Hanami Japanese Cuisine opens in Merrick
Sushi at Hanami in Merrick includes Hokkigai surf clam, white tuna nigiri and a kanpyo gourd handroll. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
Oyster udon, hamburger curry, fluke fin sushi — these aren't commonly found at Long Island Japanese restaurants, but are among the interesting menu items at the new Hanami Japanese Cuisine in Merrick.
The neighborhood spot has been flying under the radar since it opened on Merrick Road in August. From the outside, it looks like countless other Long Island sushi joints. But co-owner Tina Shi has a unique backstory. She was born in the Fujian province of China, but moved to Japan as an international student and spent nearly 15 years soaking up the food culture there. This included working as a chef at an izakaya (a Japanese pub) in Tokyo.
Then she and her husband, Chun Wang, brought this aesthetic to Merrick.
"We have a big family in Japan. We love Japan," she said. "I came here, but I still liked Japan’s food."
They took over the narrow space that previously held Sushi Ko and hired a local artist to fill it with gorgeous murals depicting Japanese cherry blossoms. (The name Hanami refers to the season when cherry blossoms are in bloom.)
Hanami's owners commissioned a local artist to paint murals. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
Wang works the sushi bar up front, putting out hard-to-find items like mirugai, or giant clam, and shiro maguro, which is white tuna. Shi said that 90% of the restaurant's ingredients are imported from Japan, as her cousin runs a pair of Manhattan Japanese markets.
Asari, a steamed clam and mushroom dish, at Hanami Japanese Cuisine in Merrick. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
An early hit from the appetizer menu is asari ($11.95), which is buttered, soy sauce-steamed manila clams with plump king mushrooms. It's sweet and gentle. Hanami also has a substantial selection of Japanese brown curries, and the fried pork katsu curry ($17.50) is more than serviceable. The hearty meal pairs nicely with an imported Hefeweizen beer ($7.99) from Ginga Kogen, which brews in a snowy region at the foot of Mount Wagadake in North-Central Japan. In its bright blue can decorated with a deer, the crisp beer has subtle notes of banana and spices.
Hanami Japanese Cuisine, 2063 Merrick Rd., Merrick, 516-318-9978, hanamimerrick.com. Open 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.
