In the category of Pan Asian cuisine, there are quite a few in the area...Chotto Matte, Makoto, just to name a couple. Sushi Bichi takes the best things from places like these and makes them better! The space is minimalist, simply decorated, and spacious feeling with strategically separated tables and high ceilings, at least outside. The staff are all super friendly and knowledgeable. A great place to go for Happy Hour or an evening cocktail, for sure. The outside bar separates two seating areas. Ah, but the food!
The menu is "divided" into different sections. The areas that are boxed in are the restaurant's specialties. There is also a full array of beverages that may be ordered. One of the highlights there is a Pina Colada in the tradition of the Caribe Hilton Hotel in Puerto Rico, perhaps a homage to the owner, James Recio's roots.
My wife and I ordered three (3) small plates and an entree, as well as a dessert. To completely and accurately describe the food that we had would be impossible. There are not enough superlatives, truly. That said, I will try.
Our first arrival was avocado flatbread. You can get avocado toast most anywhere nowadays. This just brings it up several notches. First of all, the flatbread itself had just the right amount of crispness not to cut your gums, yet enough to support the weight of the ingredients on top of it. It was a great blend of flavors and texture, from the smoothness of the avocado and ricotta mousse to the bite of the jalapeño pepper and red onion, then the sweet/spicy finish of hot honey.
Next, sticky rice with tuna. First of all, the rice is cooked in an air fryer, so there is no heaviness from deep frying, as most places do. There was an overall crispness about the dish with the center of the rice cake having a nice, spongy, ricey feel. The tuna was almost like a mousse with black tobiko and truffle oil to finish the topping. It was one of the best that we have experienced.
Then came their Umango roll, made with eel and wrapped with thinly sliced mango, served over a creamy quest blanco sauce which was almost the consistency of thin cream cheese. For the main course, we took the suggestion from our server, Patrick, and went with the Pinoy Adobo coconut chicken, an amazingly well prepared dish that has layers of flavors. The sauce is velvety and smooth. And the rice, while good all by itself, soaks up the flavors famously.
At this point, we were stuffed to the gills, but ordered dessert anyway. This was a chocolate lava cake, topped with vanilla ice cream, atop graham cracker crumbles, surrounded by toasted marshmallow! The contrast of warm and cold is incredible, and the flavors were undeniable.
I believe, and hope, that this restaurant develops into an established venue on Miami Beach, even more so than the two restaurants that I mentioned at the top of this review. read more