By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Sep 20, 2017 at 11:03 AM

Bay View seems to be getting its sushi in spades. The popular food truck Sushi Go's brick-and-mortar restaurant opened earlier this month. And now, the second of three (with Sushi Yuki still on the way) sushi restaurants has opened its doors.

After nine months of planning and a whirlwind of last minute preparations, Hungry Sumo Sushi Bar & Asian Bistro opened Tuesday evening at 2663 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

Owners Pimrapas Lertprasert and Thitichai Rukchon originally hoped to launch their contemporary sushi restaurant earlier this summer. But converting the space, which was once home to Cream City Swirl, was no small task.

Their work has paid off, though. In fact, it takes little more than a peek into the dining room to see that a true transformation has taken place. Hungry Sumo combines contemporary rustic decor with classic, minimalist taste.

The restaurant, Lertprasert notes, will be in a soft opening stage for the first couple of weeks. "We want to give people time to visit and get used to the restaurant, since it is so new," she says. "And we want to hear what people think of the dishes."

Sushi

The menu itself is quite large, with a nice selection of more traditional nigiri and sashimi, priced between $2 and $3.50 per piece, including staples like salmon, octopus and eel, along with specialty items like sweet shrimp. Brown or black rice are both available for a small upcharge ($0.25/0.50, respectively).

Classic maki (rolls) include salmon and tuna along with familiar favorites like the California roll, spicy scallop, spider, dragon rolls and a New York roll with eel, avocado and cream cheese. Rolls are priced $5 to $13.95 with optional upgrades including hand-roll, soy paper, and brown or black rice ($1 to $1.50). Among vegetable maki, there are cucumber rolls, avocado, shiitake and sweet potato (priced $4 to $7.50).

Contemporary maki offerings include creative rolls, many of which exhibit a fusion of Japanese and Thai flavors. Take for instance the Black Tokyo (pictured above) featuring black rice, spicy shrimp, jalapeno, cilantro and cucumber topped with super white tuna, seared garlic mayo and red tobiko ($14.95).

There’s also the Sweet Monster featuring soft shell crab tempura, cream cheese, avocado and spicy mayo topped with super white tuna, salmon, black tobiko, unagi sauce, wasabi mayo and crispy rice puff (pictured below, $16.95).

Ursula with calamari tempura, chili paste, cilantro, jalapeno and cucumber topped with wasabi tobiko, lime and spicy sauce ($11.95), or the Lady Marmalade with spicy salmon, masago, avocado and cucumber topped with salmon, spicy mayo, ikura, lemon and scallion ($13.95).

Appetizers and entrees

Appetizers are plentiful and include options like edamame ($4), fried tofu ($5.95), tempura ($9) and creamy crab wontons, Hungry Sumo’s version of crab rangoon (pictured below, $6.95).

There are options like miso, tom yum and tom kha soups, priced $2.95 to $5.50, along with salads and teriyaki bowls with a choice of chicken, steak or salmon ($12.95-$15.95).

Entrees include Thai favorites like pad Thai, pad see eiw with the traditional stir-fried flat noodles, stir fry and three types of curry (red, green and Panang). All are priced under $10.

There is also donburi, raw fish served over sushi rice with traditional seasonings. Fish options include yellowtail, tuna, bbq eel, or a combination, with pricing from $16.50 to $20. Donburi is served with a choice of miso soup or salad on the side.

Sweets to end your meal include mango, green tea, chocolate or red bean mochi ($3.95), green tea ice cream ($3.95) or chocolate lava cake with green tea ice cream ($7.50).

Hungry Sumo’s hours during its soft opening are Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4:30 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4:30 to 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday from 12:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host

Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. 

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.