Sansei - Sushi, Kihei, Maui

Best: Sushi

Kihei Town Center, near Foodland, South Kihei Road, Maui, HI, 96753
(808) 879-0004
Parking: in shopping center parking lot
http://www.sanseihawaii.com/

Last Visited: July 3, 2003

Food: 4 to 5 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$$ to $$$$

Sansei, recommended by Auntie Eileen, is excellent. The food is unique and delicious. Atmosphere is pretty simple, but you’ll find the selection to be special, even for Hawaii. During the time of my visit, if you ordered before 6pm and you received a discount on your meal.

- Maui Onion Tempura Rings – Yummy. Need I say more? Okay, I’ll say a little more. The maui onion is sweet and the rings are large. They’re served with a typical dipping sauce. The only bad thing was that one of the rings didn’t complete the cooking process and there was still a little flour inside the tempura ring. Aside from that, perfect.

- Salmon skin roll – excellent texture. The salmon is still tender and the skin is warm and crispy.

- Unagi – soft, tender, and warm. It was the essence of how unagi should be.

We had a variety of sushi – more than I can remember, but the level of expertise of the sushi chef is such that it can convert a non-sushi lover to one that appreciates sushi. How do I know? It happened before my own eyes. I dined with one that had a strong dislike for sushi, and since this experience, has been converted for life.

- Grilled Fresh Hawaiian Ahi and Asian Rock Shrimp Cake – This is served over furikake rice cake with ginger lime chili butter and cilantro pesto. At this point, I think I overate. I was pretty full with sushi and appetizers, so having this was a bit overwhelming. The rice wasn’t spectacular. The rock shrimp cake has a crispy noodle crust. This helps the cake to maintain a moist consistency, preventing the often dried out texture that some shrimp cakes experience. The ahi is gently seared on the outside and made beautifully so the inside of the ahi is still tender and raw.

The experience at Sansei is different because of the creative style of the chef. The combination of flavors and the terrific presentation make Sansei a must try experience when in Maui. Excellent.