CUAISRITNE
Same Great Food
Ocean Blue Asian Fusion
Charlie at Kaiko
Japanese Restaurant
had won “Best
of Tampa Bay”
New Name,
By Margaret Word Burnside and Aaron R. Fodiman
Photography by Noraa
This bento box at Ocean Blue is filled with Asian delights
awards for literally decades.
So, when he retired and a
new name went up outside his revered
restaurant, we weren’t sure what to expect.
The good news is that Nhan Nguyen, the
new owner, has changed the name, but
little else. She has the same great sushi crew
behind the counter and offers the items for
which Charlie was known. In addition to
the already excellent food options, Nhan
has added a Hibachi grill from which to
serve steak, chicken, scallops, shrimp and
combinations thereof.
Their salads range from seaweed to
whole baby octopus. For appetizers, you
can order a broad array of selections,
from fried soft shell crab to shrimp
tempura, as well as standards such as
Gyoza, Krab Rangoon and Dynamite
Chicken or Shrimp. The Spicy Samurai
of green jalapeños stuffed with cream
cheese is a must try.
Of course, there is an extensive Sushi
menu offering everything from tuna to
squid. In addition, there are fabulous
Egg Rolls.
In addition to the
dinners from the Hibachi
Grill, there are 11 Japanese
dinners that range from
chicken to a variety of
steaks and include shrimp, salmon,
vegetables and seafood. These are
traditionally prepared and served by
an excellent staff that keeps everything
moving in an orderly, gracious fashion.
The dessert menu includes Fried
Cheesecake, six flavors of Mochi Ice
Cream wrapped in rice dough, Fried Ice
Cream and traditional Green Tea or Red
Bean Ice Cream. They have a full liquor
bar and are open for lunch Monday
through Friday and every night for
dinner until midnight, except on Friday
and Saturday, when they stay open until
one o’clock in the morning. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Ocean Blue Asian
Fusion Sushi and Hibachi is located at 2475
McMullen Booth Road (at the southwest
corner of Enterprise Road) in Clearwater,
(727) 953-9828.
that will please your palate.
special Sushi Rolls, such as a Volcano
Roll of krab, cucumber, cream cheese
and avocado, topped with spicy krab
and ika. They also offer a Super Protein
Roll of spicy tuna and cucumber, topped
with fresh salmon and yellowtail. There
is even a tempura style Super Crunchy
Roll of scallops, avocado, krab and smelt
roe. The menu also includes Special
Sashimi Plates, such as Spicy Salmon
Salad, Lemon Pepper White Fish and a
Spicy Tuna Volcano with tempura flakes.
We can’t forget about their tasty
Japanese Noodle Dishes, such as the
Udon with shrimp or seafood and Stir-
Fried Noodles served with chicken,
shrimp or seafood and vegetables. Next
on the menu are the Chicken Katsu,
Chicken Tempura, Shrimp Tempura,
Chicken Teriyaki, Salmon Teriyaki and
Steak Teriyaki Bento Boxes served with
Miso Soup, Ginger Salad, a California
Roll, Krab Rangoon, Rice and Vegetable
172 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE
| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016