RESTAURANT REVIEW:

There have been a lot of highlights in my eating out, but I experienced a first at Daimon.

The sushi and teppan place that has a rock and roll atmosphere proved it to me one night when the disc jockey sprinkled in a little ’70s and ’80s classic rock in my honor.

So as I was chomping on sashimi, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Call Me the Breeze” was serenading two friends up from San Diego and me.

This amused my friend Tony but probably confused his wife, Miyuki, a little bit. A quick explanation seemed to clear up any confusion.

What was crystal clear was the food. The rolls we had were incredible and the sushi and sashimi was just as good.

Since Miyuki is Japanese and better versed on the food, I usually let her take over the ordering, and I never regret it.

She started with a smoked salmon sushi that was really good. The smoke flavor as well as the natural taste of the salmon was a good combination.

Next we had wahoo. The delicate fish often called ono, which Hawaiians translate as delicious, was completely tender.

As we ate and the disc jockey was playing such classic rock hits as AC/DC’s “Shook Me All Night Long” and Bad Company’s “Shooting Star,” we kept hearing screams from the back room.

They weren’t blood curdling, more like shouts of surprise, and we soon realized that was the Teppan Room. The restaurant is divided into two sections. The first is the sushi room, which is large and has an ample sushi bar in addition to several tables and chairs

The second is the Teppan Room, about the same size, and with the traditional grills encased by chairs.

Both rooms are jumping, especially on the weekend. The restaurant has a rock and roll atmosphere, and celebrations are frequent. That day there was a bachelorette party, and it is amazing how loud 12 women can get; of course, they were sake-aided.

As were we. Tony is the libations expert, and he ordered a Nigori sake for us. The unfiltered sake is far cloudier than the usual and has a much sweeter taste.

The noise from the back room folded into the energy of our room, and it was actually enjoyable to hear the women having such a good time. It certainly didn’t adversely affect our meal.

We were too busy trying to figure out what we were going to eat next. Miyuki decided on a Lemon Cake. This is a pressed style of sushi with crab and avocado, and topped with salmon and masago. On top is a lemon sauce that is very subtle. It was a unique roll and definitely one of the favorites of the evening.

We had a crunch roll next. The roll had seared albacore on top and was encumbered with so many flakes, which was good. The albacore was fresh, but a bit chewy.

Red snake was spicy tuna roll topped with torched tuna, spicy ponzu and white onion. It has a distinct kick to it and no wasabi dipping was needed.

I really liked the Dugatti roll. It was a simple, really, a California roll topped with baked langoustine. I find the meat in the miniature lobster to be just as succulent as a Maine lobster and was a great addition. The crunch batter also gave it another dimension.

Our last roll was the yellowtail scallion. It was a spicy crab roll topped with yellowtail and scallions. This too was a unique roll and I really enjoyed the generous portions of both crab and yellowtail.

As our meal ended, the party was just getting started. The disc jockey had moved on to more contemporary songs and the crowd was getting younger and louder.

If you want to avoid the noise, show up during the week or early on the weekends, but the party is half the fun of coming here.

DAIMON

ADDRESS: 16232 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach

PHONE: (562) 592-4862

CUISINE: Japanese

ALCOHOL SERVED: full bar

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $15 to $32

FAMILY-FRIENDLY: no

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: American Express, Visa, and MasterCard

RATING: *** out of 4

JOHN REGER reviews restaurants for the Independent.