Rowdy and affordable: Miyake lives on Rowdy and affordable: Miyake lives on (January 09, 2004)

Sushi on a college student budget

By Robert Rich

I have a warm connection with the sushi-boat bar Miyake.

My wife and I ate there on our first date, 15 years ago. For a recent graduate without a lot of money, it provided an affordable balance between good food and casual vibe.

When Miyake opened in 1985, it offered the best sushi bargain in Palo Alto. It occupied a room so narrow that patrons could barely squeeze between the sushi-boat bar and a single row of tables.

Sometimes the noise would get deafening in that little room, hardly a romantic environment. Staff would yell a loud greeting when customers walked in. After a bit too much sake, some customers would yell even louder.

When Miyake moved across the street to the corner of University Avenue and High Street a decade later, it found a venue large enough to contain the rowdy energy, especially on weekends. Our recent visits on weekday evenings found the energy lackluster by comparison -- that is to say, my wife and I could actually have a conversation without yelling.

On Fridays and Saturdays, however, students still emerge from nearby Stanford, and the party seems louder than ever. Disco lights swirl overhead as 20-somethings down sake-bombs (a cup of sake dropped in a glass of beer).

Mountain View will soon have its own Miyake for such hijinks. A new restaurant at 401 Castro St. is currently under construction and is expected to open in early spring.

While the restaurant has moved around Palo Alto, I wondered if Miyake's food matched my memories: Good enough to satisfy sushi cravings on a student budget. I found that my tastes have matured a bit since college days. I noticed where Miyake cuts corners, yet I could still appreciate the quality offered at these budget prices.

Miyake's sushi menu has more than 100 items, with enough variety to please almost anyone. With many selections priced under $2.50, I found it easy to try a wide variety without blowing my budget.

Overall, the fish tasted fresh and the presentation seemed workmanlike. Some of the pieces of nigiri were torn in half, showing signs of imperfect knife handling. This is most likely a result of sawing back and forth rather than making each cut with a single stroke. Considering the price, I shouldn't nitpick.

All of the nigiri came with a generous daub of wasabi pinched between the fish and rice. Needless to say, Miyake doesn't use the expensive, true wasabi root, but the cheaper green horseradish ubiquitous in American sushi restaurants.

I often add heavy doses of wasabi to my soy sauce for dipping, but these nigiri had enough already -- sometimes almost too much, dominating the delicate fish. Luckily, I love the ensuing head rush, but purist sushi lovers might find this treatment heavy-handed.

Although I don't want to dwell on flaws, I should mention a few minor disappointments. The edamame, whole soy pods, didn't seem fresh and were flavorless. The cold unsalted beans failed to pop easily from their pods, as they do when freshly boiled.

And the unagi nigiri (freshwater eel, $2.45) arrived cold and lacked the usual drizzle of sweet teriyaki sauce. I prefer unagi that comes freshly broiled and warm. With its sweet fattiness, it feels like dessert.

Apart from these quibbles, I enjoyed the broad selection of bargain sushi. The Poki Maki (spicy tuna roll, $2.15) had a generous filling of feisty fish. The firm-fleshed Saba (pickled mackerel, $1.95) tasted light and slightly fishy, as it should. Albacore, yellowtail and red snapper showed clean, fresh flavors.

Some slightly pricier items offer more complexity. Mirugai nigiri (long neck clam, $4.95) crunched pleasantly in the mouth with a rich buttery flavor. Soft shell crab rolls ($4.95) had a generous filling of crispy fried crab with sprigs of mustard sprouts, which added freshness.

A special treat accompanied the amaebi (sweet shrimp, $3.95). A few minutes after the two translucent raw shrimp arrived on their lozenges of rice, their two heads showed up in a fingerbowl of shredded cabbage, breaded and deep-fried. Crunching shell and all in the mouth, I enjoyed the decorative textural contrast.

Numerous house specialty sushi have cute names with Silicon Valley references, like Apple roll (tuna, crab, avocado, cucumber, $7.50), Intel roll (unagi, yellowtail, roe, green onion, sprouts, wild carrot, $7.50), and other such permutations.

Miyake offers an additional four-page menu filled with non-sushi dishes ranging from udon, sukiyaki, teriyaki, salads, bento combinations and more. Wanting to try a range of cooked offerings, I tried beef sukiyaki ($8) and the huge combination Enkai Set ($12.95).

The Enkai Set must count among the better dinner bargains in Palo Alto. This large subdivided tray holds enough courses to feed two people, or perhaps one hungry college linebacker.

After miso soup and tsukemono salad (shredded greens with sesame wasabi dressing), the combination arrived with six pieces of tuna sashimi, vegetable tempura with butterfly shrimp, three small gyoza (potstickers), an entire cutlet of chicken breast teriyaki, and a filet of teriyaki salmon. It also included pickled cabbage, edamame, a half orange and a bowl of rice.

All items arrived hot off the grill. The tempura sizzled with hot oil and crisp breading, but the oil tasted a bit overused. The chicken and salmon tasted excellent, with good char from the grill. The teriyaki sauce imparted a balanced light flavor, neither too salty nor too sweet.

The beef sukiyaki arrived in a wide iron pot, brimming with thinly sliced, lean beef, soft tofu, cabbage, green onions and clear bean thread noodles, all floating in sweet beef broth. Although the meat was a bit overcooked and tough, it came in generous portions.

For an extra $4, hungry carnivores can order an additional plate of beef or chicken to augment the sukiyaki, although I found no shortfall in this generous pot of warming comfort food.

Discussing the food alone, I'm ignoring the real reason for Miyake's success. Miyake comes to life when the party crowd appears on Friday and Saturday nights, awakening to its unique blend of tasty low-cost sushi and a rowdy good time.

To help lubricate the party, Miyake's drinks come bargain-priced like its food, only $2.55 for hot sake or beer. Cold unfiltered sake costs only $4.95 per bottle (Berkeley-made Sho Chiku Bai brand).

When I ordered sake on a recent visit, my cup had a crack that made it leak like a dribble glass. When I told the server, he promptly compensated with a free additional beaker of the hot rice wine. Overall, service was excellent, if somewhat dispirited during calmer hours.

I personally prefer a quiet meal to beer chugging and yelling, so I visited at off-hours to test the food on its own. Honestly, Miyake can seem a bit drab off peak. Come on a weekend to see a completely different world, deafeningly loud and vibrant. Combining good, reasonably-priced Japanese food with frat-party energy, Miyake stands apart.
Information

Miyake 140 University Ave., Palo Alto 323-9449

Hours: Mon. - Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Atmosphere: Noisy and rowdy on Friday and Saturday nights when college students chow down on sushi while strobe lights pulse overhead. On weekdays, the restaurant is much less lively.

Reservations:

Yes

Credit Cards: Yes

Lot Parking: No

Alcohol: Yes

Takeout: Yes

Highchairs: No

Wheelchair access: Yes

Banquet: No

Catering: Yes

Outdoor seating: No

Noise level: Avg. to loud

Bathrooms: Avg.

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