Members of both San Diego Foodies™ and Carlsbad Foodies™ attended this past Saturday nights’ Table of 6 at Ken Sushi Workshop, Carmel Valley.
Every year, sometimes as many as every two or three months, we take a completely different group from San Diego Foodies and Carlsbad Foodies on Meetup to Ken Sushi Workshop. Our regular goal is to tell you what to order when you go. And in this case, there’s so much conversation about more than just the food, so we are adding those comments for you as well.
We are always checking and rechecking for consistency and we are happy to report you can count on this restaurant to be consistently good. Chef Ken says: “I create with love and present with pride”. And trust me. It shows!
We all decide on the Love Omakase, drinking dark beer, light beer and filtered shots of cold sake. Bring your wallet. And I will say, “It’s worth every bite. So amazing. It’s an experience, not a meal”.
“The salmon is my favorite but I love everything” Michelle says and laughs. Brandon agrees and adds: “I am surprised by the salad. A great mix of sweet and savory”. Justin likes “the energy of the chef. And everything is fresh, artistic and colorful”. And he agrees about the salad: “It’s such a mix of chino farms vegetables. Everything has its’ own flavor and taste and then they throw in pieces of salmon. That’s the best salmon I have ever eaten on planet earth”.
You may think this is an exaggeration, but I couldn’t say it better myself. My thoughts: “Such soft, beautifully smokey full freshly cooked salmon pieces. It blows me away every time and I don’t know how he does it”! And you can quote me!
Kathe loves the salad: “I’ve had it here with you before and I love it every time. She also mentions how cut and perfectly grilled the corn in the salad is. It is just perfect”. Michelle loves the corn too. And I mention the opened pod of peas. How cute that is! And delicious.
Briana says: “I was not sure about the sweet shrimp, but it turns out, it is my favorite”.
Kathe adds: “I also love the tuna belly. The pickled wasabi we ordered, is amazing with it”.
Every time we go for sushi, I explain that we need to order pickled wasabi because the paste is just chemicals. And there’s a way to eat it. You take a small amount, put it in your mouth, then add the sushi (inside your mouth) and chew! I also explain that there’s two ends to the chopsticks. The end that is thin goes into your mouth. The other end, that’s bigger and you use it to serve yourself and others. This way you can give someone a piece of sushi, without your own personal germs from the end you eat with.
On with chatter about the food: Brandon says: “The eggplant is really unexpected. It is almost like having sweet potato tempura”. When I ask Briana about it, she looks at me and says: “X rated”. Another way to say that? Orgasmic. She likes it.
Everyone loves the lobster. “So good” says Michelle. Briana says: “Hot damn. That’s good”. I hear the waitress tell us “It’s usually lobster and crab, but he did all lobster for your group especially”. Like I say, Chef Ken always takes very good care of us.
I don’t know if the smoked tuna cheek and the ‘smoke show’ that goes with it is my favorite, or the wagyu beef at the end. What I will say is that after Brandon eats the tuna cheek, he turns to me and says one word: “Wow”!
At the end of the evening, we are left with our group and a few others at the sushi bar. Some
couples at the surrounding tables. Once the table with the baby is gone, Chef Ken cranks up the music and we all get up and dance and then move ourselves out the front door, thanking all as we leave.
Speaking of leaving, I have to leave you with comments made during the end of the meal and texts sent to me afterwards….
Kathe says: “One of the most enjoyable, memorable meals of my life. Thank you”!
Justin says: “it is an outstanding meal. From cuisine, to atmosphere, to company, memorable from top to bottom”!
Briana says: “This is one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time”. She calls her experience: “Magical”.
Michelle says: “Love the restaurant and the great group. I look forward to signing up again”.