It starts with a pale squiggle of yuzu mayo and shredded kani crab, which rests atop each rice-wrapped bite like fresh snow on a mountain. Inside the roll are: tempura-fried calamari, garlic chips and a dusting of fresh lemon zest. The first bite is all texture—soft, wet, creamy, crunchy—and then flavors kick in, the fresh fish, then the garlic sailing to your senses on a current of citrus.
This is the fish ‘n’ chips roll from the newish Kobi-Q Sushi, one of a handful of specialty rolls that will, at first blush, raise your eyebrows—until you’re plopping one piece after another into your mouth. There’s also a vegan pickle roll with umeboshi plums and spicy pickles, a lucky cat roll with crispy salmon skin and, if you feel compelled to cut carbs, though we cannot imagine why, a pretty little number called “3 ball, two strike,” featuring halved avocados stuffed with spicy tuna.
Kobi-Q Sushi in Westport opened in February. Its big sister, Kobi-Q in the Crossroads, focuses on Korean comfort food, but married duo Mila and Justin Sehorn and chef Huy Ku Kwon took the opportunity to branch out with the Westport Kobi-Q. “We weren’t strangers to sushi,” Mila says. “We had done a little at the Crossroads when we opened in 2018, but it didn’t take off like we wanted it to. This has been a great way for us to have fun with the rolls and really play with the combinations.”
