Shima offers tranquil experience

DINING OUT

Shima, which means “lake,” is a Japanese restaurant as tranquil as

its name.

This is strictly teppan and sushi -- no booths here. The single

store front has a 10-stool sushi counter stretching across the back

and four well-spaced teppan tables at the entrance.

It is here, at the U-shaped teppan, that Chef David Perez will

prepare your order of chicken, fish or steak, which manager/server

Marlene Young takes. But first, she brings a cloudy miso soup with

tofu cubes, seaweed and onion served in sipping bowls or a fresh

mixed green salad with thick Japanese ginger dressing and ice tea or

tumblers of hot tea ($1.75).

Then, in red toque and two big sharp knives belted at his side,

Chef David enters pushing a cart of seasoning oil, soy and butter. As

the exhaust tunnels roar above, he prepares the hot steel grill.

He begins spinning two eggs on the grill, picking them up with his

spatula and quickly slicing them as they drop to the grill.

Scrambling the eggs and dumping a bowl of finely diced vegetables on

the grill, he mixes them together with a bowl of steamed rice to

present a finished mound of delicious fried rice ( $1 extra) ready to

serve on each diner’s plate. On Valentine’s Day, Chef David shaped

the rice into a heart and,with a spatula beneath, made it beat.

The preparation is fun to watch and a great way to introduce

children to Japanese cooking.

Next, the chef fixes two small dishes of dipping sauce and checks

each diner’s order. On the grill, he places a 2-inch-thick small

filet mignon (lunch $9.95, dinner $17.25), 10 pale tail-on shrimp

(lunch $7.75, dinner $16.95), two pieces of fish (lunch $7.75, dinner

$15.95) and chicken (lunch $6.75, dinner $12.95), along with strips

of zucchini and carrots. Building a tower of onion slices, Chef David

pours oil, which he lights on fire. Turning and slicing with his

spatula, he takes his knife and cuts all into bite-sized cubes, easy

to dip in the sauces and manipulate with chopsticks, which he places

on each diner’s plate. It’s hot off the grill, well seasoned and

wonderful.

For dessert, there is green tea ice cream ($1.95) or, if you have

room, a perfect banana tempura ($4), which is easy to share -- four

slices of lightly coated banana centered by a scoop of vanilla ice

cream and covered with strawberry syrup on a chocolate-scrolled

plate.

Manager Sunny says her husband, Lim, began in the restaurant

business in Malaysia when he was 16. He was a chef in Pasadena before

being lured to Shima, which is owned by her family in Indonesia. They

chose Huntington Beach because “the people amaze us with their

friendliness.” Shima amazes us with its healthy, fresh and excellent

teppan.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail

[email protected].