Eclectic Fare That Works in Santa Ana

The first challenge in visiting the Gourmet Kitchen is finding it. Located on the northwest corner of Bristol and Sunflower in Santa Ana, it’s not visible either from the street or shopping center parking lot. Trust me. Park near the pinkish building at the outermost edge of the corner and head toward it. As you go down the steps to the lower level you’ll see the green neon sign, “Sushi Healthy Place,” and finally the restaurant itself.

The second challenge is categorizing the fare here. The name implies something other than traditional Japanese (though the first thing you see when you enter is the sushi bar). A light French approach, we’re told. Well, yes. You find that in the creamy-based soups (a superb tomato one time, asparagus another), the tofu souffle, croquettes, escargot champignon with roquefort and garlic sauce and scallops gratin.

But what about the blackened mahi-mahi? The “Japaghetti”? The curry dishes?

Tono Ono, who opened the restaurant Hirokazu Nomura a year ago, sums it up best: “We do many funny stuff here.”

And a lot of it works well. At lunch, a charbroiled chicken breast with warmed Oriental dressing proved hearty and satisfying, attractively arranged on a tray with excellent miso soup and salad with rice vinegar mayonnaise. An omelet with sauteed scallops, avocado and cheese delighted a customer at a neighboring table, but this companion’s charbroiled red snapper smelled much too fishy.

For dinner, a vegetarian in our party relished a tiny but ethereal vegetable souffle, a green/gold contrast of spinach and squash. Impressed with the vegetable croquettes and fluffy battered tempura, he vowed to return for the tofu steak and souffle, which weren’t available that evening.

None of us, however, cared for the curry spaghetti with its pungent sauce and topping of carrots, potato and pickled eggplant. It’s one of six Japanese European specials, which also include Canadian bacon, tomato, sunny-side-up spaghetti and seafood curry.

All dishes are available a la carte, priced from $1.25 to $6.25, but most popular are the 18 combinations, each delivering generous portions of three different specialties. Our two combos included a so-so crab croquette and yakitori in a piquant sauce that’s more French than Japanese. My favorites were sauteed salmon with lemon butter and almond chicken, crunchy with embedded chopped almonds, finished with a dark, slightly sweet Japanese-style sauce.

The menu also suggests combinations of seven or eight traditional Japanese sushi at $8.25 to $10.75, as well as a la carte selections from the sushi bar. Or try spicy sushi corn, tuna or crab ceviche, yellowtail pate (a cooked patty of chopped yellowtail) and, would you believe, sushi pizza?

Our waitress brought the check without mentioning dessert, but when we asked, we discovered two winners: a French-style cheesecake and a delicate chocolate mousse cake with raspberries.

Altogether, Gourmet Kitchen is an intriguing little restaurant with a few rough edges but many innovative dishes to explore. It’s the sort of place where you can drop in any time for sushi or a full lunch or dinner. Single diners seem to feel comfortable in the immaculate, brightly lighted, plain wrap decor. There’s wine and beer available, and you may phone an order for any of six lunch-to-go boxes all priced at $3.50.

Gourmet Kitchen, 3940 S. Bristol (northwest corner Bristol Street and Sunflower Avenue), Santa Ana; (714) 241-7115. Open from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Lunch from $4.50 to $4.95, dinner combinations from $6.75 to $12.75. Reservations suggested. Lot parking. Visa and Master Card.