Maboroshi - Half Moon Bay

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!

I was a regular at Yume Sushi in Alameda and I was so happy when Andrew opened Maboroshi. It really is as good as it gets . In a true Sushi experience, it is im... read more I was a regular at Yume Sushi in Alameda and I was so happy when Andrew opened Maboroshi. It really is as good as it gets . In a true Sushi experience, it is important that each piece served is from the best sources and prepared. The rice is also important as the freshness of the fish. At Maroboshi, Andrew accomplishes the above where each piece melt in your mouth followed by perfectly textured rice. The soy sauce is homemade. The wasabi is from a fresh root unlike artificial wasabi served at most sushi restaurants. The chef puts the perfect amount of wasabi and coats the fish with soy sauce. The ambiance is great with views of the boats docked at the wharf. There is a beautiful flower arrangement on the counter. So reviews are not confused, there are multiple restaurants in the building: French, sushi/bento (on the 1st floor) and Maboroshi which is Omakase sushi on the 2nd floor. I believe that reviewer who gave Maboroshi one star was making a review of sushi/bento counter on the 1st floor since Maboroshi only has Andrew and one server. There is no bartenders or multiple chefs behind the counter.

Great delicious sushi..chef is very friendly and informative. our bill came out to be $300 for 2 people because we ordered more but it was all worth it read more Great delicious sushi..chef is very friendly and informative. our bill came out to be $300 for 2 people because we ordered more but it was all worth it

So happy Chef Tsuyoshi reopened we had previously dined at Yume which on it's own was a memorable experience. Dined at his new spot last night with my wife (jus... read more So happy Chef Tsuyoshi reopened we had previously dined at Yume which on it's own was a memorable experience. Dined at his new spot last night with my wife (just got married this past Sunday). It was very intimate just the 2 of us at the sushi bar since this was the first Wednesday he decided to open. As always, a delightful, delicious, affordable, and amazing experience fresh ingredients that is carefully prepared to give you an orgasmic dining experience especially if you love sushi. Hands down best sushi we've had in California.