Sapporo Sushi Hibachi — Restaurant in Bradenton

Passing through on our way out of town, we stopped at this unassuming restaurant that shares a parking lot with Publix, Danny's Pizza, and a host of other stores. I didn't have much expectation, but it was recommended by a friend, so all right. Have to say I was surprised at the quality. Pros: Delicious tempura, best I've had here in this area. Panko wasn't overdone, food choices were light (nice to see broccoli in there too!), and fresh oil. Excellent salmon sushi, from the better cuts of salmon, not the cheaper stuff you sometimes get. Lovely maguro and toro tuna. Enjoyed the gyoza, too - normally it's overcooked and hard on the bottoms, but this was perfect. Lots of choices, so the family were happy. Bathrooms were scrupulously clean, by the way, always a test! Cons: Wow, I wish they'd turn off that western rock music and put on some decent Japanese. Just for atmosphere, you know? Same thing about the TV above the bar itself. I don't want to see the news while I'm eating (yes I know I don't have to look but it's there). I'd much rather some nice photos of Japan, or even a Japanese soap turned low or without sound. And the chef has a slightly heavy hand with sweet as opposed to sour - the gyoza sauce could have used more vinegar for instance, and the age dofu sauce was a little odd. Miso soup was over salty, even for miso soup, and not hot enough. But all in all it's fantastic to have a good Japanese homey restaurant locally, and when we come back, this is where we'll head! I'm actually hoping they step out of the box a little and do some interesting things. Maybe an email list and then "special nights" when they offer something you can't usually get at Asian restaurants here? That would...

Very deceiving use of the word "Omakase" We were looking to order in some sushi and were pleasantly surprised to see a $70 menu item listed as "Omakase with miso soup and salad" So we placed an order for two "Omakases" - that now were $90 per order. Total cost was a little over $200. I figured the extra $20 per order was for the intricate packaging that it takes to pack a to go order with all the multiple small dishes that would be in an Omakase meal. What arrived was a bunch of rolls and a few simple standard issue nigiri and sashimi. Along with 4 soups and 4 salads. The "Omakase" is not at all an Omakase. It is actually standard issue, heavy on rolls (you would almost never see any rolls in a true Omakase meal) sushi dinner for two meal. We ate some of the nigiri and sashimi and very few pieces of the heavy rolls. We ended up throwing away about $170 of the "Omakase" meals that in no way were a representation of what anyone who has had an Omakase meal at an authentic sushi place would expect. As to the quality of what we had? It was on par with picking up a sushi...

Stopped by for lunch on a Saturday, in passing. Small, cute little spot. It seemed clean and the staff was welcoming and friendly.

Initially wanted to order their love boat, but wanted to swap two rolls (that were equivalent in price.. ie: spicy tuna for spicy salmon) but was told there'd be an upcharge for substituting.. so I went with the cheaper option instead and ordered the Sapporo platter plus two rolls, which was half the price. I asked if I could request any eel for my nigiri pieces and was denied and told it was the chef's choice only.. which is fair as it states that on the menu.

The food came out in a timely manner. Tasted fine and fresh. I did appreciate the temperature of the sushi being at almost body temperature which was perfect for serving. Nothing really special about the chef's choice though, seemed pretty basic. The sushi rice itself was seasoned really well.

All in all, food was on par and service was not very accommodating to substitutions. My experience was not impressive enough to go out of my...