Malinda Lo

Sushi Ran is a fabulous Japanese restaurant in Sausalito. Amy and I went there last weekend, and it did not disappoint.

We started with their Hawaiian ahi poke, which came out looking like some kind of alien communication device. (We also ordered the bargain-priced happy hour wine tasting flight for $11. Fab!)

Hawaiian ahi poke

It was delicious! That was followed by Kobe beef carpaccio.

Kobe beef carpaccio

Sarah Rees Brennan described Kobe beef thusly: “It is like beef and marshmallow had a baby. And then I ate that beefmallow baby.” All I can say is, yes, despite that slightly disturbing imagery, it is true. Mmmmmmmm.

Next up, what Amy referred to as “Japanese french fries” (they came with an aioli to dip them in):

Grilled calamari tentacles

I ate one of these. Well, part of one of them. They were kinda chewy, and honestly, tentacles are not my thing. But Amy loved them, plus they look kind of … fascinating. Like the limbs of a sea monster.

I much preferred this:

Kabocha squash tempura

Followed by this:

Crunch roll

The crunch roll consists of unagi, avocado, tempura flakes, spicy crab, tobiko, and a huge helping of YUM.

For dessert we had this:

Bread pudding - green tea & sour cherry brioche

It was all right, but did not compare to the rest of the meal, although like every other dish, it was presented beautifully.

I’m looking forward to going to Sushi Ran again sometime. It was definitely memorable. Enjoy your weekend!