Yume Sushi
***
428 Chapala Street
Santa Barbara
805-965-8873
Hours: Monday – Wednesday 5 pm – 10 pm; Thursday – Sunday 11:30 am – 2:30 pm;
Thursday 5 pm – 10 pm, Friday, 5 pm – 11 pm
Food ***
Service ***
Ambiance *
$$$
Yummy Yume Sushi
In Japan yume means dream. I was dreaming for some Japanese sushi but not just the usual rice and raw fish. I wanted something that was Nobu-ized; creative, exciting and inspired but not with a price tag that would require a new mortgage.
Yume Sushi is in the former Casa De Sevilla location. Since the Casa days it has been a hip restaurant, a vegan restaurant and now a Japanese restaurant with an emphasis on sushi.
The steps up to the restaurant could use a good power washing and the sticky floors gives one a feeling that things are not as clean and tidy as they should be. The white walls, sparsely decorated and the utilitarian tables and chairs makes the rooms feel like they are temporary at best.
But once the dishes start arriving, it makes the chilly atmosphere disappear with every impressive bite. The Rice Nuggets appetizer ($10) are crispy cooked rice balls topped with spicy tuna, spicy mayo and eel sauce. These are a pop-in-your-mouth kaleidoscope of crispy, spicy, creamy, sweet, salty and umami all in one bite. But even more dazzling are the chili poppers ($11) which are fried jalapeño stuffed with spicy tuna, crab meat & cream cheese, served with cilantro and wasabi sauce.
The Summer Fresh Roll ($18) are beautifully presented as four sliced cucumber encased rolls with salmon, tuna, yellow tail, crab meat, avocado, asparagus and sprouts. The sheer freshness of the cucumber with the rich crab and avocado is a beautiful contradiction. Then the slices of fish swim in with layered flavors of the sea.
For the sea urchin lover the sea urchin sashimi box ($21) is ample for two and reasonable for the quantity of uni. There is also the uni shooter ($15) made with two pieces of uni, ponsu sauce and a quail egg which is good, although pricy considering how much more uni you get with the box.
Fresh oysters on the half shell ($3 each) are also served with ponsu sauce and topped with flying fish roe. These are large Pacific oysters and a couple go a long way.
There is shrimp and vegetable tempura ($10) that is good but a little heavy on the frying. However it includes a decent selection of shrimp, broccoli, onion, sweet potato and zucchini.
High points: The rolls and sushi are very good. There are some successful creative dishes. The service is fast and friendly. It’s lively in the evening.
Low points: Besides the sticky floor and other less than enticing surroundings, the cold salmon skin roll was a flop and the spicy edamame lacked flavor; just full of heat. Some dishes are bargains but beware, some are Nobu priced.
