Lauded sushi chef Takashi Abe opened his latest restaurant in Crystal Cove Promenade, a high-end strip mall just north of Laguna, naming the establishment for a prized variety of tuna that can weigh as much as a small car. I trekked from Los Angeles to experience his Omakase (chef’s choice) at Bluefin, a $35, five-course tasting menu that changes daily, depending on what’s fresh and what inspires Chef Abe.

Chef Abe utilizes a four sushi chef attack to meet the demands of the fawning crowds. Here they are, in a row, with a shimmering water-wall backdrop.

The first course contained four small appetizers. From left to right are 1) tender baby squid with basil-flecked mango oil, red pepper, mushrooms, and dime-sized cuts of daikon; 2) a trio of velvety sweet shrimp topped with osetra caviar and gold leaf; 3) King salmon spring rolls, wrapped in daikon and filled with julienned daikon and carrot, for crunch; and 4) white asparagus topped with a single cut of jalapeno, served over sesame miso sauce.

Here’s a closer look at the baby squid and sweet shrimp. These aren’t ingredients found at typical sushi houses. It’s obvious Chef Abe is skilled with sourcing.

Here’s a closer look at the King salmon spring rolls and white asparagus. Chef Abe was wise to prepare these ingredients simply; they both have natural advantages, so why get in the way.

The sashimi course was highlighted by two pieces each of seared tuna, Alaskan salmon, and halibut. There was also a salad with cherry tomatoes and a dab of creamy roasted vegetable paste. The halibut was set upon a cut roll of cucumber-wrapped daikon. The entire dish was plated on a caramelized onion sauce. On top: a single fried lotus root chip, which resembles the face of a old rotary phone.

The cooked dish of the day was seldom seen flying fish, baked and paired with uni sauce. The creamy sauce was flecked with orange sea urchin roe. I even ate the flying fish’s “wing.” Deep-frying rendered the tiny bones crispy and edible, though its decorative properties were more memorable than the taste.

The sushi course featured a piece each of bluefin (seasoned with a layer of hot mustard), red snapper (set on an aromatic shiso leaf), sweet shrimp, tuna tataki (marinated in spicy soy sauce), plus two pieces of seasoned rice wrapped in a thin omelet. I was so excited to eat the sushi, I started eating before taking a photo. Ironically, the only item I didn’t capture on film: bluefin.

Dessert was a green tea crème brulée, paired with a cluster of fresh fruit, a satisfying end to the meal.

It took about two hours of driving to travel to and from Bluefin…and it was worth it. The strip mall setting didn’t have much personality, but there was certainly plenty of personality on the plate. Chef Abe has a well-deserved following. I got to eat baby squid, sweet shrimp, flying fish fin and bluefin tuna, in one sitting, for only $35. That’s a lot to spend at lunch, but it’s an indulgence I can enthusiastically recommend.