Hibino

Hibino  - A Diamond in the Rough

By Eso Romero


Coming from San Francisco where Asian cuisine is aplenty, I was looking forward to having lunch at Hibino, a Japanese restaurant amidst the many burger and brick oven pizza joints in LIC. Inside, most of the space is taken up by a long beechwood table with stools, while the opposite wall has booth seating with two-person tables. It is minimially decorated with simple table settings, not the usual clutter of communal chopsticks dispensers or soy sauce bottles. I arrived after the lunch rush, so it was a mellow setting. There was still a steady flow of customers, however, most ordered take out.

There are daily lunch specials that revolve around the classic bento box meal. Today’s special included yellowtail collar (which sold out before I even left), pork sausage, hangar steak and onion with teriyaki sauce, steamed shrimp shumai and fried pork gyoza. There were also special rolls. I chose to go with the Hibino sushi plate: seven assorted sushi and Kyoto-style futomaki which was served with miso soup and salad.

The first taste of food was the miso soup, a great start to the meal. Clearly housemade, the tofu was silky and fresh and bits of asparagus were a nice alternative to the traditional seaweed, adding a crunchy texture. Next came the salad, which was probably the least impressive part of my lunch. The simple salad with fresh greens and ginger dressing was incredibly overdressed, leaving the greens limp and soggy.

I didn’t waste any more time on the salad and looked forward to my main entree. I hadn’t eaten sushi in months and thought that the chef’s pick would be the best and freshest fish they had. I wasn’t disappointed. When the fish melts in your mouth like butter, you know it’s fresh! The tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and mackerel were my faves among the bunch. The Kyoto-style futomaki is a jumbo-sized roll stuffed with tuna, shrimp, eel, avocado, cucumber, tamago, and tobiko with a dollop of yuzu mayo on the side. I’m more of a soy sauce and wasabi gal and preferred that over the mayo. The sushi rice was cooked perfectly, and didn’t taste overworked or refrigerated as some sushi rice can taste.

Without a doubt, Hibino offers an authentic experience with Japanese food. The care and attention to detail is quite clear in their food, as well as in the ambiance of the restaurant. I’m certainly willing to overlook the doused salad and return for a dinner experience.