I notice that Kazu has white tuna on the menu. Also lots of specialty rolls and no nigri prices on menu.
Also I could not find specific reference to Japanese ownership on website.
Do you like it?
So whatâs the take on Taka CeeJ, any good ?
Definitely a Japanese behind it, and the fish selection looks like it goes beyond the usual suspects around hereâŚ
I have to confess that I get confused between Taka & Toki, Sono & Sogo, Kazu & Kanji, etc. I wonder if they make the names similar just to screw you up on purpose.
The person that makes the sushi is Kazu and his wife is the hostess/cashier/waitress. They are definitely Japanese. (I am Asian, so I can tell 
)
I do like it. It is a bit pricey and it is not as good as the stuff you can get in NYC for similar price but in our area thatâs pretty much the best you can get in terms of âtraditionalâ sushi. The rice is always perfectly cooked, served at right temperature, with a nice slice of fish.
I do like Taka the one time I went but whenever I am anywhere near Cookman, I just automatically go to Mogo (I love Korean tacos/burritoes and also KFC).
I would want give Taka another visit now this thread has reminded me of it.
Although Jersey born and raised (and stuck here once again), I used to live in Boston⌠and nothing down here can touch what I used to eat up there.
I do find down here what other posters have noted⌠the SAME ingredients just thrown together in different ways. Never anything exotic.
In Boston, Iâd go to one place (Sushi Island in Wakefield - Japanese owned and run), that always had a specials board, always with something exotic and new on it.
In Boston, Iâve had shirako (cod milt - disturbingly creamy), ankimo (steamed monkfish liver), quail eggs on top of uni (so good!), natto, fugu, live scallop, live shrimp, abalone, live lobster sashimi (you eat the tail as the lobster stares at you⌠afterwards they make soup out of the remainders⌠itâs a two course process), and many other treats.
Canât even find toro or chu-toro down here in Sushi Wasteland. Went to Kazu once and just wasnât impressed. It seems like certain ingredients are banned down here. Whereâs the GOOD stuff? Oh yeah⌠NYC.
About the most exotic thing youâll find here is uni, and chances are, it wonât be fresh. Not as fresh as Iâve had it.
So, screw it, when I want to just stuff sushi down my gullet, I head to Tokyo Buffet in Freehold. Went on Tuesday night⌠it was $24 with drink and tip (and a 10% off coupon), but I ate at least twice that in volume. Tons of sashimi, nigiri, rolls, and nothing too crazy. Lots of cooked dishes, tempura, salads, green tea and red bean ice cream, make your own udon soup, and Iâve never gotten sick there.
As far as truly great, innovative sushi like I had in Boston⌠Iâll keep looking, but I donât have much hope.
Thanks for the response. Maybe time to take a weekend jaunt to Boston!!!
It just seems so strange to me why this area doesnât have good fish. It isnât like we are geographically located in a place that makes it impossible to get it delivered.
On the comments by yourself and @VikingKaj we ventured over to Sushi by Kazu last night and I completely missed your cautionary note they donât cook food. We recently found out we are expecting so much to my great sadness sushi is out for now. I can see myself eating it later on at a place in the city that is really known for freshness (or a trip to Japan haha) but regardless, I digress.
Seemed like a locals spot. The other tables all knew each other and the servers all chatted extensively with other tables. The extremely limited cooked menu was a problem for me. And I find it hard to believe that it isnât hurting their bottom line. We got there around 8 and there were only 2 couples at the bar and 2 other tables besides us.
Husband liked the sushi and said it all tasted very fresh. I was a bit bummed that they didnât even seem to offer some basic cooked rolls. Long story short, it was 30 minute drive and my husband gave it good but not overwhelming reviews. I feel like I would rather go another 15 minutes and get something really special in the city. The hunt continues!
Not that I am a big fan of the CH Manhattan board, but there is a pretty extensive and overly wrought recent thread discussing the merits of various elite places in the city in response to an out of towner fly by that you may want to check out.
Michelin star sushi places are also a good start.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Forgot to add that two places I used to frequent in the city, Yasuda and Ushiwakamaru, have both recently undergone changes so I am hesitant to recommend them. There are also a bunch of new high end places like Sushi Zo and Nakazawa that are getting lots of buzz, which is why I suggested the CH thread.
I have more recently been to Katsuei, 1 or 8, Taro and Ki in Brooklyn, which were all better than what we have around here, but I wouldnât call these elite.
Manhattan will run $ 100-150, and Brooklyn at least $50, without drinks per person for omekaze. I would make sure you are ok to eat raw things before you go at those prices.
Thanks for the recommendations. We might just be shelving this cuisine until the summer until I can go full out on the raw stuff.
Has anyone been to shogun legends lately? (Rt 34 wall)
The state of Sushi in NJ is pretty sad. Outside of Fort Lee/ Edgewater, itâs almost impossible to find places like Tomoâs. 
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Bumping up this thread. Iâm dying to go out for sushi.
I saw someone noted a place in Little Silver in another thread. Any recent intel on that?
We havenât been to Nemo in years and Sono in Middletown and Kazu in Freehold are both takeout only. I saw Wasabi 34 is open again so maybe thatâs our best shot?
Itâs probably been two years for us too, but we were always fans. They even have a little outside deck area that overlooks Keyport Bay.
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Yum I in SB gets good reviews, but might not ne best time of year for SB
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We chose Wasabi 34 as our first dine-in restaurant after the pandemic shutdown. One thing about it is that most of the tables were socially distanced to start with. We also did Ginkaku recently, because they have a lunch chirashi, and a lunch eel kabayaki, both of which were good. (And they give you more eel than Ganga did.)
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yeah, Yumi is the best Iâve had so far in the county. They also have a location in Red Bank.
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Bumping this back up. Taking little one out for sushi tonight for their first time ever. Can anyone recommend a really good spot local to red bank long branch area? Was thinking yumi but place has to have California and shrimp tempura rolls on menu as well for some less adventurous peeps.
Whatâs the good place lately? Izu? Toki? Sono?
Anybody had some good rolls lately that theyâd care to share?
In my opinion the only actually good Sushi in the area is Sono, but unless something has changed in the last few weeks they are still takeout only. If you do choose to do takeout from them I would recommend calling in advance and telling them when youâd like to pick it up. For example we always try to call by 4-4:30 to pick up for 6:30.
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