A sushi dream come true

Naked-Fish chef happy to be running his own restaurant

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During his first trip to the United States, Yasuo Komada, then 17 years old, knew if he had his way his future would involve owning a Japanese restaurant in the states.

Komada, now 33, has realized his dream by opening Naked-Fish's Sushi & Grill, 3945 S. Durango Drive.

Komada's first trip to the U.S. was as a foreign exchange student during his senior year in high school.

"I was in Portland, Ore., and I tried the Japanese food," he said. "It didn't taste good, not like real Japanese food."

After his senior year abroad, Komada returned to his home of Yokohama, Japan, and told his family of his aspirations and intentions of returning to the U.S. to become a chef and restaurateur.

Komada returned for good as a transfer student at UNLV.

"I was at UNLV in hotel management, food and beverage," he said. "While I was a student I worked at Hamada of Japan. I also worked at Osaka for eight years."

Komada gained ownership of his restaurant site on Nov. 1 and opened under the restaurant's current name on Dec. 28.

His first choice of name, Rikyu, wasn't leaving a lasting impression on many of his customers. Rikyu, Komada explained, lived approximately 400 years ago and was very intrigued and concerned with Japanese tea ceremonies and hospitality.

"His idea was that when you see a customer, you have to take care of the customer," Komada said. "You have to be good to them because maybe this time is your last chance. But people didn't like it. They kept saying something with naked, naked something. So, it's Naked Fish."

Although the restaurant's decor is more similar to a diner than that of a formal restaurant, patrons seem to relax and enjoy the laid-back atmosphere.

The decor, Komada said, "is not really Japanese style."

"We have American style lights and tables, but we do have bamboo," he said.

The lights are small, low-hung, modern blown-glass fixtures in vivid colors. The booths and tables are adorned in chocolate brown with dark wood tables.

"The really Japanese thing is the sushi bar," Komada said.

Sushi is a light food that doesn't sit heavily in the stomach, which people can eat late at night without having to worry about going to bed feeling full, Komada said. So it doesn't surprise him that his busiest time of the day at the restaurant, open from 11:30 to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday and from 4:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, is between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.

"Japanese food is healthy and light," he said. "And I always get very fresh fish all the time."

A few of the more popular menu items include the sashimi combination, a variety of raw fish; 911 rolls, a sushi roll with spicy crab meat and a crunchy exterior; and zaru chirashi udon, seafood and vegetables on top of Japanese noodles.

"Over 50 percent of orders are sushi," Komada said.

With more than 16 varieties of sushi, customers won't grow tired of any one particular dish, he said.