RESTAURANTS • FOUND Table
The Backstory: Thanks to increasing online buzz since its opening this spring, tiny sushi takeout operation Aji Kiji has had no shortage of business. Open for just a few hours Tuesday to Saturday, the Fillmore spot serves up modest-sized but gorgeous boxes of nigiri, maki, and sashimi featuring high-quality freshly butchered fish and vinegar-seasoned rice.
When the business launched, chef Jinwoong Lim (who also owns popular next-door Korean “tapas” spot Bansang) prepared all the sushi boxes himself, which meant the limited number of platters sold out soon after open. He’s since brought in a helping hand, but demand still exceeds supply. Expect an empty case well before Lim heads back to the Bansang kitchen in the afternoon.
The Experience: The “Omakase” box ($54 per) is a chef’s selection of 10 pieces of nigiri — typically including a piece of aji (horse mackerel), as well as salmon, amberjack, and a couple of cuts of tuna (bluefin, chutoro and/or ultra-fatty otoro). It also comes with some tsukemono (Japanese pickles), and a tiny, fish-shaped squeeze bottle of house-blended soy sauce. All the fish is individually seasoned and may get a kiss from a blowtorch, like at a high-end omakase spot. Another delicious mainstay is the Sake Don box ($28 per), with a dozen slices of both fresh and lightly-torched salmon sashimi over a bed of seasoned rice.
BONUS: You need to get there early if you want your pick of the day’s boxes — and that means at or near its opening time of 11a. Everything can be thrown in the fridge, and Lim recommends taking it out around 90 minutes before you’re ready to eat, so it can come to room temperature. On Saturday, they sell out by 1p. On a slow Tuesday and Wednesday, they might stay open as late as 2p, but don’t count on it. Also, they don’t typically take pre-orders with a notable exception of Thanksgiving week, from Nov 26-28. Get those in now, before they sell out, too. –Jay Barmann
→ Aji Kiji (Fillmore) • 1552 Fillmore St • Tues-Sat 11a until sold out.