Chef Susumu Ii, who serves sushi as exquisite as any in Orange County at his Sushi Ii, further enhances the experience by presenting each course on one of more than 100 types of Japanese ceramics. Among them are kintsugi, once-broken dishes whose cracks Ii personally enhances with gold. Though many are ornate, his favorite is a simple brown porcelain-covered bowl from luxury producer Shobido Arita. It contains simmered dishes such as kabura koebi kimi-ni—turnip and shrimp with yolk sauce—as part of his most elaborate omakase menu, the Bizen ($200 per person), itself named for a ceramics style. Omakase unfolds at a minimalist counter; a la carte nigiri sushi (most $6 to $20) can be ordered at two tables. Ii and his wife, Keiko, operated Kasen in Fountain Valley for nearly three decades before opening Sushi Ii in 2020.
Mariner’s Pointe, 100 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach, 949-287-6268, sushi-ii.com
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