Berkeley just got a Japanese place with some dishes as enticing as its name, Butterfish Sushi.
The restaurant is in its soft-opening phase for dinner service at 915 University Ave., next to Thai Table, with whom it shares an owner. That owner: Andrew McGee, who ran the beloved Albatross Pub nearby before it succumbed to the economic downturn of the pandemic.
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The small menu carries all the sushi classics like California and spicy-tuna rolls, nigiri and sashimi sets (ranging from $32-$42), salted edamame, cucumber salad and miso soup. But it also features several items that elevate it above the norm. There are fresh Pacific oysters with ponzu and yuzu tobiko ($11 for three) and the savory Japanese custard chawanmushi ($8). The fish selection includes a number of decadent belly cuts — from salmon and yellowtail — as well as ikura and Hokkaido scallops.
The rolls are where it gets even more interesting. An Arctic Chef’s Poke Roll marries Hokkaido scallop with miso-sesame aioli, cucumber and that spicy-salty flavor bomb, yuzu kosho ($21). The torched Indian Roll combines shrimp tempura with jalapeno, hamachi, white tuna and tobiko ($19) and the Oceania Takuan has crab salad, avocado, aioli and yuzu tobiko ($20).
There are a few vegan rolls with cucumber, avocado, shiso and kaiware (sprouts), and for a palette cleanser sides of wasabi pickles ($2).
Butterfish Sushi is so new it only has a couple Yelp reviews, but they’re positive. One diner wrote that the “shiro maguro was perfect and buttery,” while another praised the restaurant’s “warm interior with friendly and attentive service” and sushi that is “composed with interesting and curated ingredients and small unexpected touches.”
Details: Open Wednesday-Sunday 4-9:30 p.m. (closed Tuesday) at 915 University Ave., Berkeley; 510-356-4814, butterfishberkeley.com.