Angelfish - Alameda - 3.5 stars

Updates:
Recent visits in May and June prompted me to lower the recommendation to 3.5 stars, because on both occasions, the chef was drunk, sushi rice was soggy, and the sous chef made sushi for us even though we were doing omakase and asked specifically for the owner chef.

Date visited: First: Sep. 5, 2006. ;Latest: Sep. 30, 2006

Type of cuisine: Authentic Japanese sushi and other cuisine

Comments: Recommended

Ordered items:
Hirame fin / Hirame / Suzuki

From Angelfish

Oh-Buro (Yellowtail)

From Angelfish

White Tuna

From Angelfish

Uni

From Angelfish

Toro Sake

From Angelfish

Maguro and Toro

From Angelfish

Mirugai

From Angelfish

Fried yellowtail with ponzu and spicy radish

From Angelfish

Grilled taco (octopus)

From Angelfish

Anago

From Angelfish

General impression:
Could be hard to get a seat here, best come early. Saturday more slow. Definitely sit at the bar for sushi, otherwise you get Mexican or second chef made sushi. Look to the board for today's specials.Very fresh fish. Chef also knows his fish well. Cutting and nigiri making technique could be improved upon. A bit sloppy in the edges of the fish slices. Rice grains over dry. However, even with all these problems, it is still genuine Japanese style sushi, and quite palaptable when my favorite Hideki-san is away.Also, some new fish I've never had here. Suzuki is really good, sweet and chewy, fragrance brought out by a leaf of shiso. Aji is very small, but good in freshness. Katsuo is overcharred on the outside, should be 1-2 mm only, not the 4mm I got.Hirame is from a nice part of the fish, good texture and firmness with a clarity in the taste.White tuna...fantastic. The rich taste of hamachi without the oilyness. Refreshing yet rich is the best description I have.Maguro from near bone, yum. Fatty salmon, very very good. I don't like salmon as a rule, but this I'll eat. Probably king salmon. Abalone...not good. Too hard and not fragrant enough. That $26.50 a pair abalone I had in 大和 in 築地 is definitely a treasured memory. Saba...not good. Probably he's a friend of Hideki-san's, the flavoring is definitely close, but way too salty and heavy-handed. Chef treated us a bowl of fish + clam soup each. Very very tasty. Probably can't be ordered from the menu, cuz it has a lot of fish bones in it, but definitely beautiful in its taste. Broth is dominated by the clam but supported by the delicacy of white fish. Reminds me of 紅目鰱. Will probably visit once in a while for new fish.Seems to have a lot of cooked Japanese dishes.

Updates:
Sep. 30, 2006: Bumped this place up to a highly recommended because of the grilled taco sushi. Out of the world and bold taste. The tough exterior was removed, leaving only smooth and juicy meat. The texture is between the crunchiness of mirugai and the tenacious sweetness of ika. Blowtorch grilled, adding a layer of cooked fragrance, with the dollop of ume and leave of shiso to enhance the natural beauty of octopus. A totally new experience for me. Chef's treat, too. I would definitely come here for an omakase. However, had the first five sushi made by the apprentice. Such a waste of beautiful fish. His gestures are totally wrong, resulting in a hard brick of sushi rice that tasted flat, dry, grainy, but in Chef Taka's hands, the sushi rice came out perfectly fine. A lesson to be learnt here: trust only Taka's hands. Another chef's treat is the deep fried yellowtail in ponzu and spicy radish. Used the dark meat of the fish, so it is more oily and has heavier taste. Most suitable part for the dish.

Basic info:
883 Island Dr Ste C-2Alameda, CA 94502-6798
5107490460
http://www.angelfish-restaurant.com/
Refer to website for menu and price