Yonsei Handrolls debuts second location in Albany with luxe seafood

An elevated Japanese spot has opened in Albany with food that s as fun to look at as it is to eat Yonsei Handrolls had its first day May at San Pablo Ave on the corner of bustling Solano Ave It is the second location for Yonsei with the original in Oakland s downtown and the sixth Bay Area restaurant for chef and owner Kyle Itani of Itani Ramen Itani Sushi and more As the name implies the star of the menu are handrolls fat cigars of crispy seaweed and sushi rice loaded with increasingly luxurious fillings Diners can order them individually or by the set On the more affordable end is the five-piece O G assortment with soy-cured ahi tuna yellowtail and green onions salmon with lemon black cod and truffle butter and snow crab with garlic chives - The top end Baller set swaps out specific of these for a sumptuous toro and caviar roll and an uni roll with salmon roe and wasabi stems Yonsei Handrolls opened in May in Albany Calif serving upscale versions of handrolls and other Japanese fare Nicola Parisi There are different handrolls in total including combos made from jellyfish sesame and chili Dungeness crab and shoyu butter and vegetarian options with shiitake mushrooms Japanese omelet and pickled daikon A dropper bottle on every table holds an umami-loaded house-made shiitake-and-kombu soy sauce to be drizzled on the rolls or taken home as a -ounce condiment Aside from rolls the kitchen prepares izakaya-style appetizers like a whole grilled squid thick and meaty with Kewpie mayo and pickled ginger shoots on the side Agedashi tofu comes with a soy-dashi broth and a deep-fried avocado and there are also shucked oysters per half-dozen hamachi carpaccio with fennel oil and Wagyu-beef tataki with mustard greens and vinegar miso Yonsei Handrolls opened in May in Albany Calif serving upscale versions of handrolls and other Japanese fare Yonsei Handrolls An L-shaped bar takes up a considerable portion of the small restaurant Here bartenders prepare cocktails with Japanese-inspired ingredients like yuzu cordial and miso honey - One martini even incorporates sushi rice and pickled ginger Japanese whisky is in stock including rare malts that cost above a taste and can be sipped straight-up or in a highball On the lower-ABV side there s Asahi beer on draft as well as sake zeroproof yuzu lemonade and Genmaicha iced tea Details Open a m - p m and p m - p m Wednesday-Sunday at San Pablo Ave Albany yonseihandrolls com albany-menu