Hidden Gem: AMAI Sushi in Brookfield (Where CT Chefs Eat Sushi)

You’ll have to drive a little ways to find some of the best sushi in Connecticut. This one isn’t in any of the tony coastal towns. Incredibly you will find it in a small strip of storefronts in Brookfield. There might not be much to do in this sleepy little town, but there is some damned good sushi to be had.

You’ve likely never heard of Amai Sushi, we hadn’t. We were tipped off by CTBites friend Chef Jeff Taibe (Taproot Restaurant) who’s quite familiar with the area. When a chef tells us they’ve eaten somewhere really good, we’re all ears, especially when it’s someplace no one seems to have heard of. So last week we took a little road trip.

We found a table, made ourselves comfortable and immediately started to peruse the fairly extensive menu. We went to work quickly and ordered a healthy assortment of items. The waitress looked at us rather quizzically, as if to say you won’t be able to eat all of this food. Little did she know that indeed we can, and indeed we did!

We started out with a uniquely delicious Ramen Egg with Pork Belly and Scallion. The boiled egg had been marinating in a broth made of soy, ginger and assorted vegetables and was like nothing I had ever had before. It was absolutely delicious. Do yourselves a favor and give this a try.

Next we ordered the Spicy Girl, from the Special Rolls section. I mean with a name like that we just had to! These rolls made with salmon, yellowtail, avocado, and spicy tuna stood out from the crowd… far, far ahead of the crowd. This is just how sushi is supposed to be – buttery –  as it just melts in your mouth. The warm rice that enveloped the fish made the dish that much sweeter. 

The Amai Special varies daily. It’s a simple way of surprising the guests with a “Chef’s Choice.” We were graced with the King Crab with Scallop on Top and it too wowed us. We had the same tender, buttery experience accompanied by the warm rice which really elevates the flavors, textures and overall experience. 

We selected a Hand Roll to try and the Spicy King Salmon Hand Roll was equally as wonderful, tender and fresh. From the Sushi and Sashimi Category we thoroughly enjoyed the crispy rice with yellowtail, tuna and salmon, Amberjack, Tamago, Ikura Marinated Salmon Roe, Avocado and the Chutoro. It seemed as though each piece was better than the next. Each piece is treated individually, and each topping is painstakingly and executed. Jerry, the sushi chef is truly a craftsman, meticulous in his creations. The texture, consistency and freshness of the fish is unparalleled and far exceeds most sushi restaurants in the state. It was all just so darn good.

If you’re a sushi fan and afficionado, please do yourself a favor and try the Omakase, let the chef take care of the selection for you. Omakase does come with a robust price tag, but with a product that’s very much on par with some of the best sushi restaurants in new York, the prices are reflective of the extremely high quality of fish you’re getting here.

It turns out that our waitress wasn’t just a waitress. A Master Sushi Chef in her own right, Amber is one of the owners and related to the Master Sushi Chef who was instrumental with the planning and execution of Amai, with ties to New York City’s highly esteemed Nobu Restaurant.

We couldn’t get much information from Amber as she’s extremely modest, but there’s clearly a great deal of knowledge and experience in the kitchen and among the team. She did share that she and Jack, the Sushi chef at the restaurant, are classically trained but thoroughly enjoy taking liberties to add modern and creative touches which translated beautifully on the plate and in our mouths. We were not at all surprised to learn that their fish is sourced from the Fulton Fish market with 70% of the catch coming from Japan.

For most of us Brookfield is a little bit of a hike, but take the drive, I promise you it will be worth it!

Amai Sushi
782 Federal Road, Brookfield CT
(203) 885-0026