One sushi restaurant gone; another one coming to take its place.
Sushilicious, a new revolving sushi restaurant, is being developed as we speak in the space that used to be Gen Kai in Irvine. Gen Kai, it must be noted, will be missed by me.
I had visited it as it went through various chefs and what I assume, owners, over the years, and as a result saw the swings in quality. But I'm glad that my last trip there left it on a high note.
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It was two years ago that I had a ridiculously fresh and ridiculously cheap omakase at the late Gen Kai, done by a master itamae named Juuji. I don't know where Juuji ended up, but I remember that feast to this day, in awe of what he was able to produce with a measly $40 fee. Here are details of that meal.
It's doubtful that a revolving sushi joint will ever equal that experience, but I remain optimistic that it will be a good restaurant nonetheless.
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.