Sporting Goods Distributor Kaoru Kubota Is Now Slinging Sushi

Wu Kubota — which serves both sushi and other traditional Japanese dishes — is now open in Plano, in Parkwood 121 Village at 8448 Parkwood Blvd.

What makes Wu Kubota different from other sushi joints is its mastermind. Founder Kaoru Kubota is the owner of the largest distributor of American sporting goods over in Japan. His goal, according to a release sent to Eater Dallas, “is to introduce truly authentic Japanese food to North Texas.” Kubota enlisted Masato Yasaki — a sushi chef from Osaka — to train all the future chefs at his new restaurant.

Wu Kubota’s menu includes sashimi, tempura, grilled items (think “saikyo miso marinated halibut”) and a whole mess of appetizers including Japanese egg custard and abalone steak. No to miss is the restaurant’s vast drink menu — in addition to a large selection of sakes by the bottle (four by the glass), there’s also lesser known alcohols: imo shochu (made from sweet potatoes), mugi shochu (made from barley) and kome shochu (which is made from rice.) There are Japanese whiskeys, too, and the menu is rounded out with wines from all over and a bunch of hard liquors to boot.