RESTAURANT REVIEW:

By John Reger

Jan. 28, 2009 12 AM PT

If a tone is to be set for what the theme will be like at the Strand development in downtown Huntington Beach, RA Sushi is set to ring loud and proud.

It is one of many facilities in a development that is just starting to come to life after nearly 10 years of planning. It could very well become one of the main attractions of the Strand.

The Japanese restaurant is not for the timid. It is a rock ’n’ roll atmosphere with attractive staff, hip décor and music that makes intimate conversation impossible.

Tranquillity will not be found here, but this is a perfect spot for anyone looking to see and be seen.

While most of these venue types fade with the next trend, what should keep RA Sushi around is the formula of quality food and decent prices.

“We are loud, rock and roll place,” said John Han, regional manager of Southern California for RA Sushi. “Even though we are owned by Benihana, we are completely different.”

Big red balls are the focal point of the dining room, that is until you see the 2,000-gallon aquarium that is behind the sushi chefs on one side and bartenders on the other.

There are four displays of sushi, nigiri, hand rolls, sashimi and maki, and most of them are pretty good quality.

Three rolls I enjoyed were the tunacado, chili ponzu yellowtail and tuna tataki. Both are seared, though not too much, which I liked.

The tunacado is dusted with Japanese rice crackers and black sesame seeds. I liked the avocado, and the texture of the dish was both crunchy and soft.

My eyes watered a bit with the chili and jalapeño on top of the yellowtail, but that was a good thing. Sauteed cashews and pine nuts with cilantro were nice touches.

The tuna tataki is one of three offered; albacore and beef are the others. The tuna again was fresh and this was much more thinly sliced. The onion-soy vinaigrette that is served with it gave it another dimension.

A creamy wasabi is served with the beef tataki roll, which works much better than the vinaigrette. The combination of artichoke, asparagus, roasted red peppers and avocado surprisingly don’t take away from the meat.

Three appetizers I would definitely recommend are the pineapple cheese wontons, the “RA’Ckin” shrimp and the shrimp shumai.

I was hesitant to try the pineapple wontons, thinking it would be too sweet, but it has a nice mix of fruit and cream cheese.

The shrimp shumai was really good. It is lightly deep-fried and comes out very tender. The sauce that came with it was a sesame-mustard and was fitting for the dish.

The shrimp was crispy and came on a bed of mixed greens with a creamy ginger teriyaki sauce. I liked the texture of the shrimp and the dipping sauce was welcomed, complementing the appetizer.

The rolls are inventive and the ones I tried I enjoyed. The best one I had was the Viva Las Vegas roll: a kani kama and cream cheese rolled in rice and seaweed then deep fried in tempura batter. It is topped with spicy tuna, crab mix and sliced lotus root. There is a hint of spice that gives it a little kick.

The tootsy maki was good as well. The crab mix, shrimp and cucumber are rolled and topped with crunchy tempura bits. The sweet eel sauce really makes this dish.

I was a bit disappointed with the mango lobster. The fruit was overpowering and the taste of the lobster was lost.

There are many dishes that are not found at traditional sushi places and one I would definitely recommend is the apple teriyaki salmon.

This fish was grilled and a Fuji apple glaze topped it, and the dish was unique and very tasty.

RA Sushi also has an incredible happy hour aimed at locals. On Monday through Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. there is $1 hot sake, $2 domestic beers, $3 well drinks and international beers, $4 specialty drinks and for $5 beer and sake combos.

Thirteen of the sushi selections are half priced, as are all of the appetizers.

“We want to cater to the locals,” Han said. “We are going to get tourists, but we want to make sure the locals are taken care of.”

Just about anyone who comes into RA Sushi is going to get that feeling.

RA SUSHI

ADDRESS: 155 Fifth St., Huntington Beach

PHONE: (714) 536-6390

WEBSITE: www.rasushi.com

SPECIALTY DISH: specialty rolls

ALCOHOL SERVED: full bar

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $5.25 to $22.50

FAMILY FRIENDLY: no children’s menu

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: American Express, MasterCard and Visa