The Chinese philosophy of yin and yang
posits a dualistic universe in which both sides of opposite forces are
each part of a whole and work together. Examples include good and
bad, male and female, light and dark and positive and negative.
These opposing forces are equal and necessary for harmony. A
dualistic nature is what we uncovered at Japengo Sushi--in this case
the opposites being truly sensational, saucy salads and sushi sadly
at the level of mediocrity.
Launched in August,
2004, Japengo is one of the very best restaurants on what has become restaurant
row just off I-25--despite the sushi. Its proximity to the Century
Rio 24 movie theater has made it a popular dining destination among
movie goers. The quality and freshness of ingredients will make it
a destination to which I'll return.
Japengo might best be
categorized as contemporary Japanese with a slight fusion Asian twist.
Its relatively minimalist decor is modern, almost industrial. The
wait staff is courteous and professional.
The menu includes an
array of traditional Japanese entrees (such as noodle bowls topped with
tempura or chicken) as well as dishes which push the envelope insofar as
tradition. Plating is pleasing to the eye and the palate. On
any given night, the music piped in through the restaurant's speakers
might be contemporary American jazz, but it feels oddly in place here.
That might be because Japengo is a dichotomy, straddling the fine
line between traditional and contemporary.
An appetizer of fresh,
lightly battered green chiles deep fried in tempura is a good
introduction to an innovative menu sure to appeal to discerning diners.
It is served with a very light tempura and soy sauce.
Another interesting
appetizer (at least as far as its spelling is concerned) is age cyoza,
a deep-fried pot sticker prepared in a wrapper just slightly thicker
than a wonton. At most restaurants, the spelling of this popular
starter is "gyoza."
Gyoza actually
originated in China and was introduced to Japan in the late 17th
century. At Japengo, the cyoza are stuffed with ground pork,
chives and cabbage. Despite the deep-frying, they are surprisingly
moist with slightly crunch edges. They are served six per order.
Another great way to
start your meal is with a salad appetizer called Japengo Ceviche which
isn't quite antithetical to the Mexican version, but vastly different.
Like Mexican Ceviche, it features seafood (various types of fish and
shrimp) marinated and cooked in citrus juices, but you won't find
tomatoes or garlic on Japengo's version. Instead you'll find crisp
lettuce of various varieties, thankfully not including the ubiquitous
iceberg lettuce inferior restaurants serve. The greens are
marinated in the tangy citrus dressing which invigorates all the
ingredients in a memorable palate pleasing manner.
The ginger-based
dressing served with the lunch salads is also exceptional, perhaps the
very best of its kind we've had in Albuquerque.
The slightly
piquant, slightly tangy dressing on the Tuna Tataki made an exquisite
entree supremely sublime as it charged up a generous amount of every so slightly
seared and perfectly pink tuna. Unlike other piquant foods, the only "burn"
you might feel will be on your lips where the citrus and chili
combination will linger for just seconds after each bite.
While seared tuna has
become de rigueur on menus throughout the country, very few restaurants
prepare it exceptionally well. Japengo Sushi is one of those.
You'll hit the quadrafecta of outstanding dressings with the piquant
dressing on the Viagra Salad (pictured above), a peppy salad of ultra-fresh greens and
raw fish. It's got restorative properties that may tantalize your
palate as opposed to other parts Viagra typically addresses.
Leaving lettuce laden
entrees, you might want to try one of the restaurant's luncheon or
dinner
specials, all of which are served with a house salad, white rice and miso soup.
Other entrees include a
California roll, shrimp tempura, crabby wonton and rice.
The
lightly salted miso soup is a rich, delicious broth, the type of which
are so comforting particularly on cold winter nights.
Dip your
tempura vegetables into the house salad's ginger dressing and you may
never want teriyaki again. Lightly battered in tempura batter, the
inherent flavor of each vegetable isn't lost in either the dressing or
the batter. If you've ever dined at restaurants in which you can't
tell the difference between tempura battered zucchini and tempura
battered shrimp, you'll be happy to hear that's not the case at Japengo.
The
spicy pork loin, a popular dinner entree, is prepared
Yakiniku style which means it's thinly sliced, fried on a skillet or
grilled and marinated. In this case the marinade was a sweet,
spicy sauce similar to Korean bulgogi. We were thoroughly
impressed with the quality of the pork which didn't have a smidgeon of
sinew and was as tender as a bird's heart. It is topped with
smoked almond shavings which complement the pork wonderfully.
As for the sushi, we
found most of the fish unfailingly fresh (a commonality among the
restaurant's offerings) but the maki style rolls were cut too thick and
the rice disintegrated as soon as we dipped our sushi into a very weak
Wasabi.
One of the rolls included a low-grade
fish roe with the
consistency of pop-rocks, the child's candy that pops in your mouth.
The sushi is among the most expensive in town with several rolls
approaching the $15 mark. Better sushi is available elsewhere, but
for a sensational salad experience in a fun, festive and thoroughly
contemporary, Japengo Sushi rocks!
