THERE are some things you can do cheap, and some you can't. Fashion can be cheap and fabulous. Sunglasses can be cheap and fun. Teriyaki Beef can be cheap and satisfying. Burgers can be cheap and delicious. An affordable way
to gorge on sushiIn the same way a Whopper cannot be compared to a burger from Buzz's-Lanikai, one
shouldn't compare cheap with expensive sushi. Cheap sushi always seems so cold and sterile. The fish is about as appetizing as a dehydrated fruit roll-up. Flavor is nil, so you're forced to extract as much as you can from the shoyu and wasabi. And there's always too much rice. If it was rice you really wanted, you might as well have gone home and cooked it.
On the other hand, it's always reassuring to know you won't go broke ordering little pieces of rice. At a typical sushi bar, it's easy to run up an $80 bill for two, without even ordering drinks. At Sushi Man, I tried to run up a bill, and got as high as $12.95. I was shocked that I had actually saved money.
It's not easy to go for broke, considering a nine-piece nigiri bento runs $4.99, about half the cost as at a typical sushi bar. A 30-piece family plate is $9.99, with 18 pieces of vegetable maki, two pieces of egg sushi, two pieces of shrimp, three pieces of ahi, three pieces of squid and two pieces of octopus. And you can feast on a 45-piece nigiri party plate for $19.99. That's a deal to keep in mind this graduation party season.
AS for selections, you can't go wrong with Ahi Nigiri (three pieces for $1.75). Sure, there's just a sliver of fish, but ahi is so ubiquitous you know the taste by heart.For a variation, there's the Sushi Man's Choice of Spicy Tuna Roll ($1.49). Sushi Man's rolls really are cylindrical, not the triangular cones Californians invented. The Spicy Tuna Roll features plenty of rice wrapped in nori, with a strip of tuna in the center, painted red with chile sauce. When something's too spicy for the palate, downing rice is recommended. There's no provision for when the rice is coated with the spicy stuff.
The California Roll ($1.49) is decent for those who have adopted surimi as an acceptable stand-in for fresh crab. But I would stay away from the Salmon Nigiri ($1.75 for three pieces). It doesn't taste like salmon, but worse, the texture is spongy.
If you want to take a look at the selections, Sushi Man has a Web site at http://home1.gte.net/sushiman. The site offers a brief introduction to the history of sushi, along with descriptions of various sushi styles.
You'll find pictures that will make you hungry, as well as a list of ingredients and suppliers, a most honest thing to do. You'll find that Kikkoman supplies the shoyu, the imitation crab comes from Koha Foods and Hormal (sic) provides the 25-percent-less- sodium Spam for a sort of reverse musubi Spam Roll (99 cents), with the Spam inside, rather than on top of the rice.
One more thing, don't be fooled into thinking this is a full-service restaurant. Although the sparkling white exterior and red canopy make the restaurant look inviting and large, there's only one table inside, and if you decide to eat there, you'll be sitting under an air conditioner blowing cold air at full blast.
Sushi Man
Where: 3036 Waialae Ave. Suite B-1
Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews run on Thursdays. Reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com-- excellent;
