There’s a spin art quality to the sauce patterns beneath the Trio Tower cold tasting ($19) at Oviedo’s Hinode Sushi. It’s a psychedelic sunburst, reminiscent of tie-dye, in a cleaner, more defined pattern. There is pink and purple, burnished red. White and green. The delicate design repeats in edible rays that some guests will swipe through, purposely, as they topple this sashimi superstructure, a sticky pile of tuna, salmon and yellowtail. Mango offers sweetness. Avocado makes it extra rich. Crisp masago gives it a little texture.
It’s a simple dish, though decadent. Tasty, for sure. But it’s the sauce art that garners the oohs and aahs when the server sets down the plates. I hear it at other tables, too, on this Saturday night. But my guest is among them.
“Can we taste all of them?!” my dinner guest asks the server.
She smiles. He’s not the first.
Sauces at sushi joints aren’t anything new. But at Hinode Sushi, which opened in Oviedo about five years ago, they’ve evolved into a thing.
“When we started, we were really just intent on producing good-tasting sushi,” manager/head chef Kenny Tan tells me. Executive chef George Tan, Kenny’s father, has been making sushi for roughly 20 years, the son tells me. “He has a passion for it and simply for making good food for people to enjoy. And, about two years ago, we felt ready to begin doing some specials, as we had been honing our skills and techniques. We knew we were making good food, but at that point, we wanted to make it more beautiful, upscale, and we began doing designs on the plates.”
It began with a sweet mango sauce, bright and sharp, “then we saw that we could really add splashes of color with more.”
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Droplets, smears and artful swirls, over time, became masterpieces, Hearts. Spiderwebs. That gorgeous sunburst.
“Lots of customers will ask for sides for dipping,” the server said as she delivered small sample plates. The white, mild and garlicky with a hit of five spice, the green features mellow wasabi.
“The rest are mostly sweet. Pink is fruity. Purple is taro-based.”
My friend, and apparently a preponderance of their customers, love the sauces, but Hinode had been recommended by a local chef who frequents the place. He’d heard about it from another one. I won’t name drop, but both raved about the freshness of the fish (catch sourced from far-flung places including Japan and the Faroe Islands, says Tan, ensure it) and enjoyed the small, neighborhood vibe. Indeed, says Tan, over time, they’ve become a spot where families pop in after soccer practice or a quick dinner on Friday.
A varied menu, though, ensures all are welcome.
Hinode offers basic sashimi and nigiri as well as garish rolls that pair well with the saucy plating.
“We’re somewhere in the middle between traditional and modern,” Tan opines. “We know not everyone is a sushi lover and like to have something for everyone. Divided tables can enjoy deep-fried chicken, noodles, vegetables,” he notes. My companion that evening was all about the rolls.
But I couldn’t pass on the spicy scallop shots ($16).
“You want that with or without sake?” the server queried. Like that’s even a question.
Tan smiles when I tell him.
“It’s one of my personal favorites,” he says of the plate, which includes two heaping spoons of spicy, citrusy Hokkaido scallops and rich avocado, topped with tobiko. “Some of the customers pick at it, which will still taste good, but I tell them to do it all in one shot to get the variety of tastes in that bite.”
What’s nice about the rolls here is that while they hold beautifully, they’re not weighed down with too much rice. Even the Sushi Burrito roll ($15), which I ordered for takeout on another visit, had less rice than I’d imagined. A good thing, as the fish and filling (shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, spicy salmon amid other flavorful add-ins) were able to come through in this fun, easy-to-eat handheld.
Less rice, my dinner companion noted, also left us room to eat more.
The simplest of our selection was spicy tuna but it was elsewhere — the gorgeous garish Black Widow roll ($17) showcasing crunchy soft shell crab amid soft, buttery fish atop and that aforementioned saucy spiderweb, piled high with tobiko, the house favorite Toro Toro $19), charming amid swirly sauce hearts, offers melty bites of salmon and yellowtail with a pop of jalapeno.
Service at this family-run joint (Tan’s mother, Kelly and sister, Kristine, are also in the work mix) is friendly. It’s small, local, and as fine for those post-game pop-ins as casual date nights. There are lots of regulars if the banter between servers and customers, at tables and the small sushi bar, were any indicator. It’s that kind of joint. Very neighborhood.
“In the beginning, we were just trying to get customers. We’re very grateful now to have so many,” Tan says.
Like many in the industry, he doesn’t actually get out to eat much, but when it happens, he tends to avoid sushi.
“I have to be honest,” he chuckles, “I think this place has ruined sushi for me. It’s just not the same. My eyes start to nitpick, and many places like ours just don’t have the same quality.”
He’s saucy, too, apparently. But the Saturday night crowd — full tables, happy faces, takeout orders flying — supports such self-assurance.
If you go
Hinode Sushi: 1016 Lockwood Blvd. in Oviedo, 407-542-1686; hinodesushioviedo.com
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.
