Tomikawa Sushi Bar - Reverse Happy Hour (Irvine, CA)

Since my pots and pans were still in moving boxes, I used it as a good excuse to go on another late night dinner adventure.  It was ~840pm and many restaurants were closing soon at 9pm.  Luckily, Tomikawa Sushi Bar in the Cypress Village Shopping Center was still open till 10:30 so there was plenty of time to eat and even better, they have a reverse happy hour starting from 8:30 until closing.  

Tomikaya Sushi Bar had very trendy, modern decor with bar seating with TVs for sports as well as high tables and also table booth seating.  It was packed with diners even at this later hour (including families with children) who were also taking advantage of the Happy Hour menu.  

There was an assortment of sake, Japanese beer, wine and martini options to unwind with on the late night happy hour :

Reverse Happy Hour Food/Dessert Menu

Reverse Happy Hour Drinks Menu

Large Sapporo Beer 22oz ($5.95, vs $7.95 full price)

In addition to the sushi rolls, there were many sushi and sashimi choices including sea urchin (uni), tuna, salmon and albacore.  Not the best sushi/sashimi but was very well priced for HH (~$3 for 2 pieces).

Albacore (Saba) and Salmon Sushi ($3 for 2 pieces vs. $6 full price)

There were also appetizers options, and the salmon kama (collar) that I ordered came out well cooked and juicy.  It came with a ponzu sauce concoction on the side, but I didn't need it since it was already delicious on its own.

Salmon Collar ($4.95 vs. $6.95 full price)

The sushi rolls were actually a full roll (not half roll as with some HH promotions), but smaller in size than a typical roll.  Pretty decent quality and quantity considering the price and value.

Rainbow Roll ($7.50 vs. $10.95 full price)

Heart Attack Roll ($4.95 vs $7.95 full price)

Also ordered the nabeyaki udon (not on the happy hour menu).  The hot udon came out in an earthen pot and was very tasty, although not in the traditional sense as served in izakaya-type places. Comes with shrimp tempura, chicken, egg and assorted veggies.

Nabeyaki Udon (~$10, not on reverse HH)

The reverse happy hour menu was pretty extensive considering they have a lot of options for drinks, appetizers, sushi and sashimi, sushi rolls and desserts.  You could pretty much order drinks, appetizers, entrees and desserts solely based on the reverse HH menu, which I'm sure some sushi-loving families were there for (minus the alcoholic HH drinks).  For all the items that I ordered (which was quite a lot even for 2 people), the bill was only ~$40 (including the non-HH nabeyaki udon).  This would also be a great place for a group of friends and co-workers, and I will definitely be back for the reverse HH especially for the salmon kama! 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Cost: $ (for reverse HH)

Service: 4 out of 5 (even though it was busy for HH our server was very attentive)

Recommendation: Yes (but can't speak for non-HH)