In Chinatown, a Sushi Omakase With a Rock Star Vibe

Photo: Mari Taketa

Nothing prepares you for the sensory onslaught that is Atsuhiro Kajita’s sushi bar at the edge of Chinatown—not the unassuming sign above the iron security gates, not the lounge-like vibe, certainly not any sushi omakase you may have been to. Black walls hold kabuki masks, graffiti art and angry geisha prints bathed in purple glows. In case you miss the point, “I like it raw” screams in neon above a warmly lit sushi counter that is, at first glance, traditional.

Hiro no Uchi opened last year in the old Islander Sake sushi space on North King Street. The $150 omakase is still largely off the mainstream radar, partly because Kajita comes from the world of private catering, crafting nigiri sushi in people’s homes during COVID. When the pandemic receded, he says, so did demand, and Kajita, who trained at Morimoto and Nobu—both unfettered by Japanese culinary conventions—laid out plans for his first solo counter.

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Kajita’s sushi comes from the foundations of old-school itamae training, where he followed a tiered progression from washing dishes to frying eggs to handling rice and seafood. That rice is mixed with red vinegar and paired with seafood from Japan, much of it seasonal. Departures from convention are in the garnishes, which are numerous and layered and surprising, and in Kajita’s love of showmanship, which is bold and immediate: No glass seafood case separates you from the smoking, torching, frying and other flourishes he executes before each course.

I knew none of this when I walked in the day after Mother’s Day. Here are glimpses of the 13-course omakase.

Sashimi. Photo: Mari Taketa

Sashimi, first, on ice, a welcome opener. The selection varies; tonight, it’s akami of smoked maguro with slices of seared sawara and mizudako or giant octopus from Hokkaido. In the foreground are the wow and highlight: its tentacles. Blanched, the chilled cups are mildly flavored and snappy.

Ayu. Photo: Mari Taketa

Like kaiseki, courses at Hiro no Uchi ramp up in richness; they increase also in complexity and imaginativeness. Ayu is a surprise, the river fish of summer almost always served grilled, which brings out its sweetness. Raw, it’s plain and riverine, so toppings include a bright pat of ginger and scallion, with olive oil and fried shallots adding a fatty edge.

Salmon. Photo: Mari Taketa

King salmon, briefly torched, is one of the most focused bites of the night. This one has a light miso butter sauce, sweet chunks of kizami wasabi and a sliver of shio kombu. Kajita infuses the pieces with cherrywood smoke and lifts the dome in a ta-da moment, waving it around so the scent reaches us before the sushi does.

Scallop. Photo: Mari Taketa

Did I mention a wow factor? This one comes midway, intricately scored scallops topped with black truffles, kombu salt and shaved bottarga and spritzed with yuzu juice, all of it contrasting with the sweet umami of the main attraction.

Nodoguro. Photo: Mari Taketa

Nodoguro, by contrast, a star among fatty fishes, gets a yin-yang treatment from sweet onion ponzu and a strip of salty, popping umibudo sea grapes.

Kinmedai. Photo: Mari Taketa

Smoked kinmedai with dehydrated grape tomato? And lava salt with mac nut-shiso pesto. Slightly chewy, the tomato brings a fun textural contrast, but overall, the varied flavor pops on the elegantly rich fish don’t come together for me.

Otoro. Photo: Mari Taketa

By the time otoro appears, you’re primed to expect nothing less than the caviar and uni that top it—offset by the crunchy zing of kizami wasabi—and the gold leaf that crowns this melting piece.

Ankimo. Photo: Mari Taketa

Deep into fatty territory by now, we encounter ankimo, the steamed liver of monkfish. All its old friends are here, wakame and lightly vinegared cucumber and salty pops of ikura. The little knob on the right is gari or pickled ginger, sushi’s conventional palate cleanser left whole and unsliced, so you nibble at will.

Snow crab. Photo: Mari Taketa

We leave the realm of fatty richness for another luxury, snow crab. The smear on top is kani miso or crab tomalley, which Kajita briefly sears with a live flame before dabbing on jalapeño shoyu, yuzu pickled onions, chopped shiso and smoked trout roe. This works well, the long length of crab bringing its sweetness to the fore after the subdued riot of salty, pickly, umami enhancements.

Uni and ikura. Photo: Mari Taketa

The next-to-last course is a mini donburi of uni and ikura on rice. There is no going wrong with a finish like this—at once strikingly simple and undeniably luxe—and it’s followed by dessert of black sesame tamagoyaki, which Kajita fries, ladleful by ladleful, in between sushi courses. When it sets, he places thick cuts of savory-sweet egg roll before us, then whips out a mango from a friend in Wai‘anae and portions it onto our sushi plates. “Itadakimasu,” he says, and slips the seed into his mouth. It’s a homey gesture, and a grounding coda to a night of unconventional firsts.

The menu at Hiro no Uchi changes frequently, especially since Kajita says he travels to Japan monthly in search of new ideas. If you’re a traditional sushi purist, you won’t find that here. If you like big flavors and unctuous fish and you’re open to new combinations, Hiro no Uchi adds a new dimension that’s well worth trying.

Reservations required. 25 N. King St., Chinatown, (808) 343-9923, hironouchi.com, @hirokase_official

Mari Taketa is editor of Frolic Hawai‘i and dining editor of HONOLULU Magazine.