‘Watts for Dinner’: KJ’s offers top-notch sushi and Thai
It was May 2018 when I first visited Sushi Thai by KJ on Marco Island for a review; and based on that experience, I was very excited to return.
We came hungry and ready to eat (a lot). I ordered a Thai iced coffee; similar to Thai iced tea, the drink gets its amazing flavor from sweetened milk and ground cardamom. My partner in dine ordered an equally awesome jasmine tea.
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Things got off to an appetizing start with not one but two dishes to share, the “Ocean Angel” roll from the sushi bar, and the fried pork dumplings from the kitchen.
The roll consists of tempura battered shrimp, with asparagus, masago, avocado and cream cheese. The roll is placed in a circle with shrimp, scallops and tempura flakes mixed with a special sauce filling the center. There’s nothing more satisfying than freshly made, never refrigerated, sushi; soft with a buttery goodness.
The fried pork dumplings were amazing for what they were not: oily. So dry and crisp they seemed more baked than fried. And that’s not a complaint. These dumplings are a standout.
For my main dish, I ordered the basil chicken. While this was not my favorite version of this dish, it is my favorite in Southwest Florida thus far. Tender chunks of white meat chicken, a strong and tasty basil and chili sauce, mixed with green and red peppers, onions, carrots and other assorted goodies.
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My partner in dine had the special of the day, the lobster mango curry; tempura battered lobster tail in an incredible mango curry sauce. I must admit I was a tad bit jealous. But in general, the temptation for the mild taste of lobster eludes me.
Both dishes are served with rice.
Looking back at my original visit in 2018, we sampled the summer roll and the kiss roll from the sushi bar. The kiss roll features escolar – a fish found in deep tropical and temperate waters – tuna, avocado, scallions, asparagus and sesame seeds and is served with fresh ginger and wasabi. Both rolls were super fresh. Loved the crunchy of the summer roll and the buttery tuna in the kiss roll.
For the main course, I had the red massaman curry; my dining companion had the ginger chicken and both dishes came with a side of rice.
My friend, never one to shy from hyperbole, said the ginger dish “awakened the senses.” For me, the red curry was better than most; but not the best I’ve had.
Thanks to KJ, Islanders no longer must cross the bridge for top-notch sushi and Thai.
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If you go
Sushi Thai by KJ
- 317 N. Collier Blvd., Suite 104, Marco Island
- 239-970-2625
- online@thaisushibykj.com