Sushi Bushido Is Back

By Léo Azambuja

The new Sushi Bushido at Coconut Marketplace.

They say third time’s a charm. Truth is, Sushi Bushido has been a charm from day one. After being closed for seven months, the restaurant has recently moved to Coconut Marketplace in Kapa‘a, its third location since it first opened more than 15 years ago.

“I’m back,” said Victor Heresa, Sushi Bushido owner and sushi chef. And to the delight of long-time fans of Heresa’s unique and ingenious sushi skills, he’s bringing a few tasty surprises.

Sushi Bushido first opened in Nawiliwili in 2004. In 2009, the restaurant moved to the Dragon Building in Old Kapa‘a Town, and quickly became one of the Eastside’s flagship eateries, with a Japanese cuisine serving both creative and traditional fares. When Bushido closed down earlier this year, it left a gap too wide to fill. But Heresa kept working behind the scenes to create something better. It took seven months to reopen at the Coconut Marketplace, but it was well worth the wait.

The Golden Slider has raw salmon, tuna and crab, plus avocado and marinated shiitake mushrooms. Rather than using a small bun, Heresa fashioned a deep-fried nori and rice patty to hold the slider together.

The newest location has seating for 84, which is a little bit less than the last location, but it means better and faster service. Besides the dining area and the sushi bar, there is a full bar area around the corner, with the entire dining area cooled by central air conditioning. And the parking lot at Coconut Marketplace needs no comparison with the parking nightmare of Old Kapa‘a Town. But the real winner here, for all the foodies out there, is the updated menu.

“I kept most of my new rolls, because it was so hard for me to take out some of my rolls; every single one of them is popular in their own way,” Heresa said. “But I did take out three rolls and I added three new rolls.”

“One for Cali” as the name implies, has similar features to a California roll; rolled inside out with imitation crab, avocado and cucumber. But Heresa brought the recipe up a notch or two by topping it with thinly sliced Hamachi and jalapeno, and drizzling it with ponzu sauce cream.

The “Hubba Saba” is a hamachi roll, also rolled inside out, and topped with saba (mackerel), lemon, ume and limu koho.

The “Hubba Saba” is a hamachi roll, also rolled inside out, and topped with saba (mackerel), lemon, ume and limu koho. All these ingredients will likely make this roll a winner among lovers of local food.

The “Full Moon” is perhaps the most unique of the three new rolls. Also rolled inside out, this roll has hoki gai (surf clams), avocado and cucumber, plus Hokkaido scallops. Heresa topped it with sake aioli and tobiko, and torched it.

The menu also brings an interesting new item Heresa dreamt about months ago — and it’s not a roll.

“I came up with the Golden Slider, which is a very unique slider with raw fish,” Heresa said. Following the huge success of the Golden Roll, Heresa’s “claim to fame,” he wanted to do something different. The idea came to him in a dream before he had closed down the former location.

“One for Cali” has similar features to a California roll; rolled inside out with imitation crab, avocado and cucumber. Heresa brought the recipe up a notch by topping it with thinly sliced Hamachi and jalapeno, and drizzling it with ponzu sauce cream.

Like the Golden Roll, the Golden Slider has raw salmon, tuna and crab, plus avocado, but Heresa added marinated shiitake mushrooms. Rather than using a small bun, he fashioned a deep-fried nori and rice patty to hold the slider together.

Bushido has permission to have live music and dancing until 1 a.m., but they are still figuring out how to schedule the late nights and dancing. There will be also karaoke nights.

Sushi Bushido is open every day for lunch and dinner. From Sunday to Wednesday it opens from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday to Saturday it’s open from 11 a.m. until late, but the sushi bar closes at 9:30 p.m. and the kitchen closes at 10:30 p.m.

“Every day, we have a happy hour 2 to 5 p.m. The menu is still active; it’s just that we have discounted rates in certain items,” General Manager Lilo Tangalin said.

The “Full Moon” has hoki gai, avocado and cucumber, plus Hokkaido scallops, topped with sake aioli and tobiko.

During happy hour, all appetizers are 20 percent off, and the handrolls go for $6. The Golden Roll, “which put us on the map 15 years ago,” Tangalin said, is 40 percent off. The bar also has happy hour deals, with $1 off on sakes and draft beer.

“I just want to say thank you to all my supporters and followers,” Heresa said. “Without you guys this wouldn’t be possible. And thank you for the Marketplace for giving me such a beautiful home; I think this might be my last one.”

Sushi Bushido is at Coconut Marketplace, at 4-484 Kuhi Hwy in Kapa‘a. Visit sushibushido.com or call (808) 822-0664 for more information or reservations.

Sushi Bushido’s new creations: the ‘Golden Slider,’ in the background; the ‘Hubba Saba,’ the roll on the left; ‘One for Cali,’ the roll in the center; and the ‘Full Moon,’ on the left.

Owner Victor Heresa, left, and general manager Lilo Tangalin.