Monkey Brain lunch at Blue Fish in Pasadena

Same sushi chefs, different name

While the Blue Fish might be the newest sushi restaurant in Old Town Pasadena, it isn't really that new. The sushi chefs are still the same as have been at the last few sushi restaurants at this same location.

Today, I stopped by the Blue Fish for lunch, my first visit to this reincarnated Japanese restaurant. The layout of the restaurant is the same, but the decor has been updated to simple, clean lines and a totally modern feel. Moreover, the lunch menu has been completely updated with many new offerings and extremely fair pricing. $8.00 for a two-item combo, including a salad and miso soup, or $11.00 for a three-item combo.

Immediately, I was impressed with the salad. Instead of just some iceberg lettuce with Chinese chicken salad dressing, the new salad is filled with fresh greens, tomatoes and avocados and a slightly spicy vinaigrette. And the miso soup was also tasty, but how can you really screw up miso soup?

I started with the friend monkey brains, a concoction of spicy tuna and mushrooms, batter-fried into a crunchy ball. Pretty tasty, but I would have preferred a little more spice. Next I had the spicy tuna takaa bowl - a healthy sharing of spicy tuna and a few cherry tomatoes over a bowl of rice. Not bad, and the serving size is surprisingly large.

I had also ordered the sushi - 4 pieces of sushi - but some how my order wasn't taken correctly. Sadly, it took a while to resolve this with my waiter as he was missing in action for some time. Nonetheless, I didn't really need the extra food and it was subtracted from my bill without question.

Overall, I was impressed with the lunch special portions, selection and pricing. And, if the lunch specials aren't to your liking, a full sushi bar and Japanese food menu is also available.

Unfortunately, the service was underwhelming. Nevertheless, I'll be back to try a few more items on their very interesting lunch special menu.