Here's an inside look at the newest addition to the ever-expanding Trinity Groves, Sushi Bayashi, located on the main restaurant strip between Resto Gastro Bistro and Kitchen LTO. Chef-owner Yuki Hirabayashi (formerly of Victory Park's Kenichi) created this concept based on his own dining experiences while living and growing up in Nagashi Asakusa-Ueno, a middle-class Tokyo neighborhood.
Rather than individual tables, the dining room is instead populated with long communal tables. Hirabayashi explains that this is intended to create a more unified dining experience similar to what you'd find in his hometown. Curious customers can also grab a front-row seat at the sushi bar to watch Hirabayashi and his team at work.
The tribute to Hirabayshi's hometown also extends to the menu. Along with sushi and sashimi from albacore to eel, diners will find other traditional Japanese fare such as Chanpon noodles, a compilation of pork and chicken broth with soy milk, shrimp, scallops, pork belly, kanikama crab, woodear mushrooms, garlic, and onion that's finished off with a fish cake. (Think of it as ramen's less popular cousin, though you'll also find bowls of Tokyo-style miso and rich, porky tonkotsu ramen here.) There's also pork belly "buta-kakuni"; sure to pique the interest of Dallas' pork belly connoisseurs, it's braised for six to nine hours and infused with flavors of sake, mirin, ginger, garlic, and scallions.
Hirabayashi and general manager Ricky Wong hope to cater to veteran sushi-eaters as well as those still wary of eating raw fish. For them, that means educating customers on how their dishes are prepared, as well as what beverages will complement them. Drink options include a wide selection of reasonably priced Japanese beers, wines, and sakes, including $10 flavored sakes in varieties like white peach, pear, pineapple, and yuzu as well as sparkling varieties.
Sushi Bayashi opens for business Tuesday, February 10 at 5 p.m.
