Maboroshi - Half Moon Bay

On December 1, 2018, I found that the restaurant wasn’t actually open, despite their posted hours indicating otherwise. When I called the provided number, they... read more On December 1, 2018, I found that the restaurant wasn’t actually open, despite their posted hours indicating otherwise. When I called the provided number, they informed me that they wouldn’t be open for at least two weeks. Quite odd!

I have been on the lookout for Andrew ever since my favorite restaurant, Yume Sushi in Alameda, closed down. And now, here he is in Half Moon Bay! You will neve... read more I have been on the lookout for Andrew ever since my favorite restaurant, Yume Sushi in Alameda, closed down. And now, here he is in Half Moon Bay! You will never be disappointed with the quality of the food and the overall experience here. Unlike those upscale places in San Francisco where you pay more for the ambiance, decor, and location, here, you are paying for the quality of the ingredients and the skill of the chef. Sushi master Andrew is like a living encyclopedia of sushi, fish, and Japanese culinary culture. We attended the 7:30 session, which was already dark, but I can only imagine how stunning it must be to sit by the marina. If you enjoy ocean views, I highly recommend booking the 5:00 PM session to catch the sunset. I can't recommend this place enough!

This place is truly exceptional. It’s not advertised anywhere, so it relies mainly on word of mouth. The chef here is the former chef of Yume, and many of his c... read more This place is truly exceptional. It’s not advertised anywhere, so it relies mainly on word of mouth. The chef here is the former chef of Yume, and many of his customers are loyal patrons who frequented his previous restaurant before it closed. To make reservations, your only option is to message him or the business on Facebook, as there’s no phone number and no website. It can be a bit tricky to find, as it’s located inside another restaurant. Just look for Impressions, head upstairs, and you’ll discover a quaint bar counter. It might seem a bit unusual, but that's not what you're here for; you're here for the incredible fish (and the view), not the atmosphere. You might feel reluctant to spend $100 at a restaurant that lacks reviews and a straightforward reservation process, and I completely understand that. However, this place has the potential to earn a star, and Tsuyoshi, the chef, truly has a passion for his craft. You should definitely ask him about how he came to have this spot; it’s quite an impressive story. Honestly, the quality here rivals that of top-tier restaurants in Japan.

I never got to try Yume in Alameda, but then I got the secret tip about Maboroshi from a friend. I would have never thought to go out to Half Moon Bay for sushi... read more I never got to try Yume in Alameda, but then I got the secret tip about Maboroshi from a friend. I would have never thought to go out to Half Moon Bay for sushi. I guess Yume had to close due to some unfortunate non business related circumstances, but chef Tsuyoshi came out to Half Moon Bay for this new venture. The sushi bar is 8 seats on the 2nd floor of this large building with 3 restaurant concepts in it (sushi bar, regular Japanese food, and French food? We were lucky to be the only ones at the sushi bar on a random weeknight, so it was a private dining experience. The chef is knowledgeable and was able to tell us interesting things about the various types of fish we had. Starting with sake, everything was hand picked by the chef. For example, the sparkling sake is fermented naturally and not just carbonated sake. We had two half bottles that he recommended, and prices were very reasonable $16.50 19.50 for 300 350 ml bottles. Sushi: 1. Maguro: big eye tuna from the Marshall Islands beautiful color 2. Albacore belly: from British Columbia, with soy marinated garlic and scallions 3. Mature yellow tail: buri a rare find in the US! Straight from Japan. It was more buttery and tender than regular hamachi 4. Hotate: from Hokkaido, marinated in kelp, with a squeeze of lemon the scallops were super sweet 5. Scottish salmon: torched, topped with, lemon juice, scallion, and spicy daikon. I don't usually like salmon, but the torched flavor with everything else went well 6. Amber jack 7. Black Sea bream: torched, with a Japanese yuzu/citrus powder and scallion 8. Canadian spot prawn: I usually find ama ebi too slimy, but this spot prawn was very fresh and sweet. That said, I'm just not a big fan of raw ebi. 9. Shima aji: from Japan, topped with scallion 10. Uni: from Hokkaido; served with nori 11. Katsuo: lightly cured, topped with soy marinated garlic, shredded shiso, ginger, and a ponzu vinaigrette this was like a flavor bomb 12. Otoro: torched toro belly from Spain very buttery, melts in your mouth The katsuo and albacore belly were my favorite pieces. It was also cool to try buri, since it's not a common fish in the US. It was $90 for 12 pieces, but each of the pieces was like 2.5x the size you get at most places in SF, so if left us quite full. We did do an extra add on a Saba that wasn't on the menu. Shockingly, the a la carte was only around $5 a piece, which is a steal compared to other sushi places. Dining with chef Tsuyoshi was educational and fun. The sushi itself was generous in portion size and was fresh. It wasn't quite as refined as some of the omakase places in SF, but it was a great value and was still a good sushi experience in an unconventional space, without having to go to SF. Currently, reservations are via Facebook messenger with the chef. Definitely make a reservation.

I've bookmarked Yume in Alameda for a while but never got a chance to go and heard that they closed. I found this place from the old Yume Yelp and I'm so glad I... read more I've bookmarked Yume in Alameda for a while but never got a chance to go and heard that they closed. I found this place from the old Yume Yelp and I'm so glad I tried it out. This place is located inside of the Impressions restaurant, 2nd floor. I made reservation through their Facebook page. Plenty of parking and the view is gorgeous! Usually when you do omakase, they will serve you with some soups and light appetizer plus dessert. Here, it's strictly nigiri. You get 12pcs of nigiri for $90 and you can order extra supplements if you'd like. The nigiri is pretty big so we were full after the 12 pcs and only ordered extra toro. Love all the fish we tried and love all the background story about where the fish is from and some history on why he opened this place. I wish they give some dessert in the end, but other than that, we're satisfied with our meal!