By Michelle Payer
With its diverse and eclectic menu – from hot and cold izakayas to sushi rolls, tapas style menu and ingredients from the earth’s four corners, you may think you know all there is to know about South Florida fan-favorite Ke-uH restaurant.
Online reviews of “creative,” “extraordinary” and “exciting” should lure you in, but its executive sushi chef Edwin Delgado and manager Sayuri Jones – who’ve worked together for more than 15 years – are the magic behind the scenes. Handpicked by Chef Oscar Noborikawa for his 22-years of experience with sushi, Delgado and his team have created a Japanese fusion destination with Latin American, South Asian and French influences using “the quality of the product, the preparation, the respect and care for every single ingredient and inherent discipline to create the perfect balance,” says Delgado.
It starts with the fish. Japanese Hamachi yellowtail, Scottish salmon, Yellowfin and Bigeye tuna from Central and South America and Bluefin tuna from the Mediterranean Sea are the best in the world for sushi. Then, Chef Delgado has created clean, healthy, fresh menu items he says are the most popular at the Acqualina location, including:
Toro Cilantro: Bluefin toro sashimi brushed with a special soy sauce, lit with a torch and smoked with miso. “It’s creamy in a sense, but light,” says Chef Delgado.
Wagyu Kinoko: Chef Delgado says this is similar to a carpaccio, seasoned with truffle, shitake mushrooms and a ponzu sauce finish and lit with a torch to melt the ingredients together. “It’s classic to focus on the ingredients and keep the simplicity,” he says.
Caviar Salmon Aji Amarillo: “made with sweet Japanese wine for a hint of sweetness, yet spicy, then we put caviar and special soy with lava or black salt,” says Delgado.
From the hot kitchen, Delgado’s favorites are fan-favorite Ke-uH Sliders and Pork Buns, the latter for which the pork is cooked sous vide for 12 hours. Beyond putting a tremendous amount of work and care into each dish, Chef Delgado likes the enjoyment and “fun” that these small bites provide in a communal setting.
Jones and Chef Delgado enjoy creating “freestyle combinations” – their version of omakase — for guests as a way of engaging with Acqualina’s sophisticated and global clientele who may have eaten sushi around the world, but never like this.
“We have worked together for so long that I know Chef’s personal recipes,” says Jones, “even those that aren’t on the menu, so based on the client’s palate, we will create by request and personal experience a menu that’s tailored specifically to them with items from the menu and the chef’s own recipes,” she says.
Adds Chef Delgado, “We have the flexibility to create new dishes for our guests to adjust to their palate, so if they’ve tried a signature dish but want it with Hamachi instead, we’ll create more dishes with Hamachi for them,” he says. One of his greatest joys, he says, is creating new connoisseurs from people who may not have liked sushi elsewhere. “Let me know what flavors you didn’t like, then try it my way. I’ll change your mind,” he promises.
“What we offer is something more sophisticated and exclusive – a combination of classic and traditional, yet unique,” says Jones. “It’s true Japanese, but different from classic style with something that caters to everybody’s palate.”
With mostly small plates to share, plus vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, this is one Japanese restaurant that “should be on everyone’s global radar,” says one reviewer. We agree.
Ke-uH is open Sunday through Thursday from 5:30 pm to 10 pm and Friday & Saturday from 5:30 pm to 11 pm. For reservations, phone 305-918-6888, or email restaurant manager Sayuri Jones directly at Sai@keuhrestaurant.com.