Kat's 9 Lives

I was invited to a small B-day get together to Sushi Zen Bistro. As I walked through the doors I noticed the neon signs saying half off but I had just missed Happy Hour! =*( I was deeply saddened but there is always next time. It's a small restaurant with a sushi bar. The decor was your normal sleek dark tables and chairs. We all squeezed in the corner. My Evil Twin had a little mix up with the time so everyone else there was already done eating but we had just arrived. I decided to stay down and eat while everyone else went upstairs to get a drink. M.E.T. stayed and joined me for a little snack.
Since there was a lot of stuff on the Happy Hour menu that I would have wanted but unfortunately missed, I opted out of trying anything that is not on that menu. One thing that really caught my eye was the Crunch Blue Crab Roll. I don't know why but that night I really wanted some blue crab. It's a simple roll of Blue Crab, Avocado, Tempura Flakes, and Teriyaki Sauce. The blue crab was very tasty and I did enjoy the tempura flakes that added a nice crunch. I love the strong seafood taste of the blue crab. Even though it was $10.95, it was a pretty generous size and worth the price.
For sushi, I had to pick most stuff that is not on the Happy Hour menu so that I can get my money's worth. I decided to get a sushi order of the Japanese Hotate, Scallops. They came out fresh and it was a decent size. The other sushi I saw that looked tasty was the Hamachi Belly. You really can't go wrong with these two unless they weren't fresh. Both were decent cuts and fresh.
In the end I had to break down to try regular Hamachi. I was surprised by their sushi since I wasn't expecting much. In my mind that day I thought to myself that I have to come back for Happy Hour... yet, I have not been back for a long time. They weren't exactly mind blowing sushi but better than I thought they would have been. Still, I thought they deserve a mention and I would definitely post about them again once I go back for Happy Hour. If and when I go back, I would definitely get the blue crab again. It's hard to find decent blue crab and even harder to find places that give a decent portion. Hope they are still as decent as before when I make it back that way. O=PSushi Zen Bistro
1875 Newport Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 722-2520