 South Main Street in Fallbrook. The Sushi Bar is open during all operating hours. Please call (760) 723-9788 for further information.
Reader Comments(0)