Kaizen, a new hand roll joint in Flushing, says it's a destination for hand rolls, but what Kaizen actually offers are pieces of (delicious) sushi served on crunchy seaweed.
With an on-point interior and a skilled staff that patiently navigates the menu alongside each curious diner that wanders inside, Kaizen boasts an extraordinarily tasty oyster mushroom hand roll with garlic butter and a "secret" XO sauce to a simple-yet-delightful dish of salmon and tomato purée, diners will get to order sets of hand rolls presented in eye-pleasing wooden, "sectioned" serving dishes. An omakase option will soon launch as well.
Standout orders in the short-but-strong list of appetizers include the akami avocado salad and the Thai-style yellowtail crudo, all served under the purview of chef Ben Chan of Sushi Seki and O Ya fame.
Overall, Kaizen certainly does pack a punch, a happy medium between traditional Japanese spots like Manhattan’s Sushi Yasuda and more "commercial" destinations like nearby Tara, in Little Neck.
But if the inventively appetizing fare is what should initially draw you to Kaizen, the interior decor's piece de resistance, an actual cherry blossom tree, is what will have you linger way past your meal is finished, trying to gaze at the genetic makeup of the giant piece of nature.
Set upright in the middle of the sushi bar, which happens to be the best seat in the house, the cherry blossom tree is made of a petrified trunk installed right into the ground with pink fabric cherry blossom leaves flown in from the United Kingdom. Add to it a live sea moss wall over the bar and you’ve got yourself a pretty cool set up all around.
Clearly, Kaizen benefits from its industrial surroundings as there aren’t many restaurants of its kind in the area, automatically turning the eatery into a curious destination for nearby residents. And so, alas, the old adage proves to be true once again: location, location, location.
