Hanabi Sushi & Rolls

FOOD

The food program is strongest when treated as a made-to-order sushi menu rather than a conventional buffet. Nigiri provides the clearest baseline, with salmon, tuna, yellowtail, albacore, squid, octopus, scallop, mackerel and eel among the familiar choices. Bluefin tuna extends the list upward, and dinner brings additional premium possibilities; sea urchin, salmon roe and Tasmanian sea trout are among the items listed with dinner-only limits. Sashimi is available separately à la carte rather than as part of the AYCE program, so the fixed-price meal is built around nigiri, rolls and the supporting kitchen menu.

The specialty rolls range from restrained to full Las Vegas excess. Rock & Roll is one of the more distinctive compositions: tuna, salmon, white fish, crab, cucumber and kaiware are wrapped in daikon radish paper and finished with a sweet-vinegar sauce, keeping rice out of the construction. Orange Blossom takes the opposite route, wrapping spicy crab and rice with salmon and spicy mayo. The Ocean Special combines spicy crab, tuna and a center of spicy albacore poke, while Royal Flush layers deep-fried eel and spicy tuna under baked crabmeat and eel sauce.

Tempura rolls give the menu another branch. The Spider Roll uses soft-shell crab with crab, avocado and cucumber; the N.Y. Steak Tempura Roll brings beef into the roll list; and chicken katsu, calamari tempura, salmon tempura and shrimp tempura versions cover the fried end of the spectrum. Hanabi also keeps simpler combinations in circulation, so a meal does not have to become a progression of sauces and baked toppings.

Cold and sushi-bar appetizers are useful between roll rounds. Tuna, salmon, octopus and seared albacore appear in small poke preparations. Crispy rice with spicy tuna adds a warm, crunchy base; the Shrimp Popper stuffs fried shrimp with spicy crab and cream cheese; baked green mussels, gyoza, agedashi tofu, calamari tempura and soft-shell crab tempura widen the kitchen side without requiring a full entrée.

Cooked dishes make Hanabi more flexible than a roll-only AYCE room. Korean barbecue bulgogi, sweet-and-spicy chicken, teriyaki and hibachi-style plates sit beside grilled skewers, tuna steak and Japanese chopped steak with mushrooms. Salmon and yellowtail collars are also on the broader menu. These dishes are especially useful for a table that wants to alternate raw fish with something hot, salty and substantial rather than simply ordering another roll.

Dessert stays compact but recognizable. Tempura ice cream and mochi cover the familiar finish, while honey toast has been part of Hanabi’s identity since its early years: sweet toasted bread with vanilla ice cream and honey. It is a deliberately heavier ending after a fish-forward meal, but it also fits the AYCE logic of the restaurant — one more category available before the check arrives.

The best way to read Hanabi’s menu is by hierarchy: nigiri first, then the rolls that actually change the format, then hot dishes and dessert. The selection is substantial, but the restaurant is most distinctive when the fixed-price meal can move from straightforward fish to daikon-wrapped rolls, fried appetizers, grilled plates and honey toast. Quite a journey!