Ninja Japanese Steakhouse worth the drive
Brian Bernier, for Sheboygan Press Media 3:47 p.m. CDT September 8, 2015
(Photo: Chef Bernie)
If you’re looking for not only delicious Japanese Food but also an entertaining night out with friends or just the two of you, make Ninja Japanese Steakhouse the destination restaurant the next time you think about going out.
Ninja Japanese Steakhouse opened up at 944 E. Paradise Dr. in West Bend over four years ago. And because of Lichai Chen’s success in West Bend, he opened up another location in Menomonee Falls about two years ago.
I visited Ninja Japanese Steakhouse about a year and a half ago with my family, three days before my wedding. We were so impressed, I canceled my rehearsal dinner plans at another place and we set them up at Ninja.
I don’t know of too many Japanese steakhouses in the area besides Milwaukee and Appleton, but there's one thing that sets this one apart from the others. In addition to having an entertaining dinner cooked for you at one of their large hibachi tables by talented Japanese chefs, you can also sit down at a sushi bar and have them cook or roll out fresh sushi to order. They also offer dining room seating and a bar.
We chose the dining room so that we could get great pictures of our entrees as well as catch up with my daughter, who was in from out of town. When sitting at the hibachi tables, it would be hard to accomplish either goal because of the excitement and fun the chef provides.
Ninja Japanese Steak House offers freshly made Japanese cuisine and unique sushi creations. (Photo: Chef Bernie)
Our first item, which we chose because we knew it would come out quick, was the crab rangoon. These tasty morsels were hand rolled and served with a sweet chili sauce. A perfect way to start the evening.
I was in the mood for their tartar because I remembered how delicious it was at our last visit, but I wanted to try something different since they offer about 20 sushi options and cooked appetizers. Sophie, (who I found out later was the manager), stopped by our table to see how the crab rangoon tasted.
I let her know it was delicious but I was having a hard time choosing another appetizer. She recommended going off the menu with one of the specials of the night, the sushi dumpling. How could I resist the recommendation of wontons filled with spicy tuna and eel and drizzled with a spicy sauce?
This appetizer was a little different than what I would have imagined it to be, it wasn’t a whole piece of yellow fin tuna but instead was ground tuna. Still, the combination with the sauce was awesome.
Our next goal was to choose from the huge list of different sushi, sashimi, raw or cooked special rolls. They have something for everyone, whether it is the tempura shrimp or chicken, teriyaki beef, salmon, or scallops. I don’t think that there is a combination of food with vegetables with various wraps that they haven’t thought of.
Our first roll to split was the James Bond roll. The presentation of everything we ate was a work of art, but I think this roll was the best in both taste and presentation.
Ninja Japanese Steak House offers freshly made Japanese cuisine and unique sushi creations. (Photo: Chef Bernie)
The James Bond roll was stuffed with spicy crab meat, avocado inside and out, with seared salmon, garlic mayonnaise and masago, then finished with a basil olive oil. I guess they name this the James Bond roll because of the excitement that your taste buds are having when eating it.
The next roll we tried was the ninja roll. I figured it was named after the restaurant, so would have to be good.
This creation consisted of shrimp tempura with cream cheese, eel, and avocado, drizzled with their special eel sauce over the top. I must have never tasted fresh eel until I ate at Ninja Japanese Steakhouse, because the other eel I’ve tried in the past tasted so fishy. The word that best describes this entrée is yummy. Perfect for the person that isn’t into raw fish.
The next roll we tried as amuse-bouche, to try to neutralize all the tastes in our mouth. We chose the oshiko roll to do that.
Ninja Japanese Steak House offers freshly made Japanese cuisine and unique sushi creations. (Photo: Chef Bernie)
This roll was Japanese pickles that were wrapped in white rice and then wrapped in seaweed. The pickles were actually orange and tasted great. The presentation of this roll was outstanding.
We couldn’t decide whether dessert was an option or if we should try one more roll. The vote was 3-0 to go for one of the sushi rolls, and what better way to end the night, but with the amazing roll.
The amazing roll consisted of raw tuna, avocado and fresh cucumber inside of spicy yellow fin tuna. This roll was served with two different dipping sauces as well as wasabi and ginger. The roll tasted similar to other sushi I have tried in the past, but I could tell the quality was top notch.
When I caught back up with Sophie at the end of the night, I asked her why she thinks Ninja Japanese Steakhouse is so successful.
Her response was short, “we serve authentic great food." She said they buy their fish from True World Distributors, and when I looked up True World up online, I could see why the owner chooses them for his restaurants. True World’s mission is “to provide customers with a superior level of service and the freshest, safest, and tastiest product available.”
No wonder my experience here was one that I think you should take the time to drive to. They offer three different lunch specials, a takeout special called the bento box dinner and dinners for children under 12.
To contact Ninja Japanese Steakhouse go to
www.ninjajapanesesteakhouse.com or call 262-338-4888.
Brian Bernier, aka Chef Bernie, is a private in-home chef, organic farmer and food blogger who lives in Sheboygan. He can be reached at
Brian@BerniersBistro.com. Visit his website at FreshStepFood.com.
Ninja Japanese Steak House offers freshly made Japanese cuisine and unique sushi creations. (Photo: Chef Bernie)
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