Fresh Elegance at Osumi Sushi

The Latest Addition to Giralda Plaza: Authentic Japanese Fine Dining

The culinary scene on Giralda’s pedestrian plaza continues to upscale itself, starting with the makeover of Talavera Cocina Mexicana on the west end and now to Osumi on the east end, with stars like Luca Osteria, Eating House, Calista, and Cebada Rooftop upping the fresh elegance factor in between.

Osumi has been open just three months but already feels polished. It replaces Tapeo Miami, a house of tapas with excellent food but hobbled by a bizarre interior that felt more like a pop-art spaceship in Las Vegas than a Spanish restaurant.

The new interior is unrecognizable, transformed into what feels like a Japanese teahouse in Osaka or Kyoto. Blond woods, woven rattan panels, flower petal lamps, a glowing bar with clear hanging bulbs, comfortable but simple leather seats – all of it conveys an unpretentious, easy-going sophistication. It’s all about the experience, says co-owner Hernan Santarcangelo, who was also the restaurant’s architect. “We’ve created a space where fine dining meets casual comfort,” he says, which understates the refinement of the design.

The food is likewise beautifully curated. Of course, because this is a Japanese restaurant, there is a surfeit of nigiri, sashimi, and rolls. We were tempted by the spicy blue crab roll and the lobster with caviar roll. Still, we kept our raw fish to a magnificent pair of shio salmon nigiri (on rice, like butter, $10) with lime zest and a flight of spicy tuna tartar on cassava chips with avocado cream ($22). The latter was evidence of Osumi’s self-defined posture, as a Japanese restaurant with Latin fusions.

We saw a little more of that with their Sachi of the Sea ($26), bites of shrimp, scallops, and charred avocado floating in a very un-Japanese pool of coconut milk and Latin passion fruit sauce. Very refreshing and a good palate cleanser before the main dishes.

Left: a pair of shio salmon nigiri with lime zest. Right: a flight of spicy tuna tartare.

While there are numerous Japanese restaurants in the Gables less common – and non-seafood – fare is on the menu. The deeper offerings are a good test of a well-rounded Japanese restaurant, and Osumi passed with flying colors. Our favorites were the Tebasaki, a plate of Korean-style fried chicken wings, crusted with karashi honey and bits of fried quinoa for crunch, and (we swear) some garlic ($23). Hauntingly good.

We also ordered the duck confit with fried rice ($42), which arrived as sliced duck breast atop a complex bed of yellow rice with mushrooms, eggs, and foie gras. My fellow diners thought the duck was underdone; it was seared like a tuna steak and I loved it. Two other entrees impressed me. The first was their teriyaki salmon ($29), a medium-cooked block of salmon perfectly seared and glazed, served on a bed of whipped white cabbage, with pureed red cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, shaved truffles, and white rice topped by crunchy quinoa. A superb treatment for a classic dish.

Left: Korean-style fried chicken wings crusted with karashi honey. Right: teriyaki salmon on pureed cabbage.

Finally, we ordered something from the Wagyu Lover section of the menu – their hot stone Wagyu with assorted vegetables ($48). Here, the waitress places the Wagyu on the grill and then turns it for you before placing it on your plate. The secret to this dish is to pair each bit of beef with a tiny carrot or slice of yellow pickled pepper to give the soft beef a salty or tart bang, which it needed. 

Not to be forgotten here is the bar, with a selection of Japanese whiskeys and vodkas, and the cocktails, which range from a Lychee Highball (with Japanese gin) to a distinctly Japanese Ibaraki Sour, which mixes watermelon liqueur with barley vodka (ichiiko, shoshu), sugar, lime, and absinthe, topped with egg white foam. Sweet and tart, both beautiful and delicious. Desserts were on par; we fell for the pistachio tartufo, a large ball of ice cream topped with a disk of dark chocolate and flamed with rum.

Left: Osumi Ibaraki Sour and Japanese tea—top right: bartender at Osumi crafting a drink. Bottom right: pistachio tartufo.

Osumi is still new to Giralda Plaza, but we expect this fresh showcase of elegance, excellent service, and superb cuisine to flourish.

Osumi Sushi
110 Giralda Ave.
786.684.8110
osumisushibar.com