CUISINE ON A SHOESTRING
A tasty Chinese take on the cuisine of Japan

By Matthew Gray
Advertiser Restaurant Critic

Yusura Japanese Restaurant, like many eateries, is operated by people of an ethnicity other than the one that created its food: Owners John and Priscilla Kan are ethnically Chinese. But they are fond of the clean tastes and healthy preparation methods of Japanese cooking. Here, Priscilla Kan pours green tea for a meal. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser Yusura Japanese Restaurant 53 N. Beretania St. 599-8838 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

You might be asking yourself: Could this truly be a Japanese restaurant in Chinatown? Chinatown has long been a multicultural, pan-Asian community, with Vietnamese, Indian, Pacific Rim, French-Asian, Italian, Puerto Rican and many other types of cuisine available. A Japanese place fits perfectly.

But now it gets even more interesting. The owners of Yusura are John and Priscilla Kan, who are ethnically Chinese. I asked about that and was told by John that he believes the Japanese approach to eating is healthier and cleaner-tasting than most other cuisines. He said they wanted to offer something a bit different from what his neighbors offer.

This seemed unusual at first, but then I thought about how many kitchens are staffed by people of ethnicities other than those that created the food they're serving. Many Italian kitchens on O'ahu are staffed by Laotian or Vietnamese chefs, for instance. When I was a chef in Los Angeles, many great restaurants had Mexican chefs running the show. It's great when you think about it: The cross-cultural influences make for a more delicious experience.

A fine way to start at Yusura is to order the gyoza ($1.95 for four pieces; $2.95 for six); this is Japan's version of the potsticker, chewy, meat-filled, and both fried and steamed. Order cold tofu ($2.50) and you get a large, creamy block of curd, topped with ginger, green onion and shaved bonito flakes. A light drizzling of shoyu completes this dish.

Yusura offers a large number of noodle dishes — inexpensive, filling, clean-tasting, rich and multitextural. The Yusura house special ramen ($7.50) is garnished with corn, bamboo shoots, seaweed, hard-cooked egg, fish cake, char siu, chicken katsu and shrimp tempura. These are firm and chewy ramen noodles in a miso and pork stock base. Such a deal! Among other ramens: char-siu ramen ($5.95); mapo-tofu ramen ($5.50 — spicy, saucy and meaty); and seafood ramen ($6.50), studded with shrimp, scallops and squid.

If you love udon, as I do, add 50 cents to the ramen prices and enjoy the slippery and chewy goodness of these thick wheat noodles. Yusura does a seafood fried udon ($6.75), wokked in a jiffy with cabbage, onion, squid, shrimp and scallops.

If you're in the mood for a complete meal, there are set plates, which include an entrée, green salad, mixed pickle, miso soup and rice. The beef teriyaki set meal ($6.95, or $7.50 for the beef teriyaki steak) was quite juicy and flavorful, as was the chicken teriyaki ($6.50).

All the meat and fish items are grilled skillfully: charred lightly on the outside, tender on the inside. Butterfish misoyaki ($7.50) always hits the spot. Here it was a very generous portion. The sanma fish ($6) is prepared in the shioyaki style, a bit fishier and drier than most fish dishes, but it is grilled and served whole, so if you're a fan of sanma, try it here.

Rice lovers will have plenty to choose from. The chicken katsu curry rice ($5.95) was feather light, not overwhelmed with grease. The curry sauce is dark golden, creamy and a bit sweet, more a tame tease than a fiery challenge. After tasting it, you'll know why it's one of the most popular dishes here. Fried rice ($5.50 with pork or chicken; $6.50 with shrimp; $5.75 with kim chee), is hearty fare, simple and satisfying.

John and Priscilla Kan are hard-working. He is a general contractor by day, and looking at the lovely interior of the restaurant, you can tell he takes pride in what he does for a living. At night, the two operate Yusura along with one knowledgeable waitress, Christina, who will take good care of you.

I asked Priscilla what Yusura means, and found out it translates to "wild cherry." "I thought it was such a pretty word," she said.

Reach Matthew Gray at mgray@honoluluadvertiser.com.