Working -- Paul Hur

-- Story by Young Chang; photo by [tk]

HE IS

The head above the counter

DONE IN 15 SECONDS

Sushi chef Paul Hur can make a roll of anything in 15 seconds flat.

Rainbow rolls, a combination of fish; caterpillars, avocado and eel; and

even a platter called crazy combo are no-brainers for the 27-year veteran

of sushi-making.

He began his job at Niko Niko Sushi in Costa Mesa a year ago, when the

business opened.

But his sushi skills stem much further back to the islands of Hawaii.

His early years were spent as a Benihana chef, alternating between the

teppan yaki table and the sushi bar. He had his fill of the spectacles,

conjuring up huge flames as diners stared on, but eventually he chose

quieter settings behind wooden bars at individual sushi joints.

FISH AND PEOPLE

He’s always talking, Hur said. Most of his patrons have this in

common: a loathing of greasy, fried foods and a love of healthy foods.

For this reason, he befriends many of his customers with his

recommendations of this or that fresh-pick-of-the-day.

You can tell what’s fresh by looking at the eyes of the fish, he said.

“Much like with people,” Hur continued. “You can tell by looking at

the light from their eyes.”

The fresh ones have clearer orbs, the older ones, a more dim gaze.

“And the fresh ones are more firm, while the old ones are softer, like

people,” Hur said.

EXPERIMENTS

The 47-year-old Fullerton resident joked that he loves talking to his

patrons and sometimes even feels pressured by all the chatter, when the

restaurant is most bustling.

“But I get happy when they like what I made,” he said. “And it’s fun

to mix items and discover new dishes.”