Kula Revolving Sushi Bar (Rancho Cucamonga)

Thank you for once again stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! Todays food centric blog post is written by Cathy because Kirk is (once again) very busy and Ed(from Yuma) is very retired and busy in his own way.

I've mentioned before that we still get newspapers delivered to our home daily.  There are many advantages to this old fashioned way of receiving news, not limited to easier comprehension for those of us who grew up learning to read the printed word on paper.  Yes, I'm talking ads that can't be 'blocked'.  

For the past few months, on a Saturday, the Los Angeles Times has run full page ads for L.A. based 'Revolving Sushi' restaurant, Kula.  The ads mention specials (January was 'Winter's Hot Food Fair', February until March 12 is 'Salmon Fair', no ad was in this past Saturday newspaper, so I expect to see something next Saturday). 

There are three $5 off of $20 coupons at the bottom of the page. This was a reason to put the ad into the car when we were taking a drive North one weekday.  We were hoping to find a place closer to home that reminded us of our experience at A'Float Sushi, in 2010.Unsure of how crowded this restaurant would be, we chose the Rancho Cucamonga location (one of seven) and had alternative plans to stop at the Bass Pro Shop a few miles away, remembering our meal at the in-store restaurant, Islamorada Fish Company, in 2008.  As you can see, we had no worries on this weekday morning.Walking in, we saw the sushi conveyor moving around the restaurant.  Each booth, table and seat at the bar has access to the plates.  It wasn't crowded at opening (11:30), but was almost filled up by the time we were leaving.Taking seats at the bar gave us access to watching the rice maker, which not only cooks the (organic, from Lundberg Family Farms) rice, but pops out pre-formed, uniformly sized servings.  I was fascinated by this machine.  We also were privy to watching the constant preparation of conveyor items.

The sushi conveyor constantly moves via a belt under the crescent shaped chain, turns at the end to return in the opposite direction.  The sushi makers prepare three plates of a serving (all conveyor items are $2.25), placing a plate with a description which you see first, then the three serving plates, each covered for your protection.  Some servings have one, two or three items, some servings are in bowls.Above, you can see the first plate with the label for Conch, two empty spaces, where plates have been removed and one remaining plate, ready for the grabbing.  When the sushi makers see only the plate with the signage passing by, they remove it and that's another order of three plates they need to prepare.Fresh wasabi is brought out to the table.  The condiment tray with chopsticks, a covered ginger container, soy sauce server and red pepper are all you need here.

There is a separate menu wherein you can order items from the kitchen.

  We ordered green tea, miso soup (each $2)and a soft shell crab ($ 3.80) from the kitchen.  Everything else came from the kaiten, the merry-go-round track of plates moving in front of us.
This is a Kula roll. Real crab, topped with both tuna and salmon.  Very good.Karaage chicken, with mayonnaise for dipping. Perfectly fried.Seared steak sushi…good…different.The Mister wanted to try uni.  He had never had uni.  The plate has a single portion.  Yes, it appears it had been frozen and a mushy thaw…let's just say The Mister has no desire to try uni again. This had a label of Chicken Sukiyaki.  Smooth flavor, dark meat chicken with an onion-y sauce.Sorry for this blurry photo of the wonderful cucumber salad, a refreshing mix of sliced cucumber, seaweed and bamboo in a sesame oil-soy dressing topped with toasted sesame seeds.More apologies for this blurred photo of scallops with a sort of mayonnaise sauce on top of rice. This was very good.You keep your dishes and steam covers stacked and the waitress counts them at the end to calculate your bill.

The food is…good, the experience is fun and interesting. We spent $33 before the $5 discount…it's so easy to grab a plate; discipline is needed…

Perhaps you are wondering why I'm posting about a Los Angeles based chain.  After we ate here, I was researching other posts about Kula and saw this article by Candice Woo in the Eater, written in November.  The space it will occupy in San Diego shares the same parking lot with Iceskimo and appears to be ready to open very soon.  

Kula Revolving Sushi Bar Website Address: 9659 Milliken Ave., Suite 104-105 
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 Phone:909-294-3429 Daily 11:30am-9:00pm (Last Seating, Last Order 8:45pm)