Bryan – For folks who have never stepped foot in Aggieland, visions of burgers and big beers might fill your head. But over in Bryan, there’s a superb sushi stop that might just be one of the most exquisite in the entire state. “We really basically wanted to bring the top tier sushi, right here,” said Tai Lee.
Chef Tai is of South Korean decent, but he’s been a part of Bryan/College Station since well, his college days. “I Came here in 1998 to attend Texas A&M University and loved Aggieland so much, I decided to stay,” said Tai.
During his time in school, Tai got a job making sushi at one of the only sushi bars in College Station at the time. There he met Soon Park, and that changed his life forever. “The gentleman who taught me how to make sushi, Master Chef Soon Park, has a very successful restaurant, sushi bar outside of Chicago,” said Tai. “Then he stayed as a friend and a mentor, since he first taught me how to make sushi, back in 2002.”
Over the years, Tai went on to open several successful restaurants in B/CS but never dabbled into a sushi endeavor, so he called up his old buddy Soon. “We wanted to present a sushi with a heightened level of a sense and a style and a flare that was not previously available here, in Bryan-College Station,” said Tai. “Everything has to have certain meaning. Why? It’ll have a certain name, why it would have certain flavor, different sauce, ingredients. So, we put a lot of thought into it. Something that Chef Soon has done it for 35 years.”
Logan Burke has worked with Chef Tai since 2018 and he was in charge of putting together 4 sushi rolls before Tai takes things to the next level. “We’re really getting a chance to provide the community with something maybe that they haven’t seen before,” said Burke. “I used to be that guy that says I ain’t eating sushi, it’s bait. But now, once I tried it, I’m like, this is fantastic.”
Logan started things of with Kanji’s number 1 seller, the Chef Soon’s Special Roll which starts with a high end nori covered in a particular type of rice. “We want to be true to the roots,” said Tai. “So, a lot of the preparation, ingredients are very authentic. We’re not using shortcuts by using American grown rice. We’re using Japanese rice, actual short grain rice. The Japanese guests who come here or people who lived in Japan identify those rice. ‘I can’t believe you actually use this rice.’ I say, ‘Absolutely.’” Spicy mayo, fresh yellow tail, avocado and jalapeno are added. Once rolled big eyed tuna is placed on top along with a truffle vinaigrette, black pepper and micro greens.
The Chef Tai’s Signature Spicy Tuna Roll starts off with what else but spicy tuna. “A lot of the American sushi bar uses Sriracha as their base for spicy tuna. I wanted to do something different,” said Tai. “So, I would say nothing against sriracha, but I want to try my own. This is something that I created 21 years ago, when I was still working at a former sushi bar. The sauce is inspired by Korean chili paste, but I wanted to make it into a sushi.”
Add in cucumber, avocado, roll it up and add some big eyed tuna, spicy mayo, and flame kiss it. “Now here comes the fun part,” said Tai. “Activate that mayo, get a little extra flavor going on. Bringing out the flavor in the mayo.” Chef Tai sauce, eel sauce, fried potatoes, microgreens, flying fish row and sesame seeds close it out.
The Summer Roll features house spicy mayo, spicy crab mix, avocado, and cucumber that’s rolled up with Nordic salmon and lemons then topped with spiced sunomono and pico de gallo. Finally, the Cowboy Steak Sushi Roll, which almost seems paradoxical. “I know Texas loves steak,” said Tai. “I said, ‘Okay, I understand we’re sushi bar, but you could make steak as a sushi topping.’ Sushi only means it’s sour in Japanese, referring to a seasoned rice, that’s the base and a foundation of making sushi rolls or nigiri sushi. So, I say, Sushi has nothing to do with the fish. You can have sushi with a steak, you can have sushi with a vegetable, you can have sushi with a pickle because it only refers to the seasoned rice.” All that’s left is to add asparagus, spicy mayo, roll it up and top it with more steak, eel sauce, torch it, throw on shredded green onions and seasame seed, and the Cowboy Steak Sushi Roll is complete.
Before I could sit down and enjoy these four rolls, Chef Tai had a special treat for me and if you want to experience this, all you need to know is one word. “One of the very popular dishes that we do here is actually called omakase,” said Tai. “So omakase in Japanese translation is trusting the chef. I’ll definitely make sure you get the best experience on any sushi that we can offer, that is based on seasonal and a market availability. If you were to tell me, ‘Hey, I cannot do salmon for X, Y, Z reasons,’ no problem. I’ll be happy to get you something different.” Chef Tai carefully selects several different fish for a 9 course nigiri and sashimi offering that is ever so delicately put together, and just like that a sushi feast fit for a king is ready to roll.
Starting with the sashimi and the nigiri, every piece was a knockout. From the lighter yellowfin nigiri to the bolder flavors of the squid and uni, every bite was decidedly fresh and flavorful. The rolls, to nobody’s surprise, were wonderful as well, packing in layers of sweet, spicy and umami flavors that were all addictive.
Well, with fine flavors from all over the world, Kanji Sushi in Bryan-College Station is a spot you definitely want to reel in on The Texas Bucket List.