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Downtown Redwood City is a hot spot for omakase. Another reservation-only prix-fixe sushi restaurant opened directly next to Sushi Shin and just a five minute walk from Nagai Edomae Sushi.
Sushi Ai, which opened Jan. 16 in the former spot of Ogiku Kaiseki, fuses traditional and modern sushi techniques and specializes in dry aging. Its 17-course menu boasts a lower pricepoint than its nearby competitors: Inclusive of service charges, dinner at Sushi Ai would run you $210, versus Nagai Edomae Sushi at $292.50 and Sushi Shin at $330. Sushi Ai’s sushi bar and tableside service seats six each, and two private dining rooms fit an additional five each.
Chef-owners Yong Wu and Nick Chan chose the name Ai, which means “love” in both Japanese and Chinese, to symbolize their love for omakase.
“Behind it is just do what you love and love what you do,” executive chef Wu said. “And both me and my chef, we love what we do.”
At Sushi Ai, 50%-70% of the fish is dry-aged to bring out the umami flavor, and fish are selected based on seasonality. Traditional techniques like aging, sujime (vinegar-curing) and kombujime (kelp-curing) are also utilized.
Sushi Ai’s signature dish is its braised Hokkaido ankimo (monkfish liver) with kanpyo (calabash gourd) and ikura (salmon roe) on top of a nori chip and finished with hanaho (shiso flower).
“Ankimo is like the foie gras of the sea, a little bit creamy (and) buttery,” Wu said.
Mikandai-Mandarin orange snapper is one of Sushi Ai’s signature nigiris. The snapper is farmed in the Ehime prefecture of Japan and is fed orange peel, resulting in a citrus aroma. Sushi Ai kelp-cures the snapper and serves it with shiso leaf and lime zest.
The drinks menu is relatively succinct, with 10 wine options ($18-$23 a glass, $85-$330 a bottle), 12 sake options ($20-$45 a glass, $110-$250 a bottle), a rice lager ($10), as well as nonalcoholic options like sparkling water, juices and tea ($5-$7).
Wu began his sushi journey 10 years ago as a college student studying electrical engineering. He took a part-time job as a server at a now-closed casual sushi restaurant in San Bruno and became fascinated with the art of sushi.
“When I wasn’t serving guests, I just stood at the sushi bar and watched them mix stuff,” he said.
Wu began learning the basics of sushi before landing a job at San Francisco’s Kusakabe, working his way up from helper to chef. He credits most of his skills to chef Mitsunori Kusakabe, who he describes as “the best teacher,” and Wu is even offering one of Kusakabe’s signature dishes at Sushi Ai, the medium fatty tuna with a half sear.
“When I first had that bite of sushi, I was literally, like, ‘Wow, this is amazing,’ because you get the cold and the burn from the torch, but at the same time smokey,” Wu said. “That was one of the best sushi bites in the Bay Area.”
Wu has also worked at San Francisco’s Ju-Ni and Friends Only, but Sushi Ai is his first time as an owner and as an executive chef. This is also sous chef Chan’s first time as a restaurant owner. His previous experience includes Robin in Menlo Park and Ju-Ni.
Wu said he chose to open Sushi Ai in Redwood City because of its central location between San Francisco and San Jose. When he secured the lease, he wasn’t aware Sunny Noah and Tomonori Nagai, who he knew from mutual friends and the restaurant industry, would be opening Nagai Edomae Sushi nearby.
Inspired by dry-aging fish pioneers Leiwei Liao and Ray Lee, Wu said he hopes to share the unique umami flavors of dry-aged fish to the Peninsula.
Sushi Ai, 2432 Broadway, Redwood City; 650-562-7107, Instagram: @sushiai_rwc. Open Wednesday to Sunday for two seatings, one at 5:30 p.m. and the second at 8:15 p.m.
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