On Saturday, I had the pleasure of dining at Hikari Sushi & Omakase, located in Davis, with my husband to celebrate his birthday. The restaurant, which has been open for about a year, is owned and operated by a husband and wife team of chefs. I became acquainted with them when they were selling sushi at the Davis Food Co-op, and we bonded over our shared love of high-quality Japanese cuisine.
The prefix meal on weekends is priced at $125 per person, excluding drinks. There are two seatings available: one from 4:30 to 6:30 pm and another from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. We opted for the earlier seating, which allowed us to enjoy the rest of our evening following our meal. Given that some high-end Omakase meals in San Francisco currently exceed $200 per person, we found the price point of our meal to be quite reasonable, given the superb quality of the food.
The next dish was a delightful transition from winter to spring, featuring a sweet rice cracker filled with Dungeness and snow crab, cherry tomato, dehydrated okra, kabocha squash sauce, and ginkgo nuts.
The series of nigiri that followed was exceptional, with the chefs explaining how aging fish can improve its flavor, similarly to beef. Every piece of sushi we had was outstanding, with highlights including two different kinds of tuna belly, hirame, medai, kinmadai, tuna, an incredible handroll of the tuna trimmings, and outstanding Hokkaido uni. Interspersed between the nigiri were two standout dishes: a plate of seared sable, which was one of the best things I have eaten in a long time, and grilled baby corn, followed by Hokkaido scallop and firefly squid, which had complementary flavors and textures.
The meal continued with a soup made from the bones of white fish and clams, followed by seared beef nigiri with pieces of asparagus and mushrooms. A unique cake made from mountain yam, egg, and scallop straddled the line between sweet and savory, with the scallop flavor asserting itself but pairing well with the cake’s sweetness. Finally, the meal ended on a perfect note with green tea ice cream from Japan, which had a buttery mouthfeel and a satisfying green tea flavor.
To complement the meal, we sampled several sakes from the restaurant’s menu, each of which was excellent. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience at Hikari Sushi & Omakase and highly recommend it as a destination for exceptional high-end Japanese cuisine. The restaurant’s location in Davis is easily accessible by car, with convenient parking, and the charming ambiance of Davis makes for a pleasant evening out.
