First of all, it’s delicious. All you need to know, blog post over, come eat now.
Just kidding! During our expansion, when we were discussing our concept and really building this idea of what our identity would be and how to convey it to our patrons, the question came up, “How will tourists know that we aren’t a Japanese restaurant prior to their arrival?” If you’ve been to Neptune’s Taphouse and Eatery, this question probably sounds ridiculous to you. However, the question was important because, for some reason sushi in Montana gets met with suspicion, likely due to the fact that we are pretty far from any oceans. Our tuna and seasonal catches are flown overnight from Hawaii. Our fish is as fresh as it comes since it bypasses the fish market and is caught, processed and put on a plane direct to MT.
We know that our local guests know how good the sushi is, but for a tourist who is just stopping through our little town, we had to get this message to them that this is not a traditional Japanese sushi restaurant, and yes, we have sushi, it’s delectable but we aren’t pretending to be something we are not, and that’s a Japanese restaurant.
So, the term Surf Style Sushi was coined. It’s specific to the Neptune’s vibe. We wanted people to know instantly there’s something different about our sushi and they should come give it a try. Surf Style is: fresh, high quality and delicious. Surf Style has an emphasis on light and bright flavors, incorporates citrus and cilantro, sometimes it’s a little spicy, and it’s reminiscent of something you’d want to eat at an open air boardwalk cafe.
Our Executive Chef and Sous Chef have created some fantastic options for you on our specialty sushi roll menu.Take the Pucker Punch Roll, one of my personal favorites, and really the perfect example of surf style sushi. The Pucker Punch has tuna, citrus infused tobiko, and jalapeño inside. The tuna provides a rich texture to calm the harshness of the jalapeño, the tobiko inside of the roll creates a delicious crunchy texture while you feel a little tingle from the pepper. The roll is topped with Hamachi, lemon juice, black pepper, and chili oil, this combo adds a bit of tang and more spice to the rich, crunchy texture you’re already enjoying. It may sound crazy, but these bold flavors actually come together to create a delicate, bright overall feel to the roll.
They have also created the option for guests to take their sashimi up a notch by pairing complimentary flavors with thinly sliced fish. When you make smoked salmon Surf Style, we add lemon, eel sauce and cilantro. The fish is full bodied, rich and earthy, paired with, tangy, sweet, and aromatic flavors making it a party in your mouth. That is Surf Style Sushi.
Long story short: go back to the first sentence: it’s delicious, come eat now.