"Opening a restaurant was never something that Peruvian-born Long Beach local Daiwa Wong imagined. And yet here she is, weeks away from opening Sushi Nikkei in the Bixby Knolls neighborhood of Long Beach with her best friend-turned husband, and now business partner, Eduardo Chang. The opening is part love story, part hustle, and has the potential to upend Long Beach’s dining scene. The area has long had a proud (and growing) culinary tradition all its own, but it’s never had a pair like Wong and Chang. Sushi Nikkei is Chang’s first American restaurant foray. The menu features tiraditos, raw fish that is sliced in the style of Japanese sashimi and served with a spicy sauce right before plating. The Japanese frying technique of tempura is used to craft nori tacos and sushi rolls as well, an ode both to Japan and Peru as well as Southern California’s own robust Mexican and Japanese influence. Chang also incorporates Peruvian ingredients like quinoa into fish ají sushi and grilled scallops (or conchas brasa) on the Sushi Nikkei menu, while also dabbing the finished dish with limo macha, a thick salsa that originates from Veracruz. The restaurant’s larger entrees include traditional Peruvian chifa (the Chinese cuisine of Peru) options as well as staples familiar to many diners like lomo saltado, a stir fry of beef tenderloin, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and rice. A whole fried sea bream is served with batayaki (a Japanese sauce with butter, garlic, and togarashi spice mix), fresh cilantro, and lemon, served to be shared among groups. It’s all part of the sprawling plan at Sushi Nikkei to bring people together, and to push Nikkei cuisine forward not just in greater Los Angeles — where the cuisine has been found for years — but in Long Beach specifically. Sushi Nikkei opened January 28 and is located at 3819 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, CA 90807, keeping dinner hours from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations suggested." - Judith Rontal
