Maggie Vaughn
Kawa is another recent, welcome addition to North Shore’s dining scene. Located in the space occupied for a decade by Irina’s Kitchen, Kawa can seat about 40 patrons tops, but features a menu of Japanese kitchen and sushi bar items much larger in size and variety than one would think such a cozy restaurant could support.
Appetizers offer good value; items range from $4 to $9, including abbreviated versions of entrée-sized portions found elsewhere on the menu, leaving few excuses not to introduce some new items into your ordering repertoire.
The assortment in the vegetable tempura ($5) was nice, featuring broccoli floret, onion rings, sweet potato, taro, asparagus and zucchini. Instead of the traditional accompaniment of freshly grated daikon radish alongside delicate tempura sauce, Kawa’s tempura is served alongside a thicker, sweet chili dipping sauce, to which the slightly heavy tempura batter stands up well.
Other reliable classics include gyoza ($5), pan-fried pork and vegetable dumplings (similar to the Chinese potsticker) and yakitori (chicken and scallion, $5). These staple items were executed quite well, for the most part. Takoyaki ($6), a classic and quintessential Japanese street food originating in Osaka, is seldom served in America, so I was thrilled to see it available at Kawa. Shaped like a donut hole, takoyaki is like a savory pancake ball filled with chopped octopus (among other ingredients) and garnished with katsu, mayo and seaweed. You would be hard pressed to find this fluffy-yet-chewy snack elsewhere in the area, so it’s worth the $6 for this close-to-authentic rendition.
Appetizers from the sushi bar feature many distinctive offerings. Naruto ($9) is a rice-less version of a maki roll with tuna, crabstick and fish eggs, rolled in a sheet of impossibly paper-thin cucumber. Clean and refreshing, it serves up about five different textures simultaneously in a single bite. Tuna dumpling ($9) delivers similar results: pockets of tuna stuffed with avocado, wasabi-flavored tobikko, tempura crunch and a honey-wasabi sauce.
Special rolls are undoubtedly another highlight of the menu. Certain combinations were truly unique and should set Kawa apart from other sushi restaurants. A few table favorites included Fan the Flame ($13), a brown rice roll filled with escolar (white tuna), smoked jalapeño, scallion and avocado and topped with tuna; as well as fuji ($15), salmon, asparagus and cucumber rolled in traditional sushi rice. A subtly spicy mixture of scallop, crabstick and masago tops the roll, which is lightly torched.
Yaki soba (stir-fried noodles), udon (noodle soup), teriyaki and katsu don (fried pork) are some of the hot items from the kitchen that round out Kawa’s extensive menu. Beer, wine and saké available. Kanpai!
Kawa Japanese Restaurant
325 W. Silver Spring Drive, Glendale
414-249-5750
$$-$$$
Handicap access: Yes
