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Japanese with a tasty twist By Kurt Loft
KOBA'S
BOTTOM LINE: Creative Japanese cuisine that goes beyond the usual sushi bar fareWHERE: 2402 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa: just north of Bay to Bay Boulevard
HOURS: Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 10:30 p.m.; Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m.
CREDIT CARDS: All major
RESERVATIONS: Yes
SMOKING: Yes
CHILDREN'S MENU: Can accommodate
HANDICAPPED ACCESS: Yes, including restrooms
CALL: (813) 258-3326
R E V I E W
TAMPA - The Bay area has a glut of Japanese restaurants, feeding the frenzy for sushi and sashimi that never seems to diminish. But many of these fine eateries blend together like one giant strand of seaweed, serving only slight variations on a similar theme.So we were impressed by the offerings at Koba's, a new Japanese restaurant and sushi bar on South MacDill Avenue where a less-fortunate place didn't cut the mustard. Koba's has been featuring a temporary menu, its decor still needs work and service can be a tad slow, but we applaud the kitchen's refreshing and creative ideas. Everything here speaks of improvements to come, although the food arrived early.
The appetizers alone can make a small but satisfying meal, so we mixed and matched. Our order of baby octopus was so succulent we felt no pity for the parents, who probably were somewhere else on the menu anyway. Nor did we waste time devouring a quartet of baked mussels, even if they were heavy on the mayonnaise.
The kitchen makes arrangements of Shumai, or steamed crab meat; deep-fried tuna; Yakitori, broiled chicken on a skewer; and a lightly battered tempura shrimp.
Some entrees are on the expensive side, but come with a bowl of white rice, Miso soup and crisp house salad. We recommend the chicken teriyaki in a rich sauce, the meat ideally cooked and moist. For another buck, you can get the same recipe for salmon.
Koba's Special Steak comes with two piquant sauces: radish and garlic; and pork lovers might try the Tonkatsu. For a whopping $50, a couple can share the Shabu Shabu, sliced beef and vegetables with sesame and ponzu sauces. We didn't order this entree, so seek advice from your server.
Sushi chefs slice, dice and decorate with flair, and create mini-masterpieces with the Sushi Nami dinner (eight pieces and California roll); Sushi Jo (10 pieces and Tekkyu roll); and the ambitious and filling Sushi and Sashimi Combination dinner.
Side orders to freshen the palate are Miso soup, the house salad with ginger dressing and an iodine-rich seaweed salad - one of the more healthy items in the food chain.
Diners have no less than 22 options for two-piece sushi selections, such as sea urchin, scallops, octopus, squid, fresh or smoked salmon, conch and sweet shrimp. We found the raw seafood to be fresh, translucent and without any fish odors.
Makimono include eight pieces per order, and are comparable in price with most other sushi restaurants. Favorites are the Alaskan with salmon skin, crab, cucumber and scallion; spicy crawfish with smelt roe; baby octopus; the Arizona roll with yellow tail, scallion and smelt roe; and fried mussels with spicy mayonnaise.
Koba's serves traditional plum wine, plus Kirin Ichiban, Kirin lager and light, and Sapporo beers. Sake is served hot or cold. Dinner for two, with appetizers and tip, averages $50
Koba's
