A new downtown Blaine restaurant dishing up everything from sushi to bento boxes is the latest venture for a family known for opening Asian fusion restaurants across Whatcom County.
Ttowa Sushi, an Asian fusion restaurant serving an extensive menu that includes sushi, yakisoba and ramen, celebrated its grand opening on June 7 at 658 Peace Portal Drive in downtown Blaine.
“Besides the Birch Bay Tokyo Monster Sushi, I think we’re the second largest Asian restaurant in this area,” owner Justin Kim said. “We also have a large variety with around 100 items on the menu.”
Kim, 30, said the restaurant is the latest in his family’s portfolio of Asian dining establishments they’ve opened in the past 20 years in Seattle and Whatcom County. His father, Yong Kim, and mother, Hyun Kang, founded and operate Oyiso Teriyaki in Ferndale and previously in Lynden, which has since become On Rice Thai Cuisine. They also opened Pho & Teriyaki in Sumas before it became Nori Sushi & Teriyaki and previously owned a restaurant at the current location of Mi Rancho in Bellingham.
Justin said his family keeps an eye out for location openings and learned from Tokyo Monster Sushi owner Phillip Kim last year that the owners of Peace Arch City Café in Blaine planned to close. The café closed March 30, and Justin purchased the building for $850,000 on April 2, according to data from the Whatcom County Assessor’s Office.
Ttowa Sushi is Justin’s first as a restaurant owner, a position he’s worked toward through years of experience as a server and cook at his family’s restaurants. Justin’s team at Ttowa includes sushi chefs with over 30 years’ experience who are helping bring to life the diverse menu offerings.
For sushi, Justin said he recommends the $19 Rock and Roll (shrimp tempura, spicy crab stick, jalapenos, eel sauce, spicy mayo and potato crunch) or the $18 deep-fried Heart Attack (spicy tuna, jalapeno, cream cheese, eel sauce, spicy mayo and Sriracha). As for other offerings, he said the chicken yakisoba is also popular.
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. To contact Ttowa Sushi, call 360/656-6662.
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