We recently got a sneak peek at Octobachi — the new hibachi, sushi, and pho restaurant on Spring Street. The owners, Israeli-natives and brothers, Sahar and Idan Klein, did a great job renovating the space, which formerly housed Wali’s Bean Supreme. The restaurant has a clean and modern feel. White tile walls with black accents frame an industrial ceiling. Cooks work away in a small open-air, chrome kitchen.
At the moment, Octobachi serves wine, sake, and beer on tap (that include Kirin Ichiban — yum). Customers can chomp on wasabi peas at the bar while waiting for food. And by the way, the food is cheap. The motive behind Octobachi was to provide everyone in Charleston with affordable sushi. (Yes, affordable sushi.)
For $3.99 at Octobachi, you can get a festive plate of seaweed salad, garnished with Icelandic caviar. Or chicken pho for $5.99. American Kobe steak hibachi for $9.99. And a variety of simple sushi rolls, both Maki and Nigiri, for under $7.
Hewitt Emerson, who helped conceptualize the restaurant, say he doesn’t want people to start flocking to Octo right away. Emerson would rather the Japanese restaurant build clientele with steady momentum.
Octobachi’s executive chef Adam Jones makes the shrimp sauce from scratch along with the green tea ice cream. Soon, he’ll be experimenting with molecular gastronomy, creating foam-based pickled ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi for sushi condiments.
Emerson and the Klein brothers seem to have carved out the details — from the menu, to the staff, to the logo and décor — necessary to create a restaurant with staying power.
Our first impression says that Ochtobachi will provide patrons in Elliotborough with a high-end Asian inspired dining experience at bottom-of-the-barrel prices. And who wouldn’t love that? Check out Octobachi’s official opening is tonight, Friday, June 3. They are located at 119 Spring St. (843) 789-3406.
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