In restaurants, as with many other endeavors, small locations can sometimes breed creativity. It can be all too easy for a restaurant with expansive square footage to try to do everything at once, saddling itself with an overly broad menu and unfocused approach. A shoebox space, on the other hand, can lead to a decision to pursue one or two areas of excellence for those who appreciate them with the knowledge that a specific clientele can fill its limited seating. That's the strategy at Sake Haus, a place for sushi, cocktails, and its namesake drink on Roosevelt Row.
poke inarizushi
Sake Haus is part of the Monorchid building, a structure it shares with its much larger siblings Pedal Haus and Kahvi. The sushi spot is the smallest in the complex, and it's found three blocks east of the Roosevelt/Central light rail station. Shaded bike racks are found outside the apartment building just across the alley. A narrow patio faces Roosevelt with a host station positioned outside the door to the interior space that lies beyond. Inside, there are two dining rooms: a smaller front one with an open kitchen and a larger rear one that is home to the bar.
Kyuubi roll
The restaurant has a punk rock aesthetic with a Tokyo twist. The walls are covered with vintage posters, photos, and flyers bearing the likenesses of not only Anglo-American legends like Sid Vicious, but also Japanese bands like The Stalin. The rooms are generally dark, but lanterns with Japanese characters on them enhance both the lighting and the decor. The color inside is as red as a mission to Mars, adding to the restaurant's nocturnal feel. The wall furthest towards the back of the restaurant breaks the pattern with a colorful mural of swords and dragons.
coconut miso soup
The concise menu is mostly available only by scanning a QR code, but a board by the doorway that connects the two dining rooms lists some daily specials to supplement the digital listing of regular offerings. If the online menu were printed, it would be just a single column with categories like appetizers, nigiri, and rolls. One promising beginning is Sake Haus' original take on miso soup. With a bit of coconut milk added to the broth, it comes across as a viable hybrid of traditional miso and Thai tom kha gai, particularly when seen in the restaurant's red glow.
mushroom, halibut, and mackerel nigiri
Other ubiquitous Japanese restaurant starters receive their own distinctive touches here: Edamame are served with a coating of roasted chilies and garlic; the seaweed salad is dusted with fried shallots; and the gyoza, although stuffed with ground pork, are fried in tallow from wagyu beef. Although not officially classified as an appetizer, the poke inarizushi fit well in this role. Three pockets of tofu skin are stuffed with a mixture of sweet rice and diced fish. The slightly tart marinade and a topping of garlic crumble contrast with the sweetness of the grain.
yuzu hamachi, seared yellowtail, and eggplant nigiri
A bed of rice is of course the foundation of nigiri at Sake Haus. The standard offerings are succinct with twelve types of fish. Most are raw while a few like the scallops and halibut are seared, and the eel is grilled. Preparations are generally simple with seldom more than three or four ingredients and an emphasis on additions like micro-greens, garlic, or soy sauce. While aioli makes an occasional appearance, there is no cream cheese or eel sauce to be seen on the menu. Nigiri are priced per piece, rather than per pair, so order with eyes and wallet open.
Ryujin roll
In addition to the standard selection of a dozen nigiri, the specials board often includes additional species such as saba, the Japanese name for mackerel, a fish that needs little adornment to enhance its flavor and nutritional benefits. Sake Haus also offers three types of vegetarian nigiri, two with different types of mushrooms and one with eggplant. They're all the same level of the fish selections because gentle preparation allows the umami flavors of the plant ingredients to emerge while rendering them just tender enough to be enjoyed.
Orange blossom
Maki, or hand rolls, number half a dozen with a special or two added sometimes. That's a welcome contrast with the endless pages of gloppy assemblages found in many local restaurants. The Kyuubi roll is prepared with two cuts of salmon, avocado, lemon, dill, and a light "haus" aioli. The Ryujin is like a standard spicy tuna roll found on countless other menus but particularly well executed. Other rolls focus on yellowtail and eel as their proteins while the Midori roll is another vegetarian choice built upon a foundation of gently grilled eggplant.
chai tiramisu
While the rolls and nigiri rely on rice as a base, a few dishes described as "chef's specials" are focused more on letting the fish speak for itself in a sashimi-style presentation. The Orange Blossom is a simple dish of sliced salmon with notes of acid from tomato oil and caramelized orange segments. There is no regular dessert listed on the menu, but the specials board occasionally offers a treat like a recent chai tiramisu. With a more chocolate-driven base layer than a typical tiramisu, it's probably a good choice for people who think they don't like tiramisu.
lychee margarita
Sake Haus' concise food menu is compensated for with an extensive listing of sakes, each one described in terms of its region, style, and degree of rice milling, an essential factor in determining subtle distinctions of flavor. There is also beer, wine, and some crafty cocktails like a lychee margarita which turns out pleasantly tiki-ish, even if it relies on tequila rather than rum. With a focused approach to sushi and sake fitting into its shoebox space, Sake Haus is the kind of place that can fill small gaps between bigger buildings in the urban fabric of Roosevelt Row.
214 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix AZ 85004
https://www.sakehaus.net
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