Photos By Amessé Photography

In early 2000, when longtime New Springville resident Wesley Law and his family often found themselves traveling outside of Staten Island to enjoy a quality Japanese dinner, the budding restaurateur realized that island residents needed a superior sushi eatery all their own.

“I felt that residents should have a restaurant to enjoy Japanese food of fine quality and reasonable prices,” noted Law, in his signature unalloyed manner. So in 2005, he opened Sushi Excellent, a posh New Dorp Lane restaurant and lounge, with a varied menu of both classic Asian dishes and French-inspired cuisine.

“Today, customers are more educated about Asian cuisine,” Law said. “A basic menu without creativity can no longer meet our demand. Our head chef has relentlessly created seasonal dishes, so our customers can experience something new each time they come. But that’s what differentiates Sushi Excellent from other restaurants: quality, creativity, and value. Our style is not high-end dining or fusion; rather, our menu strategically includes pricey ingredients such as blue fin tuna, U.S. Kobe beef, caviar, truffle… and even gold flakes.”

Law hired Osan Weng, a skilled chef whose credits included stints at both Shouya and Megu. Chef Osan used his diverse background to create a unique menu.

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“My inspiration comes from my clients’ satisfaction,” Osan said, describing his use of traditional Japanese ingredients like miso, mirin, sake, sherry vinegar, and spirits. “Essentially, they helped put together the menu here. At the end of the day, my customers need to be happy with what they eat, so periodically I introduce a few new dishes and keep the ones with positive feedback.”

The restaurant launched with dishes like Sichuan Duck Confit, Spicy Crunchy Kani Salad, Mango Salmon Appetizer, and a Blue Crab Specialty Roll with sweet potato and sweet onion tempura, topped with blue crab and old bay aioli, though a recent editorial staff favorite is the Trio Color Sushi—a bonanza of three pieces each of tuna, yellowtail, and salmon, along with a spicy tuna roll. The X-rated Martini, Passion Fruit Margarita, and Vanilla Espresso Martini round out the bar’s diverse, often surprising offerings.

From the start, the overall formula was a success, and in 2009, the restaurant expanded.

“We had a major renovation that year, when we introduced a full-service bar, a main dining area where customers can interact with our sushi chefs, a second floor dining area for private parties, outdoor seating on the second floor patio, and a bigger private parking lot,” Law said.

In 2012, the owners also acquired Excellent Dumpling House in Manhattan’s Chinatown, but their focus remained on bringing high quality sushi to his Staten Island hometown.

“There are many ways we are compared to other Japanese establishments, such as in service, décor, menu, price and location,” Law concluded. “What differentiates us is creativity and value. We do not take short cuts to prepare our fishes, for example; we always serve the best cut available to our customers. While our regular menu accommodates most of their needs, our seasonal menu serves those who look for something new and different from time to time. Of course our prices are also reasonable…our customers get great value for what they pay for.”

 

Sushi Excellent
366 New Dorp Lane
718.667.5362
sushiexcellentny.com
Cuisine: Japanese
Hours: Monday-Thursday:
11:15 a.m. – 3 p.m. for lunch
4:30 p.m. – 10:15 p.m. for dinner
Friday, Saturday:
11:15 a.m. – 3 p.m. for lunch
4:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. for dinner
Sunday: 3:15 p.m. – 10:15 p.m.
Price: Appetizers $2.50 – $14
Entrees $16 – $28
All major credit cards accepted
Service: Friendly
Bar: Full bar with a focus on a range of
mixed drinks. Also features a nice selection
of beer, sake and premium wine.
Parking: Street, Lot, Valet
Private Parties: Yes