Lyn Dowling
| For FLORIDA TODAY
Oh, the proliferation of sushi restaurants in Brevard County.
It says here that about 240 bars and 35 dedicated restaurants now are in the area, a bit late to the game but ever welcome, and it’s getting so that Brevardians in each community have “our place” when it comes to the genre. Some are scarcely tolerable. Others are good. A couple are superior.
West Viera (the Addington area) has a very good one in Sushi Kawa, a wisely small and highly manageable place with a diverse but not insane menu or many rolls, plus Japanese- and Thai-style entrees. It is not expensive, it is immaculate and servers are knowledgeable and congenial. Food arrives fast.
We’ve tried most of the lunch menu in the couple of months since Sushi Kawa opened, and in two of those visits, we opened with Almond Roll ($11.95) a substantial and clearly newly made combination of shrimp tempura, avocado, cream cheese, eel, masago, spicy sauce and eel sauce, nicely rolled up and covered with a small mountain of toasted almonds.
The combination makes for a delicious roll, absolutely lovely in its contrasting flavors and textures, and it gave us great joy to see that, as good sushi specialists do, no fancy plating — i.e., volcanos or dragons — was required.
The Dragon Roll ($14.94) also was just fine, with shrimp tempura, eel, cream cheese and asparagus, topped by sliced avocado, masago, eel sauce and spicy mayonnaise.
Yes, we order tempura a lot, largely because one of us is prohibited from eating raw fish. But sometimes I cheat.
We’ve tried a lot of entrees in our six or seven visits to Sushi Kawa, and on the first, I had chicken with ginger sauce ($10.95), a fine little dish.
It was a touch less gingery than I would have preferred but it had a good amount of thinly-sliced, good quality white meat chicken as well as carrots, bell peppers, snow peas, broccoli and mushrooms. Again, lots of contrast on that plate and great rice. Its rice says a lot about an Asian restaurant.
Dining Companion No. 1 had Kawa Fried Rice ($10.95), a nice combination of chicken, vegetables and rice with none of that oily aftertaste you sometimes get from similar offerings. It wasn’t special but good.
Dining Companion No. 2, formerly the Child Gourmet, ordered Panang curry ($10.95), which he pronounced “excellent,” a fine endorsement from someone who would dine on Thai and Japanese food every day if he could. It wasn’t wildly spicy, but redolent with citrus and a hint of coconut and substantial.
Both Dining Companion No. 1 and I have ordered Honey Sesame chicken ($10.95) a couple of times, and it is a thing of beauty: thin slices of lightly battered chicken, quick-fried crisp and golden, with just enough sweetness via a delightful honey sauce. It now is one of my favorite Asian entrees, and if I ever quit keto, it may be with this dish. Lots of fresh broccoli comes with it, and although that’s also off the menu for me, what I had was grand.
As for beverages, yes, the usual Asian sweet teas are there, but so is decent sake and much better tea than the norm.
Look, Sushi Kawa is not Koko. It’s not clever or inventive. But it is a fine little restaurant with consistently good food of the sort diners, especially at lunch, expect.
Of all the new restaurants in Viera, put it at the top of your list to try. And look for us.
Sushi Kawa
Four stars
Address: 7645 Stadium Pkwy., Viera (Addison Square)
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
Call: 321-421-7449
Online: https://sushi-kawa.com
Other: Reservations not accepted. Covered outdoor dining. Beer and wine served.
Dining and Cooking