Imagine being invited to a luncheon where the tables are piled high with succulent dumplings stuffed with beef and chestnuts called Pheonix Eye, pillow-like balls filled with sweet barbequed pork called Bao Zi and sushi so fresh and beautiful it’s reminiscent of flowers from a garden. A miniature train chugs away on its track, bringing wasabi and ginger right to your fingertips.
Hyang Mi’s new restaurant, AmerAsia & Sumo Sushi is a joint venture with her brother, sushi chef Woo Young Yi. It is a dream of a place, offering Chinese diem sum and sushi under the same roof.
“Diem sum means little peace of your heart,” Hyang Mi said. “Hearing the people comment about how good the food is makes me feel energized. I want people to feel comfortable and I always try to give people the 100 percent best service that I can give.”
Hyang Mi’s original AmerAsia still sits on Lead Avenue and Cornell Drive in a little one-room house where it has been for more than 30 years. Yi got her first job there when she was a 19-year old immigrant from Korea. Three years ago, she bought the place and the rest is history.
Hyang Mi’s new place opened up in downtown Albuquerque less than two months ago, and it is a far cry from the twelve tables that she is used to.
Hyang Mi said she usually works 15-hour days, arriving early in the morning to make all the food for both AmerAsia locations.
“I want to make sure that the taste of the food stays consistent,” Hyang Mi said.
Walking into AmerAsia & Sumo Sushi, shiny, plum colored floors spread out to the dining room, and pale lime walls greet you before your meal. Light streams through the huge window that wraps around the front of the room.
Hyang Mi herself brings an entire dining cart full of diem sum right to your table. Including the Pheonix Eye and Bao Zi, there is a selection of 21 items to choose from, and if something’s not on the cart all you have to do is ask.
Your sushi arrives quickly and elegantly prepared. When it comes to the house special rolls, Woo Young is willing to break with tradition to offer you something that he has scrutinized for how to make it taste even better. Don’t shy away from its cucumber wrap, the Sexy Roll ($10.50) is stuffed with tuna, salmon, yellowtail, crabmeat and albacore and served with a citrus ponzu sauce.
In addition to the great food and friendly company, the drink menu features a selection of sakes, Japanese beers and imported wines.
Dessert at AmerAsia & Sumo Sushi means tempura ice cream ($4.50) or diem sum snowballs and crispies.
The snowballs are sweet rice stuffed with a warm gooey filling, rolled coconut and garnished with lemon peel. The combination gives the effect of warm apple pie.
Crispies are crispy skins covered in powdered sugar. Biting into the delightfully crispy cookies, a dusting of powdered sugar inevitably poofs into the air like magic dust from your mouth.
Maybe it is that both Hyang Mi and Woo Young prepare everything fresh daily with their own hands.
Maybe it is the fact that the antique art and furniture adorning the restaurant are from Hyang Mi’s own home.
Whatever the reason, dining at AmerAsia & Sumo Sushi is like dining in the Yi’s home at the best party you’ve ever been to.
AmerAsia & Sumo Sushi
800 Third Street NW (just north of Lomas)
(505) 247-1619
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