Eats: Sushi and Little Tokyo

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Pink Salmon and Tuna Maki from Little Tokyo Cuisine in Brunswick.

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- Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Beef, Chicken and Shrip stir fry soba from Little Tokyo Cuisine in Brunswick.

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- Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Tokyo Yacht from Little Tokyo Cuisine in Brunswick

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- Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Important questions, important answers

Excerpts from a quick lunchtime chat with busy Little Tokyo owner Cuong Ly:

OK, I'll try sushi. What should I go with first? Sushi roll with cooked fish. It can have cucumber and avocado with a nice spicy mayonnaise. 

OK, I'll try — ug — raw seafood. What do you recommend for a beginner. Yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna and salmon are good to start with.

The hot hand towels. Very nice. What's that about? Sushi was traditionally eaten by hand. It allows you to clean your hands before you eat. 

Chopsticks, do I have to? No, of course not, but we do give lessons. 

Saki? Is that the best beverage to go with sushi? It's one of them. It is the traditional drink ... and traditionally served hot.

I'm not feeling well, so will only have one dessert tonight. What should I go with? Mochi, which is ice cream with a sticky rice coating. Here you can get it with traditional flavors — green tea and red bean — and also in other flavors like strawberry and mango.

Eating Japanese

Sushi: any dish made with vinegared rice

Sashimi: extremely fresh raw seafood, usually thinly sliced and served with a dipping sauce 

Maki roll: raw seafood or cooked seafood (or no seafood at all) often with small slices of vegetables, rolled in seaweed and rice, usually six to eight pieces in a serving. The names of various maki rolls — California roll, for instance, with its combination of crab meat, cucumber and avocado, with rice on the outside of the seaweed wrapper — just indicates the ingredients.

Nigiri: a ball of rice draped, usually, with seafood, generally served in pairs

Tempura: battered and deep fried seafood, meat or vegetables

Teriyaki: grilled or broiled meat with a sweet soy sauce glaze

Katsu: breaded meat with a distinctive thick sauce

Note to self: Ask your server if you have any questions. They're trained to explain all the terms and menu options.

Sushi is quite similar to art. Its preparation is meticulous and every presentation represents the sushi chef's artistic ability.

That's certainly the case at Little Tokyo Japanese Cuisine, a new restaurant on Maine Street in Brunswick where sushi is one of the specialties.

Frankie Gou is the head chef, and on a recent visit his hands maneuvered a knife swiftly behind the sushi bar, slicing through salmon, tuna and octopus with precision. Watching him prepare maki rolls with a bamboo mat was just as impressive. And as he sliced and prepared the items in the Little Tokyo yacht (a large, wooden, boat-shaped tray with a variety of sashimi, maki and nigiri — see the definitions for a quick primer), it was easy to forget Gou was working with food. The Little Tokyo boat (a smaller version of the yacht) is one of the more popular menu items so far, undoubtedly because it's a great way to sample a number of things on the menu.

Little Tokyo owner Cuong Ly wants people to try new things, and he believes that the best way to encourage that is to educate diners through his staff's knowledge and a video that is played in the restaurant.

"When people see something on the screen they think 'Wow, that looks good' and they might want to try it," said Ly.

Sushi is a word commonly used by Westerners to describe raw fish, though it is a bit more than that. Raw fish by itself is called sashimi. Sushi generally refers to any dish made with vinegared rice. While raw fish is a traditional ingredient in sushi, many sushi dishes contain seafood that has been cooked or no seafood at all.

Sushi takes many different forms. Two of the most common in this country are maki rolls (raw seafood, cooked seafood or no seafood at all, often with small slices of vegetables, rolled in seaweed and rice, usually six to eight pieces in a serving), and nigiri (a ball of rice draped, usually, with seafood, generally served in pairs).

Ly recommends that anyone trying sushi for the first time begin with cooked maki, and slowly introduce raw foods.

You don't have to be an expert on sushi to recognize whether it's good. The color of the fish (when raw, it should be vibrant), stickiness of the rice (maki rolls should not fall apart too easily) and the overall sanitary conditions in a restaurant are some indicators of a sushi bar's quality.

Little Tokyo opened Oct. 12 at 72 Maine St., and is one of four that Ly owns. The menu's sushi offerings are augmented by other traditional Japanese fare, including teriyaki, tempura, katsu, stir-fry and noodle dishes, soups, salads and appetizers. Bubble tea (a flavored tea drink with tapioca-like beads mixed in) that requires a wide, specialty straw, and a simple, well-defined menu are what Ly says make this restaurant unique. And the desserts: Mochi (ice cream with sticky rice) is available in traditional Asian flavors like green tea and ginger, as well as more Western flavors like as strawberry, kiwi, and mango. And they also serve tempura fried ice cream.

In terms of atmosphere, the restaurant is modern and welcoming, with Asian decor and eye-appealing color throughout. Tables are far enough apart to enjoy conversation over dinner, but close enough to give a cozy charm.

But the draw is the food. If you're new to sushi, ask any of the staff for help and suggestions. They're trained to provide guidance for both the newbie and the seasoned sushi lover.