Ready to roll

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There are about 50 restaurants serving sushi in the Birmingham area, including a dozen or so near Highway 280.

But Huy Nguyen, the owner and head chef of Blowfish Sushi — a new eatery set to open in early December in the Arbor Place shopping center — believes his place will stand out from the crowd.

“I’ve been trying some of the [sushi] restaurants here [and] we have a style that is totally different,” Nguyen said. “Most of the places here are very basic.”

Blowfish Sushi will offer “more of an America-mix sushi,” Nguyen said. “That is how [it’s done in] South Florida, where I am from. It’s not like the really Japanese sushi.”

“The taste will be different, with more fusion,” he said. “We have cooked sushi… and we have more toppings on the roll.”

“We’re excited to open a restaurant here, because we think we’re going to bring new food for people in Birmingham,” said Nguyen’s wife, Oanh Kim Tran, who will serve as manager.

Blowfish will prepare more than just the sashimi and nigiri that many restaurants have, according to Tran. 

“We’ll have a lot of special rolls,” she said, citing such examples as baked sushi and sushi rolls without rice.

Tran and Nguyen are excited about presenting those rolls to their new customers. “We think they’re our feature foods,” Tran said.

And for those customers who don’t want sushi — still an acquired taste for some less adventurous diners — Blowfish will offer a wide variety of other Asian dishes, including Thai food, Japanese food and Korean barbecue, according to Tran.

Blowfish will offer, among other dishes, pad Thai, tempura shrimp, salmon teriyaki and steak teriyaki made with rib eye, according to Nguyen. 

And the veteran chef said that he enjoys “a little fusion in the kitchen,” making such dishes as snapper with ginger sauce or baked salmon with teriyaki sauce.

Nguyen lived in Mississippi for seven years and was co-owner of Chef Scott’s restaurant and sushi bar in Ocean Springs, located near Biloxi on the Gulf Coast. About six months ago, Nguyen and Tran moved to Birmingham, where Nguyen has other family members.

The couple hopes to make Blowfish Sushi a fun, friendly place, according to Tran. 

“We’re trying to make our restaurant not just a place to eat, but a place that family and friends can enjoy time together by the atmosphere and our services,” she said.

Blowfish Sushi

  • 479 U.S. 280, Suite. 102, in the old City Vineyard space.
  • Price range: Entrees $15 to $25; sushi $7 to $15 per roll; lunch specials $10 to $15. 
  • Hours: Monday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.–10 p.m.