Harumi Sushi & Sake has been serving customers in the heart of Phoenix for 10 years. After outgrowing its small, original location at First Avenue and Adams Street, Harumi moved into a new space at the bottom of the U.S. Bank Tower. The reimagined restaurant is open and bright, with modern furnishings and large windows to watch the city passing by.
Owner and founder Jessica Kim has doggedly pursued the highest quality for her restaurant, which now boasts a second location in Peoria.
“I wanted to bring the very best of Japanese cuisine [to Phoenix] that is approachable and affordable for everyone to enjoy because we deserve it,” Kim says.
There are classic rolls for those looking for the familiar, alongside items like temaki and nigiri, plus one of the best omakase selections in town.
“Harumi is translated as ‘spring,’ ‘clear air’ and ‘weather,'” Kim explains. “It signifies our constant drive to evolve in various ways."
This evolution is evident from the very beginning of the menu, where the salad and veggie offerings contain the usual suspects – Japanese cucumber salad, seaweed salad and edamame. But at the top of the list, and appearing somewhat out of place, is the Japanese Caesar salad.
Perhaps even more surprising is the waitstaff insisting that it’s one of the most popular items on the entire menu, especially among the Downtown lunch crowd. At many restaurants, Caesar salads tend to be safe bets, nothing particularly out of the ordinary. But Harumi’s Japanese Caesar Salad couldn’t be further from ordinary.
It is one of the best bites of salad, Caesar or otherwise, we've tried anywhere. At Harumi, it's one of the most memorable items at a restaurant that is bursting with delicious cuisine.
“I love a classic Caesar salad as an appetizer before the main course, particularly with anchovies as an ingredient in place of salt,” Kim says. “Anchovies add a beautiful earthy note to dishes, especially in Asian cuisine."
The salad is pleasing to the eye, laid out delicately in a single layer on a large plate rather than piled in a bowl. Little gem lettuce leaves work almost as serving boats, topped with bright, thin slices of radish and Panko crust. And then there’s the topper – the drizzle of craveable, luscious dressing that keeps your fork coming back for one more bite and then another.
“There are a few staple ingredients that constitute a classic Caesar salad, including egg yolk, olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, lemon, and of course, anchovies,” Kim says. “I switched out these for Japanese herbs and oils, such as sesame oil, yuzu juice, a little bit of white miso and toasted Panko crust instead of croutons. I used the earthiness of Aleppo pepper instead of ground pepper for a bit of a kick. And there’s plenty of garlic in the secret sauce.”
It is impossible to stop eating this salad, even knowing there are platters of sushi, sashimi and other specialties on their way to the table. While the presentation is beautiful, the salad’s construction is strategic, as it easily allows for the ideal bite of all ingredients on one lettuce leaf. The sesame makes it rich, the little gem gives it a lightness. There’s an occasional pop of heat from the Aleppo pepper, which is instantly cooled by the dressing. The Panko and Parmigiano-Reggiano play well together, both salty, crunchy and satisfying.
This dish is both recognizable as a Caesar salad while also standing victoriously on its own two feet. Japanese cuisine, when executed correctly, is a thing of beauty. Precision and focus are applied to all ingredients, down to the tiniest detail. This comes across in Harumi’s Japanese Caesar salad, where precision has elevated a simple dish into a plate of remarkable depth and flavor. Come for the sushi, certainly, but it’s the salad that cannot be missed.
