???1/2
A television screen hangs in the dining room of Kaizen Sushi Bar and Grill, but it is not tuned to sports or news. Instead, it shows a continuous muted loop of top sushi chefs slicing moray eels, prepping detoxified blowfish and curing delicate fillets of Japanese aji fish (horse mackerel) at Michelin-starred omakase counters in New York and Los Angeles. Qui Lam, the 30-year-old chef who runs Kaizen with owner Chau Ho (his fiancee), likes to watch these videos on Eater’s YouTube channel when he’s not making exquisite plates of his own.
“I’m obsessed with sushi,” Lam says. “I’m always looking for better ways to prepare and serve my fish.”
Lam’s fish fixation is good news for Fort Lauderdale’s sushi scene, too often a dull sea of sameness amid mishmash menus of Thai and Asian fusion cuisine. At Kaizen, which opened in May 2019, Lam’s passion, enthusiasm and skill come shining through on every plate.
Bluefin tuna from Japan bursts with ruby-red richness, brushed with Lam’s housemade soy sauce. Horse mackerel from Japan, sweet and tender and not fishy at all, is topped with pickled grated ginger and wisps of scallion after being cured in salt to remove moisture. Delicate slivers of Hakkaido scallop sashimi are artfully arranged between slices of lemon, served in a large scallop shell adorned with an edible orchid and topped with sea salt, lime zest, smoke vinegar and soy sauce.
Kaizen, located at the former longtime site of Bon Gusto restaurant on North Federal Highway, features an impressive array of sea treats from near and far along with good (and surprisingly low-priced) steaks, lamb chops and other cooked items for the sushi-averse. The quality, value and low-key vibe make this one of the better choices for Japanese-American cuisine around.
I’m not sure if Kaizen is the best sushi restaurant in Broward, but it certainly delivers the most bang for the buck.
The lamb chop appetizer features four trimmed loin chops in a delicious soy-butter-red-wine sauce over a pile of sauteed spinach — for $14. A perfectly fine 8-ounce filet mignon in mushroom-wine reduction — cooked perfectly to the ordered medium-rare — costs $23, including miso soup and salad (with a creamy, tangy ginger dressing that’s among the better versions I’ve had). The $60 sushi party platter is literally a boatload of fish, with 10 pieces of sushi, 10 slices of sashimi and four rolls served in a wooden boat. Specialty imports from Japan, delivered three times a week, cost $10 to $20 per plate. On the nights I dined, the generous portion of Hokkaido scallops cost $15 and a two-piece order of luscious, fat-striated o-toro tuna went for $20.
Lam’s omakase (chef’s tasting menu) at the 10-seat sushi counter costs $130 per person, and although I haven’t experienced it yet, I’ve heard from others that it’s a real treat — a 20-course, small bite parade that features 20 varieties of fish and seafood, some raw, some cooked, all artfully plated. Compared to some of the higher-end sushi dens and Japanese fine-dining restaurants in South Florida, Kaizen is a steal.
Kaizen has some fine-dining touches (white tablecloths, full liquor), but the atmosphere is cozy and relaxed. The main dining room with sushi bar seats 60, dressed with Japanese art and a large mounted blue marlin. Another 90 seats are scattered in a rear dining room and patio.
Lam and Ho have the practiced air of experienced restaurateurs because they are. Ho, originally from Vietnam, opened the first Kaizen in central Massachusetts (Sturbridge) in 2007. Lam later came on board as a chef. Lam says he has learned from top sushi chefs in short stints at other restaurants in Massachusetts and Florida. Ho and Lam arrived in South Florida a couple years ago, leaving the original Kaizen in the hands of Ho’s cousin, a business partner.
“We were thinking about opening a nail salon, it’s a much easier business and you make money right away,” Ho says. “But Qui wanted to open another restaurant.”
“I’m young and I’m hungry,” Lam says. “I’ve only taken one day off since we opened — Fourth of July.”
Lam, whose first name is pronounced Wee, was born in Cambodia, raised in Massachusetts and now considers himself Japanese in spirit, devoted to honing the craft and technique of rice-making and fish-slicing. Lam has an infectious enthusiasm that presents itself the moment patrons walk through the door. On my first of two recent dinner visits Lam practically bounced around the room, explaining each slice on combination platters to patrons and offering suggestions of specials flown in from Japan. “Eat the lighter, whiter pieces first [in our case cobia, yellowtail, striped bass, sea bream], then eat the darker, fattier pieces like tuna and salmon last,” Lam explained to our table.
Lam showed a politician’s aplomb when he greeted another customer by name, impressive since it was only the man’s second visit. A mother and her 9-year-old son sat at the sushi counter, and the boy looked rapturous as Lam presented course after course of shimmering fish brushed with soy sauce and salmon belly presented with skin stripped of scales and blow-torched to crunchiness.
Lam later explained that the boy had come in the week before for his first sushi experience and liked it so much he returned for a junior version of an omakase experience.
“I want everyone to love sushi as much as I do,” he says.
There is much to like at Kaizen, including vibrant seaweed salad ($6) and cucumber salad ($6), served in martini glasses. Tempura vegetables ($6) featured crisp and near translucent batter surrounding onion, zucchini and sweet potato. Lam puts much effort and care into his well-balanced sushi rice, soaked overnight and molded warm with just the right amount of sweetness and vinegar.
But some little touches could be better. I wish fish this good could be accompanied by fresh-grated wasabi root instead of the green stuff that passes for wasabi (Lam says he’ll soon start using the real thing for omakase service). I wish the friendly but slightly green server knew the sake list a little better, recommending a premium bottle as dry when it turned out to be fruity and sweet. And although there was much mindfulness in the warm and crunchy banana tempura ($6), including a housemade raspberry coulis, I wish it wasn’t topped with processed, store-bought whipped cream. Why not buy a container of heavy cream and have the kitchen whip some up fresh?
“Kaizen means ‘continuous improvement’ in Japanese,” Lam says.
With a few tweaks here and there, Kaizen could be just about perfect.
Kaizen Sushi Bar & Grill
5640 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale
954-835-5610, or KaizenFlorida.com
Cuisine: Japanese
Cost: Moderate-expensive. Appetizers, soups, salads, noodles, rice sushi and sashimi pieces and rolls $3-$20, entrees $15-$36, family-size sushi platters $32-$87, chef’s omakase tasting menu $130 per person (20 small courses)
Hours: 4-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Lunch by takeout only 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday
Rating: 3 1/2 stars (of 4, very good/highly recommended)
Reservations: Accepted by phone
Credit cards: All major
Bar: Full liquor with co*cktails and compact sake, wine and beer list
Noise level: Conversational, background music over speakers
Wheelchair access: Ground level
Parking:
Free lot
Originally Published:
