Sushi House Hayakawa

Gourmands will tell you that the secret to great sushi is the fish; they may argue over its freshness or the precision with which it’s cut. They might debate the temperature of the rice in nigiri and maki, which is equally important.

But at Sushi House Hayakawa, what’s at the center of everyone’s attention isn’t just the fish and rice — it’s chef-owner Atsushi “Art” Hayakawa. Hayakawa goes against the grain of most of the best-known sushi chefs in the Atlanta area — he’s neither temperamental, oddball nor reclusively stylish. He’s a showman in the greatest sense of the word.

Hayakawa’s infectious personality comes across in almost everything he does — from telling jokes and blowing kisses from behind his restaurant’s sushi bar to creating sculptured platters of the chef’s select sashimi that would make Rodin envious.

Using lots of thinly shredded daikon and shiso leaves as his sculpting tools, he creates sculptures from Japanese mackerel, toro, raw river shrimp, octopus and salmon. Through the oohs and ahhs, it’s wonderful to taste that his fish is fresh (it’s flown in from Tsukiji market in Japan) and his rice is the proper temperature.

It’s easy to see why Japanese expatriates in the community, as well as plenty of Westerners, have become regulars. For all the showmanship, this “dokoro” (high-end sushi house) comes as close to a neighborhood favorite (without a neighborhood, since it’s in a strip mall) as any mom-and-pop could. And on busy weekends, a line can form for a seat at the sushi bar.

Another reason, however, might be the sea scallops. Served as a special (but always available), thinly sliced, buttery scallops are paired with monkfish liver crowned with wisps of scallion and house-made truffled soy sauce. The effect lies somewhere between mmmm and OMG good.

And though most tables, and certainly those at the small sushi bar, are noshing on gloriously constructed platters of sashimi and maki, the menu’s secret weapon is that many old-style Japanese favorites, such as fried flounder and sunomono, are just as delectable.

The flounder is fried into an ethereal, crisp curl. With heat and oil, its tail becomes a crunchy, pop-in-your-mouth treat of almost other-worldly status. Since sunomono is so forgotten on many Japanese menus, it’s nice to have an entire area devoted to it, from vinegared shellfish and squid to more staid offerings of pickled wakame and cucumber salad.

While Hayakawa sometimes straddles the fence between traditional and Western-influenced maki and nigiri, his “BTB” oshi offer a blend of both, highlighted by small rectangles of rice fried lightly with sesame.

OK, the dish boasts a creamy, effusive sauce alongside siracha.

But Hayakawa’s balancing act is also a long, impressive list of shochu (served with a single distilled ice cube) and sake. There’s miso soup with shijimi clams. Beef tataki. And Calpico (or Calpis, as it is known in Japan) and honey sherbet, a delicately shaved ice made from a sweet, fermented drink a little like yogurt that Hayakawa will insist you try.

It’s a refreshingly icy end to a meal ... and a show.

Sushi House Hayakawa

Overall rating:

Food: Sushi and Japanese specialties

Service: Excellent

Price range: $$-$$$

Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express

Hours of operation: Open for dinner Tuesday-Thursday from 6 to 11:30 p.m., Friday 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday 4 to 9 p.m.

Best dishes: Omakase sashimi, sea scallops with monkfish liver, fried flounder, "BTB" nigiri

Vegetarian selections: Sunomono and some soups, but mostly for fish eaters

Children: In the early evening

Parking: Adjacent lot

Reservations: Yes

Wheelchair access: Yes

Smoking: No

Noise level: Medium

Patio: No

Takeout: No

Address, telephone: 5979 Buford Highway, Suite A-10, Atlanta, 770-986-0010

Web site: www.atlantasushibar.com

Pricing code: $$$$$ means more than $75; $$$$ means $75 and less; $$$ means $50 and less; $$ means $25 and less; $ means $15 and less. The price code represents a typical full-course meal for one excluding drinks.

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