On A Roll

I can’t keep up with the proliferation of new sushi-centered restaurants opening all over the Greater Philadelphia area. It is testament to the runaway popularity of this cuisine. Who would have thought that the typically conservative American palate would accept – much less go crazy over – raw fish.

One of the more recent additions to our sushi scene is Kumo Asian Bistro, a small chain migrating down from upstate New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, which opened February 2010 in the English Village Center in the space that had been a Starbucks. Seating a moderate 90 within, it is often booked up on weekends for dinner. Kudos and thank you to owner Jack Chan for bringing his successful little chain of Kumo to us.      

The single, relatively small dining room boasts some very chic décor, with matte black-brown walls, tables and leather-upholstered chairs, and an unusual dropped celestial-like ceiling. The room’s point of focus is the (non-seating) sushi bar with the sushi chefs in view below the shiny, bright aqua green mini-tiled wall.

On my first visit to Kumo, I went for a late lunch with two companions, and found the ambiance, service, and food to be of high quality, and had a very enjoyable experience.

The servers are all sweet, soft-spoken, young Asian lasses. Ours seemed especially eager to please.

Manager Jim Yang informed me that they receive fresh fish from their supplier four or five times each week, and shellfish daily.

Each lunch offering comes with miso soup and salad in a divine ginger dressing. The quality of the miso and freshness of the salad were remarkable.

Also, I was pleased to note that Kumo took extra care to keep and serve hot things hot and cold things cold. The soup reached the table a good bit hotter than I usually find, and the salad was attractively plated in well-chilled, deep white square porcelain bowls. So too, our lunch entrees were beautifully presented – a hallmark of quality Japanese cuisine.

Kumo's Lunch (bento) Boxes feature such choices as chicken, shrimp, or salmon teriyaki, or General Tso's chicken (only $10 each) as the main ingredient and in include in their own separate compartments a California roll, vegetable tempura (lightly batter-fried veggies), shrimp shumai (steamed dumplings) and rice, all in a sectioned red lacquer box.  The bento boxes are recommended to satisfy bigger eaters.  At my last lunch visit with my son, a big eater, he ordered the bento box featuring steak teriyaki ($11), and was fulfilled.

Three succulent fishes plus yellowtail are the featured players of the Sashimi Lunch ($12.50). The freshness and quality of the fish were immediately apparent.  Only the more delicate yellowtail tasted a wee bit “fishy,” not on par with the former three.

Those who favor maki rolls will like a Combo Roll Lunch, where you pick from a list of 15 different rolls (any 2 for $10, any 3 for $12). This was for me. I chose a salmon avocado roll, a yellowtail scallion roll, and a spicy tuna roll – the best of the three, with crunchy panko inside. I totally relished this same Combo Roll lunch platter again at the most recent lunch visit with my son.

Kumo also serves raw-bar shellfish, hibachi lunches and dinners, various hot entrees and noodle dishes.

Location: 1460 Bethlehem Pike, (English Village), North Wales

Phone: 215.283.6066

Web site: www.kumoasianbistro.com

Cuisine:  Japanese, with sushi as the main focus.

Hours: Open daily for lunch and dinner

Prices: Lunch plates: $8 - $14.50 (includes soup and salad)

Dinner: Appetizers, Soups, Salads $2 - $14; Entrées, $12 - $26

Ambiance:  Sophisticated, contemporary decor

Reservations: Strongly recommended on weekends           

Credit Cards: Visa and Mastercard

Alcoholic Beverages: BYOB

Wheelchair Access: Yes

Special Features: Ample parking in lot in front

Overall Rating: mmmm (out of 5 m’s) for its excellent sushi menu and nice ambiance.           

To contact Mitch Davis, you can e-mail him.