RESTAURANT REVIEW:

It is a joy to find restaurants that haven’t been discovered and even more of a thrill when I stumble upon them.

There was a sushi joint I wanted to visit, and I drove over there on a Monday. I didn’t even think to call first, I just assumed they would be open. That was a big mistake on my part.

When I pulled into the parking lot the lights were off, and I was forced to go to a plan b I didn’t have.

I drove around for a bit, much like a rudderless ship, realizing my indecision was costing me fuel, and I was probably funding another summer home for some sheik.

Down on Magnolia Street past some construction I saw a neon light and pulled into the strip mall out of curiosity. I drove toward the back and saw Sushi Top.

Apparently no one else saw it either, because I was the only one in the place. That’s fine with me; I prefer that, especially for a restaurant I have never visited.

Kiyoshi Watanabe is the chef and owner. He greeted me warmly and in the back I heard children, which were his. With his wife working and no baby sitter available, the kids were spending the evening at Mom and Dad’s work.

This may have been distracting to some, but I actually thought it gave the facility more of a homey feel.

There are six tables and eight seats at the sushi bar, but it was like I was eating at Kiyoshi’s house.

I began simply with spring lobster rolls since I hadn’t been here before and wasn’t going to take any risks.

My caution proved to be misguided. The rolls were tasty, and wrapped in the eel skin were lobster, spicy mayo and smelt egg.

It made me wish I had the scallop dynamite, another appetizer offered by Kiyoshi. Others I want to try next time are the soft shell crab and the jelly fish.

Orange rolls were next. These were California rolls, but came with orange roe on top.

They also were wider than any roll I have ever eaten. It was hard to get it in my mouth in one bite, and I ended up losing some of it on the plate when eating half of it.

Most of the rolls come this size and while I like the size, they take a certain amount of dexterity to keep it from falling all over the plate. I found the most success by eating half and squeezing the other half with my chopsticks.

My trust in Kiyoshi was increasing and I went for some sashimi. I ordered yellow tail and the six pieces came on romaine lettuce and a homemade miso sesame dressing that Kiyoshi makes about every eight days.

Now completely in Kiyoshi’s hands, I asked for a recommendation for the next course.

He suggested the black cod, and it was perfect. It is black cod, marinated in a mixture of miso paste and sugar.

It is then baked and is a combination of a crunchy outside and a soft flavorful inside that needs none of the sauce that accompanies it.

My meal was finished with shrimp dumplings. The shrimp is mixed with brown onion and baked, served as five medium-size cubes. It was a great appetizer that I would have ordered at the beginning of the meal.

As Kiyoshi was telling me about his miso sesame dressing and how he keeps it in a 5-gallon tub, his 7-year-old son came wandering out from the back room, wanting to visit with his dad. The youngster was precocious, but respectful as he stood next to his father, grabbing his leg.

Kiyoshi has owned this establishment for eight years and it is hard to believe it has been around for this long and I never found it. Others have and more will; good restaurants usually thrive, no matter where they are located.

ADDRESS: 19171 Magnolia St., Huntington Beach

PHONE: (714) 962-7199

CUISINE: Japanese

SPECIALTY DISH: Scallop dynamite

ALCOHOL SERVED: beer, wine, sake

DRESS: casual

FAMILY FRIENDLY: yes

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: Visa, MasterCard

REGER’S RATING: *** out of 4

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants for the Independent.