Pork Belly Lettuce Rolls. Grilled Pork Belly. Carrots. Butter Lettuce. Hoisin Cilatro Glaze.

NEW! Sautéed Shishito Peppers. 

Tuna Ceviche. Fresh Tuna. Lemon and Lime. Sriracha. Ponzu. Green Onion. 

Beef and Asparagus Maki. Asparagus. Thinly Sliced Ribeye. Teriyaki Sauce. Sizzling Platter.

Killer Scallops. Sea Scallops. Garlic Butter Sauce.

My friends and I initially came for Happy Hour, but unfortunately it’s only on Tuesdays. No biggie, but we were disappointed since happy hour is what drew us there. The really good food made up for it. My favs were the Baked Salmon, Tuna Ceviche, and the Killer Scallops. The Baked Salmon was cooked so perfectly! Other restaurants tend to overcook the Salmon Roll and it comes out dry but this was perfection Rock-n-Sake! Tuna Ceviche was awesome. Wish I didn’t have to share. The Killer Scallops were good BUT a bit pricey for only 4 scallops. Be sure to check pricing without your waitress because it’s listed as Market Price on the menu.

Ordered: Baked Salmon. Red Dragon Roll, Tuna Ceviche, Beef and Asparagus Maki, Killer Scallops, Simple & Spicy Hamachi, Shishito Peppers.

LOVED: Baked Salmon. Tuna Ceviche. Killer Scallops. That’s a lot of favs considering how many items we ordered…and they were all so delicious.

What NOT TO LOVE: Happy Hour on www.thehappyhourfinder.com is not honored here even though it’s listed. Happy Hour is only on TGITuesdays for the roll of the month as well as 1/2 priced wine and liquor. Can be noisy here at times especially on the weekends.

Rating: 4/5

The sushi is always fresh. The sushi rolls are unique…you won’t find these same rolls anywhere else in the city. 

Sashimi Roll w/ Soy paper. Fresh Sashimi. Japanese Herbs. Optional cucumber or soybean wrapper. 

Tiger Roll (front). California roll wrapped with fresh salmon and BBQ Eel.  Caterpillar Roll. Snow crab. BBQ eel. Cucumbers. Avocado.

Sashimi Dinner (comes with Miso Soup). 

Tornado Roll. Fresh tuna, salmon. Avocado. Smelt Roe. Cream Cheese. Snowcrab. Deepfried in Tempura batter. 

Hana Special Roll. Tempura shrimp. Fresh tuna and salmon. Snow Crab. Omelet. Cucumber. Avocado. Smelt Roe. 

This roll is GINORMOUS but it’s delicious! It’s one of my favorite rolls..probably because it’s fully loaded and you get a little bit of everything in one roll. I’d say there’s about 4 true rolls in ONE of these Hana Special rolls. I tend to get 1/2 Hana Special so I have room for my other favorites!

Baked Salmon Roll. Baked fresh salmon filet wrapped around snow crab.

Notable Dishes (not pictured) 

•  Noodle Salad – they provide a small complimentary dish just for coming to dine in, but I always order a whole extra order just because I love it that much. 
• Red Dragon Roll. 

If you’re  searching for a great sushi joint, this is it. Fresh, original sushi rolls. Always fresh sashimi. Whether you’re in the city searching for good sushi or just happen to be in the area, Cafe Zen is a must try! 

Our dinner was definitely an experience…every dish brought some excitement to us…both visually and to our taste buds. We ordered the Chef’s Tasting so we had no idea what would show up to our table….

Kaki No Shiki. Shigoku Oyster. Lychee Granite.

Random Fact: These are West Coast oysters. They have deeper bowl-shaped shells from the way they roll along the coast. The flavor profile is less briney than Gulf Coast oysters.

For a girl who use to be squeamish when it comes to raw oysters, these were delicious. Fresh and plump…mMmm!

Roasted Golden Beets. Skyr Yogurt. Bitter Greens. Acacia Honey. 

Chef’s Nigiri Selection. (above and below)

Hirame Uzuzukuri. Thinly-sliced Flounder Sashimi. Candied Quinoa. Olive Oil. 

This had to be one of my favorite dishes. It was refreshing with a sweet and tangy twist to it. 

Wagyu To. Short Rib. Cauliflower. Beet. Black Pepper. Kumquat. 

Hamachi Nabe. Baby Yellowtail. Koshi Hikari Rice. Farm egg. Soy broth. 

I know, this picture makes this dish look like a plain bowl of rice, but the presentation was beautiful! When the waiter brought it out, there were these dancing rice flakes on top. It was crazyyy! As the waiter mixed the bowl, the dancing flakes disappeared and I didn’t get to photograph the interesting presentation. 

Atlantic Salmon. Yokai Berry. Dinosaur Kale. Asian Pear. Yuzu. 

Hirame Shiro. Halibut. Shrimp Cocunut Milk. Basil. Candied Onion. 

Pork Jowl. Brussels Sprout Kimchee. Romaine. Preserved Lemon Creme Fraiche. 

Okashi. Coriander Creme Brulee. Carrot. Rose. Marcona Almonds. 

*Sorry for the blurry picture! Must’ve been in food coma at this point! =P

Now that I’ve seen these works of art, I definitely see the influence it had on Paul Qui. Everything from presentation to flavor…it’s no wonder he won Top Chef!

Presentation was top notch! The sashimi dishes were unbelievable! I have never had fish so fresh in my life…it was almost like they plucked them straight out of the ocean for us.  Every dish had unique flavors and textures. It’s amazing how they could combine so many different elements onto one dish, and yet, they come together and make such wonderful dishes. I just can’t say it enough! 

The experience was definitely a pricey one ($$$$), but well worth it!