By Gary Nager
Although we have still had plenty of great Japanese restaurants to enjoy in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, I know I wasn’t alone in missing Sushi Tsu, which had been located, for more than a decade, in the same Shoppes of Amberly plaza in Tampa Palms, where our office had been located (until a few days ago) before it closed last year.
So, you can imagine how excited I was when I heard that the new Sushi Raw, which also has been located in the Shoppes at Amberly for about two months, was owned by Sushi Tsu’s former top sushi chef, Fong Cheng, and that former Sushi Tsu owner Jay Choe and several other former employees from Sushi Tsu were helping Fong get his new restaurant off to a flying start.
Fong became something of a local superstar at Sushi Tsu, even though he hardly spoke English (he speaks and understands it a lot better now), from the moment he first started working for Jay. Many local residents would ask for him by name and he never let them down.
“He (Fong) can handle the sushi side of the business,” says Jay, who today is a sous chef at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in the West Shore area of Tampa, as well as a culinary educator. “I’m helping him learn the business side of the business.” Also helping Fong by picking up some shifts at the new Sushi Raw are former Sushi Tsu chefs Nick, Tony and Roger.
So, no matter who prepares your food at Sushi Raw, you can rest assured that the fish will be fresh, all of the dishes will be delicious and the sauces will be unique.
Fong, who lives in Wesley Chapel with his wife and two young sons, says he had quite a run on the crispy lobster appetizer we featured in last issue’s Neighborhood Nibbles & Buisness Bytes column, so I’m sure that he’ll also sell a lot of my other favorite items pictured on these pages, including a unique calamri appetizer which includes sweet red peppers and a slightly spicy finish.
I’m showing quite a bit of sushi on these pages because Sushi Raw has some of the best you’ll find anywhere in the Tampa Bay area. Among the new favorites I hadn’t sampled before I visited Fong’s place, including the spicy summer roll (with tuna, fresh greens and avocado wrapped in rice paper, instead of seaweed in a spicy chile sauce), the spicy tuna Tokyo Roll, which adds tempura crunch for taste and texture, the spicy ahi tuna poki and the fresh snapper sushi seared with the skin on for extra texture and taste.
And, speaking of extra taste, I always order my Sushi Raw sushi with Fong’s incredible spicy tataki sauce, which deserves to be used on a lot more than just his perfect tuna tataki. I love dipping everything from hibachi steak to fresh veggies in the sauce, so be sure to ask Fong for a sample the net time you visit Sushi Raw.
More Than Just Sushi
Although I’ve only sampled a few of the entrées from Sushi Raw’s simple menu, I can already recommend Fong’s fried pork katsu, chicken or steak teriyaki, great tempura and my new favorite, the yakisoba, which is a nicely spiced steak dish with fresh broccoli and other veggies and lo mein-style noodles.
And, although Sushi Raw is only a couple of months old, it already is receiving a lot of great reviews on Yelp.com.
For example, Lisa C. of Tampa posted this rave:
“Saw this place open up and went in to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised to see the old sushi chef from Sushi Tsu behind the counter! Great sushi plus some of the dinner selections that they had available at the old restaurant. Would definitely recommend this place if you live in the New Tampa area and are looking for some yummy sushi!”
Sushi Raw currently doesn’t yet have its beer and wine license, but Fong and Jay promise that it is coming soon. In the meantime, you can bring your own adult beverages and enjoy them without having to pay and uncorking fee until the beer and wine license has been finalized.
Need more good news? If you check out Sushi Raw’s ad on page 61 of this isue, you’ll find a coupon for $5 off any order of $25 or more, whether you dine in or take out. The restaurant is open Monday-Friday for lunch (11-2:30) and for dinner seven days a week (Sunday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-10 p.m., and 5 p.m.-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Sushi Raw is located at 15311 Amberly Dr., next to LA (formerly Lifestyle Family) Fitness. For reservations and more information, call 977-3838. And, please tell Fong, Jay and the rest of the crew that the New Tampa Neighborhood News sent you.
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