Tiny Urban Kitchen

Exploring Food from Boston to Hong Kong and Beyond

  • About
    • About Me
    • Tiny Urban Kitchen’s Favorite Equipment
    • Press
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Asian
      • Chinese
      • Taiwanese
      • Thai
      • Malaysian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
    • Appetizers
    • Soups
    • Salad
    • Pasta
    • Noodles
    • Rice
    • Vegetarian
    • Meat
    • Sweets
      • Baking
      • Ice cream
      • Cookies
    • Misc
    • Kawaii (Cute)
  • Travel / Restaurants
    • United States
      • Boston
        • Jen’s Picks
        • Boston
          • Allston
          • Back Bay
          • Brighton
          • North End
          • South End
        • Cambridge
          • Kendall Square
          • Inman Square
          • Central Square
          • Harvard Square
          • Porter Square
          • North Cambridge
        • Somerville
          • Davis Square
          • Union Square
        • Greater Boston
          • Brookline
          • Arlington
          • Belmont
          • Watertown
          • Newton
          • Lexington
          • Concord
          • Burlington
          • Natick
        • Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Berkshires
      • Vermont
      • Maine
      • New York
      • Washington DC
      • Philadelphia
      • Orlando
      • Chicago
      • Las Vegas
      • California
        • Los Angeles
        • San Francisco
        • Napa
        • Sonoma
      • Seattle
      • Hawaii
    • Canada
      • Montreal
      • Canadian Rockies
      • Toronto
    • Argentina
    • Europe
      • United Kingdom
        • London
        • Oxford
      • Italy
        • Rome
        • Piedmont
      • France
        • Paris
        • Bordeaux
      • Spain
        • Madrid
        • Barcelona
        • Catalonia / San Sebastian / Girona
      • Germany
      • Belgium
        • Brussels
      • Switzerland
      • Greece
      • Finland
      • Norway
      • Denmark
    • Japan
      • Japan Guide
      • Tokyo
      • Osaka
      • Kyoto
    • China (Mainland)
      • Beijing
      • Chengdu
      • Shanghai
      • Shaanxi
      • Shenzhen
      • Xiamen
      • Yunnan
    • Singapore
    • Hong Kong
    • Malaysia
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • Australia/New Zealand
  • Michelin
    • Formerly had a star
    • Michelin Recommended
    • 1 Star
    • 2 Stars
    • 3 Stars
  • Jen’s Eating Guides!
    • Boston Restaurants
    • Boston Dishes
    • Tokyo
    • Hong Kong
    • Las Vegas
    • Napa / Sonoma
    • Taiwan (night markets)
    • Taiwanese (casual eats)
    • Street Foods of Bangkok (Part I)
    • Street Foods of Bangkok (Part II)
    • Kitchen Equipment
  • Trip Reports
    • All trip reports
    • Around the World Trip Report
    • New England
    • New York
    • Washington DC
    • Las Vegas
    • California
    • Canada
    • Europe
    • Florida
    • Japan
    • China

Sansei Restaurant and Sushi Bar (+ diving!) in Maui

January 21, 2015 by Jennifer Che 3 Comments

wpid15861-DSC9714.jpg
Bryan’s a planner, one of those “J” types in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test. I’m more of a “P”, the spontaneous, creative type. As a planner, Bryan gets really antsy if all aspects of a trip are not pre-organized, pre-reserved, and pretty much completely laid out in detail. Me, I like to leave bits of time for spontaneous activity.

After so many years of marriage and so many trips together, I’ve actually become pretty proficient at trip planning.

For this trip, Bryan kept nudging me to plan in advance as much as possible, including booking all of our dive courses, dive excursions, tours, and every single dinner reservation.
wpid15672-DSC9790.jpg
By planning everything out, we squeezed in all of our SCUBA classes and pool sessions in Boston in just under four weeks before heading out to Hawaii.
wpid15400-DSC9711.jpg
In Maui, we did our four open water dives over the course of two days at Kapalua Bay, a great shore diving spot. There were tons of beautiful sealife plus just great overall visibility.
wpid15863-IMG_0012.jpg
After two days, we were certified!

Sometimes Things Just Don’t Go According to Plan

On the first evening after our certification dives, we had originally planned to show up early and dine at the bar at Merriman’s, a well-known seafood restaurant that supposedly has gorgeous views of the ocean. Unfortunately, it was just our luck that Merriman’s was closed for the evening due to a private event.

Stuck at the last minute with no reservations in sight, we did a quick Opentable search and found availability at Sansei, a local sushi chain that was only about 10-15 minutes away by car.
wpid15418-DSC9744.jpg
We arrived at a packed restaurant right around 5:30PM and we soon learned why: Sansei has various “Early Bird Specials” throughout the week. On Sundays and Mondays, they offer 50% off the entire food menu (a few exclusions apply) for anything ordered before 6PM. The rest of the week, it’s still a generous 25% off (again, before 6PM). Once again, if you come late light (10pm – 1am) on Fridays or Saturdays, the appetizers and sushi are again 50% off.
wpid15434-DSC9729.jpg
We started with an Ahi Poke Salad (have you noticed that I pretty much order this wherever I go?). Although the tuna was delicious, I didn’t love the rest of the salad. To me, there were too many raw onions. Additionally, I found the soy based dressing to be a bit on the salty side. Nevertheless, it was a big, healthy portion, and it provided green, leafy vegetables and sprouts.
wpid15438-DSC9723.jpg
We sat at the sushi counter so we were able to converse directly with the sushi chefs.

“What’s tasting good these days?”

“I would recommend our local Hawaiian Big Eye Tuna, which is always good. The Hamachi (yellowtail) and the Kampachi (amberjack) are really good right now too.”

We ended up getting everything he recommended. Additionally, Bryan ordered the Uni + Quail Egg since he always likes that particular combination. The nigiri sushi was decent and comparable in quality to the price. Slices were generous and the fish was fresh. However, the precision and overall quality of the pieces did not come close to the best I’ve had in the U.S. and Japan.
wpid15436-DSC9725.jpg
According to Bryan, the Uni and Quail Egg was fine and enjoyable (I did not personally try it).
wpid15432-DSC9731.jpg
They seem to specialize in really creative rolls, with some having won contests. The Takah Sushi Special Roll is named in honor of Takah Sama, sushi chef of a well-known sushi restaurant in Aspen, Colorado who was also a mentor to Sansei’s owner D.K. Kodama. This tasty roll was filled with shrimp, ahi, crab, avocado and cucumber, rolled inside out, and covered with masago (fish roe) on the outside.

I enjoyed the combination of ingredients and overall liked this roll a lot.
wpid15430-DSC9732.jpg
The Sansei Special Roll consisted of spicy crab, cilantro and fresh vegetables rolled inside-out, dusted with furikake (Japanese seasoning), and served with a sweet Thai chili sauce. Bryan thought the chili sauce was a bit too sweet for his tastes, but I thought it was fine.
wpid15428-DSC9733.jpg
Everyone raves about their signature dish, the Panko Crusted Ahi Sashimi Sushi Roll, and for good reason. This panko crusted flash-fried roll is generously stuffed with fresh sashimi grade Hawaiian ahi tuna rolled in fresh arugula and spinach. The entire roll is served with Sansei’s mild soy wasabi butter sauce.
wpid15426-DSC9735.jpg
It’s definitely not authentic Japanese, but it is so Hawaiian, and I really enjoyed it. The ahi tuna was fresh and flavorful, and I liked the crunchy panko along with the soy wasabi butter sauce.
wpid15424-DSC9736.jpg
We don’t see Anago, or saltwater eel, that often on menus in the U.S., so we were excited to see it here. This anago tasted pretty good and most certainly reminded us of Japan.
wpid15422-DSC9738.jpg
One of my favorite items on the menu actually turned out to be dessert. The Tempura Fried Ice Cream ($9) was just plain awesome. Just imagine: vanilla ice cream wrapped with buttery pound cake, rolled in roasted macadamia nuts, and then flash-fried and served with a chocolate caramel sauce and whipped cream.

It’s like a deep fried nut-encrusted doughnut covered ice cream.

It came out freshly fried and it was really good. I did not expect to eat as much as I did. I really enjoyed the mixture of so many different textures: the crunchy exterior, the soft pound cake, and then the rich ice cream. I’ve always loved fried ice cream, but this really takes it to another level!
wpid15420-DSC9742.jpg
I wish we would have had more stomach space to order more food. Our friends who visited this restaurant a few years ago raved about another signature dish, the Dungeness Crab Ramen, which comes with an Asian truffle broth, cilantro, Thai basil and jalapeños. I trust these friends, and I’m sure it was amazing. Next time!

After growing immune to the high prices of everything in Hawaii, getting the bill at Sansei was a welcomed relief. I think we had forgotten about the 25% happy hour discount, so we were very pleasantly surprised (almost a bit shocked). Our total bill including tax and gratuity (and several beers) was well under $100. Trust me – that’s pretty reasonable compared to what we were paying everywhere else!

It’s easy to see why this place is really popular with locals. The menu is creative, the food is enjoyable, and the prices can be really good depending on when you come (imagine 50% off on Sundays and Mondays!). Although the quality isn’t quite up to par with top sushi restaurants, the prices more than make up for it. If you’re picky about a good nigiri (which I am), I would advise sticking with their creative rolls and other Japanese/Hawaiian fusion dishes. It’s a good place for gatherings with people of all different kinds of budgets. It’s a great value, and the food is still very enjoyable.

Despite the fact that we hadn’t originally planned to come here, we still had a great time. Sometimes spontaneous discoveries aren’t so bad at all. Plus, I’m sure our wallets were a bit relieved . . . at least for one night!

This post is part of a larger series on our two week trip to Hawaii. Other posts in this series!

Big Island
Exploring Volcano National Park
Da Poke Shack and Umeke’s on the Big Island
A Mantay Ray Dive, Sea Turtles, and Kona Coffee

Maui
Haleakaka and the Hali’imaile General Store
Mama’s Fish House and the Road to Hana
Sansei Restaurant & Sushi Bar (+ Diving in Maui!)
Lahaina Grill, Maui

Oahu
Kokohead Cafe, Honolulu
La Mer Honolulu

Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar (Kihei)
1881 S Kihei Rd
Kihei, HI 96753
Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: Hawaii, Restaurant, Review, US Travel

« Lahaina Grill Maui
Mama’s Fish House and the Road to Hana »

Recent Posts

  • Arbor Hong Kong May 25, 2022
  • Mono Hong Kong May 23, 2022
  • Summer Palace Iconic Wine Lunch – Hong Kong April 29, 2022
  • Lucciola – Italian food at The Hari Hotel in Wan Chai March 22, 2022
  • Studio City by Cali-Mex Causeway Bay Hong Kong March 17, 2022
  • Petrus Hong Kong March 8, 2022
  • Ichiran Tonkotsu Ramen Hong Kong March 6, 2022
  • James Suckling Wine Central – Hong Kong March 2, 2022

Latest Chinese recipes!

Comments

  1. Chris Anderson says

    January 23, 2015 at 2:05 am

    When I saw that you ate at Sansei, I got really excited. But I quickly went from an extreme high to the lowest of lows when I zipped through your pics without seeing my beloved crab ramen. Alas, you passed up the best dish I have ever eaten in my life….period!

    A couple years back, my wife and I were also considering Merrimans. We ended up going to Sansei instead and we were SO IMPRESSED by the crab ramen that we went back the very next day and actually waited in line for the place to open and then ordered it again. After returning back to Sacramento I scoured the internet for a recipe to try and make it myself. I actually found two newspaper articles online that had recipes from the chef. It came out pretty good, but nothing like it was in the restaurant. It was life-changing. Now you just have a reason to go back 🙂

    Log in to Reply
    • Jennifer Che says

      January 23, 2015 at 1:41 pm

      Oh no!! And we were totally debating whether to get it. Man oh man! Thanks for letting me (and anyone who reads this) know! I will definitely try it next time I am in Hawaii!!

      Log in to Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Roy's Restaurant (Maui and Kauai) says:
    February 28, 2015 at 12:27 am

    […] Haleakaka and the Hali’imaile General Store Mama’s Fish House and the Road to Hana Sansei Restaurant & Sushi Bar (+ Diving in Maui!) Lahaina Grill, […]

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Archives

Categories

Awards

Saveur
PFB

BostonGlobe

Most Recent Posts

Arbor Hong Kong

Arbor Hong Kong

Mono HK

Mono Hong Kong

Summer Palace Hong Kong Iconic Wine Lunch

Summer Palace Iconic Wine Lunch – Hong Kong

Lucciola The Hari Wan Chai

Lucciola – Italian food at The Hari Hotel in Wan Chai

beef quesadilla

Studio City by Cali-Mex Causeway Bay Hong Kong

Petrus Hong Kong

Petrus Hong Kong

Ichiran Hong Kong Ramen

Ichiran Tonkotsu Ramen Hong Kong

James Suckling Wine Central Hong Kong

James Suckling Wine Central – Hong Kong

Roganic Hong Kong

Birthday at Roganic Hong Kong

Caprice Hong Kong

Caprice Hong Kong – Four Seasons

France!

Restaurant Le George Paris
Yam'Tcha Paris
David Toutain Paris
Divellec Paris
Breizh Cafe Paris

Kawaii! (Cute)

Norway!

logo
Food Advertisements by

Chinese Recipes

Okra with Chicken
logo
Food Advertisements by

Shop & Support us!

Spain!

Girona Spain
Amelia San Sebastian

Japan!

Bulgari Il Ristorante Luca Fantin
Sukiyaki Imafuku Tokyo
Sushi Ishimaya Tokyo
Disney Sea Tokyo
Tempura Fukamachi Tokyo
Shinjuku Gyoen

Cambridge restaurants

logo
Food Advertisements by
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress