I want to visit Japan. More accurately, I want to live in Japan. I love so many aspects of the culture. The efficient design, minimalist, post-modern aesthetics, their cutting edge technologies and of course the food. Not that everything the Japanese eat suits my palate but from yakitori stands, to shabu shabu in restaurants and sushi shops. It’s this latter entry, sushi shops, which pique my interest in the country. I can imagine myself walking down the street at lunchtime, popping into a sushi place and getting high-quality sushi from a neighborhood shop. It is such thinking that drives me, here in Seattle, to try many of the less than name brand Japanese restaurants. One such restaurant is located about two miles from my office building and known as Ken Zaburo.

I went with a large contingent of co-workers and we were shown to a family sized table off to one corner. Fitted with a large lazy Susan in the center of the table, there’d be no problem in passing the soy sauce. Water glasses were filled and menus contemplated. When it comes to full-service Japanese restaurants I like to try as many menu items as possible to get a feel for what a particular place does well. It is with this statement in mind that I placed my order for a Tempura Plate ($8.95), Large Sashimi Plate ($15.95) and a Rainbow Roll ($8.95).

The Tempura plate was a disappointment right off the bat. While not strictly a historically Japanese dish (It was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese) tempura, when made properly, is a menu item that evokes a connection to Japan. Well-made tempura is a crispy yet almost non-existent batter coating delicate shrimp, vegetables or both. What came to the table was a plate mounded with overly battered tempura with a soggy coating. This may be due to being piled onto the center of a small plate, allowing the steam from the food below to become trapped. Whatever the cause, the tempura was less than so-so and not worth the time; it held very little flavor and only a soggy texture.

With the Large Sashimi Plate I fared a bit better. The yellow fin was smooth and tasted slightly of the sea but the salmon was outstanding. Buttery and cool the salmon had very little flavor outside of a creamy fattiness. The tuna was less than desirable. The purple-ish flesh held a liver flavor that, with most bites, was more grainy than smooth. While it has only been within the past year and a half or so that I started to enjoy eating octopus, I have gotten to know what makes for a good bite. The “slices” of tentacle that were plated tended to be more along the medallion shape and size. I’ve found that this makes for an overly chewy piece of octopus and this was no exception. The sweet shrimp was tasty but why only one piece? Surely shrimp is not so expensive that another piece or two couldn’t be placed on the plate.

Finally comes the Rainbow Roll. This is another pseudo Japanese dish, meaning that rolls such as a rainbow are California inspired Japanese cuisine. Yet I consider the proper construction of a rainbow roll as a benchmark of the sushi chef’s skills as much as the preparation of Big Mac ™ would be to a chef at Daniel’s Broiler. While being well below their skill level, it should nonetheless be well within their range to make and make well. This lightly packed roll was filled with crab, cucumber and a slightly spicy mayonnaise then topped with the smallest amounts of salmon, tuna, yellowtail, octopus and shrimp imaginable. So much was left to be desired with this roll. It almost seemed as if the chef had very few ingredients for the lunch rush and my order “broke the bank” for him.

Many times when going to a new restaurant it’s hard to contain my excitement, especially one whose menu I’ve already seen. I’m always up for a hidden gem. A place that very few people know about. It was this excitement, this desire for a hidden gem that I held for Ken Zabura. Unfortunately I was to be disappointed. While not a horrible experience I can safely say that I will not likely return for a second visit. Not with other places in Seattle that provide a far superior dining experience. It is the superior experience that I want to keep in mind as I dream of a time when I can be in Japan to experience these foods in the land that developed them.