AURA Creations

As I opened the two glass doors to the restaurant, I could immediately smell the wonderful aroma. The restaurant was packed. I spotted quite a few tables with Japanese diners. It’s Sunday night. That’s a good sign.

One quick glance at the menu revealed a wide variety of traditional Japanese dishes like tempura, teriyaki, sukiyaki, and shioyaki. Nothing special really until I started looking at the appetizer menu. There were a nice selection of namamono (raw items), agemono (fried items), and yakimono (grilled items). These were the real gems of restaurant.

The seaweed salad ($4.30) was cool and refreshing. Mixing in cucumber strands was a nice touch. The dish really made my stomach juice flowing.

The soft shell crab tempura ($6.80), along with some spicy radish bits mixed in with a special tempura sauce offered a sharp contrast to the seaweed salad. I particularly liked the way the crab was cut which made it very easy and enjoyable to consume.

The dobin mushi or soup in the teapot ($10.80) was a fun alternative to miso soup. It reminded me of pouring hot sake into little cups, only it’s soup instead. The soup was very flavorful, thanks to the pieces of chicken and mushroom hidden within the teapot.

It’s not often you see amaebi ($5.20) on the nigiri sushi menu, I made no hesitation in ordering it. The sushi included two pieces of raw sweet shimp on rice along with the giant shrimp heads deep-fried placed on the side. I loved the crisp and silky texture of the amaebi. The deep fried shrimp head were done well. I ate the entire head in one gulp.

When I ordered the Alaskan black cod kasuzake ($9.80), the waiteress immediately smiled with delight. I knew I ordered something good. The fish came in two large pieces. One bite into the cod and the buttery meat just melted in my mouth. It was the best cod I’ve had in ages.

I finished off with the unagi don or eel teriyaki over rice ($9.98). The unagi was thick unlike most places. There was just enough sauce to not overpower the flavor of the eel. After the meal, I sipped some green tea and enjoyed the remainder of the night knowing it was one of the best Japanese meals I’ve had in the south bay.

Azuma
19645 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 257-4057