J-Pan – Sarasota ReviewsSRQ Reviews

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September 14, 2011

Sublime Sushi

Located in a nondescript area of The Paradise Plaza Shopping Center, J-Pan Restaurant may not make a big first impression from the outside.  However do not allow that first impression to fool you.  Chef/Owner Daniel Dokko is preparing serious sushi, sashimi, and Japanese cuisine.  Recently expanded, J-Pan offers two good sized dining rooms with a simple, minimalist but tasteful décor providing juxtaposition to the outside appearance.

The menu offers a wide selection of sushi, sashimi, appetizers, soups, salads, and entrees including pork, chicken, beef, and seafood.

For our meals we chose the following:

Wakame Salad:  Japanese seaweed salad.  $4.00
A small fresh and flavorful salad.
Spicy Tuna Roll:  Spicy tuna and cucumber.  $6.00
Very fresh, slightly spicy with a crisp crunch.
J-Pan Roll:  Tuna, avocado, cucumber rolled in crunch flakes.  $9.00
A very fresh mix of textures and flavors.
Kamikaze Roll:  Shrimp tempura, asparagus, topped with spicy tuna and kanikama.  $10.00
A great combination with a slight spiciness.
Samba Roll:  Tempura salmon topped with avocado and passion fruit sauce.  $10.00
An interesting combination of flavors and textures.
Volcano Chicken:  Chicken served with a spicy ginger-garlic sauce.  All entrees served with soup, salad, vegetables and rice.  $17.00
Amply sized portion of chicken in a spicy, flavorful sauce, very nice.

All of the food was fresh, prepared to order, and very nicely plated.  We found the wait staff to be friendly, informative, and efficient.  J-Pan offers a broad selection of beer, wine, and sake to accompany your meal.  One note, we tried one of J-Pan’s sake infusions and were delighted with the creativity and fresh taste; something I would definitely order again.

Although J-Pan Restaurant may appear to be an ordinary strip mall restaurant, its cuisine is far from ordinary; give it a try, you will not be disappointed.

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