What do a group of friends from Venezuela have in common with a Japanese sushi restaurant? A passion for hospitality. It’s that love of welcoming guests as family and serving them only the highest quality ingredients that has allowed them to continue to flourish with now three locations, including Weston and Sunny Isles within the Acqualina Resort.
When I asked what Ke-uH meant, co-owner Daniel Fernández quipped, “it’s a play on a Venezuelan contradiction of the phrase: ¿que hubo?, which ends up sounding like ‘que-u’ and loosely translates to ‘what’s up?’” I applauded the creativity and foreshadowing of a fusion experience.
The menu is set up for sharing, which I love. While most of the menu does stay true to its Japanese roots with izakaya plates like shishito peppers, edamame, crispy rice, and gyozas, it also has interesting options like the spicy honey shrimp, wagyu sliders topped with a delicate quail egg, and a nod to the Latin community with grilled corn, tuna and rib-eye tacos, and ceviche.
We started with the salmon truffl e pear ($19), the crispy tuna rice ($17) and the grilled octopus ($18). The salmon was a perfect way to whet our appetite with its delicate, thin pieces wrapped around a slightly sweet pear, drizzled with a subtle hint of yuzu and topped with micro cilantro, which I enjoyed. I also admired that the tuna comes with a sizeable portion of six hearty pieces of lightly crisped rice topped with a fl avorful mix of tuna, sriracha, wasabi, and microgreens that pulled all the fl avors in. The octopus, another hearty portion, was tender and charred with a wasabi aioli. I could have done without the side salad it came with.
For the entrées, the menu features signature rolls, nigiri, sashimi, and a few larger plates. We opted for three rolls: Hamachi Serrano ($19), Chirashi ($20), and Bea ($20). I was most excited to try the Bea, because it’s a red chili soy paper roll with crispy shrimp, avocado, cream cheese, and one of my favorites—fried plantain. This true fusion roll made my palate extremely happy. The creaminess blended with the crunch, perfectly paired with hints of heat and sweetness.
The Hamachi slices were on the smaller side compared with the Chirashi, but it’s never a negative when I don’t have to contemplate how I’m getting a full piece into my mouth. I enjoyed both; the Hamachi delivered a bit more spiciness, and the Chirashi was a well-balanced roll of tuna, Hamachi, and salmon with a whisper of mint, topped with salmon roe and served with a ponzu kimchi sauce for dipping.
Usually, desserts aren’t the stars of a sushi menu, but not at Ke-uH. Two piqued my interest, so I said “yolo” and ordered both. Cutting into the Nutella Spring Rolls ($11), I found the crispy crepe oozing with warm banana and Nutella that then needed to share the fork’s real estate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream before I could enjoy it. The Sweet Maki ($14)—trust me on this—is soy paper that hugs strawberry bits, wrapped in Oreo cookie and mascarpone, then topped with paper-thin slices of kiwi. I’d happily start with dessert next time because, frankly, why not?
IF YOU GO
5250 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, 561/295-8616
PARKING: Valet and lot
HOURS: Monday – Thursday 12 – 3 p.m. and 5 – 10 p.m.; Friday 12 – 3 p.m. and 5 – 10:30 p.m.; Saturday 12:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.; Sunday 12:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
PRICES: $9 – $49
WEBSITE: keuhrestaurant.com
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