When I really feel like I need raw fish, I usually go to the Star Market at the Mililani Town Center for a quick fix. But one day, I remembered that there is also a sushi place in the center of Mililani Town called Ninja Sushi. At first glance, this Hawaii restaurant is really clean and the menu photos are enlarged and pasted throughout the restaurant. You’re basically salivating the moment you walk into the place. Not only do they have large, colorful images of their menu throughout the restaurant, but they also have a fairly large and detailed menu of images on the takeout counter. I’d say the menu is at least a third of the length of the counter. The only thing I don’t like about the menu is that they don’t have scallops! AHHH! Scallops are my favorites.
Ninja Sushi is not very big, I would say it only seats about 40 people maximum, typical of a mid-budget restaurant in Hawaii. But if you don’t want to occupy a full table if you’re sitting alone, they offer bar-style seating (but sorry, there is no waiter). The service is pretty good, I haven’t come across a bad egg yet. There are no conveyor belts that pass the sashimi for an hour; everything is made fresh on demand. Basically, you order like you’re at McDonald’s, but they take your name. They will call you by name or serve you at your table. I only believe in tipping at restaurants if the help really waits for me at my table and cleans up when I leave. So I never tipped at Ninja Sushi because that’s not how the place is organized. On the other hand, they have a tip jar on the front counter if you’re inclined to tip no matter what.
I’ve written a lot about many Hawaii restaurants, but now let’s get to the heart of the matter: the food. I’ve only been to ninja sushi Hawaii a few times so I can only comment on a few things. While I think they cut the fish on the thin side, the menu creativity was quite surprising. What I like to eat the most in your restaurant is the Lion maki. I really liked how all the different textures come together for each delicious bite, especially the use of fried onions on top of the roll.