Novato chef opens new Japanese restaurant in Mill Valley

Oni Kuma is a term in Japanese folklore meaning “demon bear,” a strong mythical creature with a long lifespan. It’s also Mill Valley’s new Izakaya & Hand Roll Bar that opened this month in the Whole Foods Market shopping plaza on East Blithedale and playfully implies a memorable and unique dining experience.

An izakaya is an informal Japanese pub that serves a variety of drinks — in this case, sake and imported beer — and a diverse menu of shared snacks. At Oni Kuma, these are handcrafted from scratch by Novato resident Yasuo Shigeyoshi, an accomplished chef who also owns Shiro Kuma Sushi in San Rafael and previously spent 24 years at Sushi Ko at Larkspur’s Marin Country Mart.

Shigeyoshi’s menu features cone-shaped hand rolls (temaki) — made with spicy tuna, salmon, hamachi, scallops or toro — served in sets of three, four or five. Expanded options are available individually, such as Maine lobster, wagyu A5 Miyazaki, red snow crab and shrimp tempura.

Charcoal-grilled proteins on skewers include chicken, pork jowl, bacon-wrapped scallops, shrimp, quail egg, smelt and Kurobuta sausage.

There are about a dozen “tapasu,” or shared plate tapas, such as gyoza (homemade pork and chicken dumplings); tempura (fried vegetables and shrimp); crispy enoki mushrooms; onigiri (grilled rice balls); hamachi kama (broiled yellowtail collar); and spicy tebasaki (fried chicken wings).

A raw bar offers four kinds of Japanese oysters — raw, broiled with spinach and white sauce (Rockefeller) or in a shooter shot with sake, tobiko, Sriracha, onion and ponzu soy — that are smaller and sweeter than our local bivalves.

Rice bowls, noodle soup with udon or soba, and a selection of teriyaki and curry dishes round out the menu.

The renovation and redesign, accomplished with the help of designer Barbra Bright of San Rafael-based Barbra Bright Interiors, transforms the former My Thai (2021 to 2023) and Thailand Restaurant (2011 to 2021) into a contemporary, minimalist space.

Dark gray floors and seat cushions contrast with white wall tiles and light wood tables, chair frames and a sushi bar top that extends the length of the restaurant. Dramatic wallpaper provides a backdrop and captures the bustling streets and bright lights of the upscale Ginza shopping district in Japan. Additional tables and wood booths are shaded by a pergola on the patio.

Oni Kuma Izakaya & Hand Roll Bar is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily at 721 East Blithedale in Mill Valley. Find details at onikumabar.com or call 415-888-8228.

More Kuma

The symbolic Kuma is a common thread in four businesses Shigeyoshi operates in San Rafael in addition to his first in Mill Valley.

At Shiro Kuma Sushi at 1518 Fourth St., it refers to a polar bear. When I reviewed the restaurant in January 2018, Shigeyoshi said that he chose the name because he likes to avoid predictability and consistently offer something unique and fresh. It’s open from 4:30 to 9 p.m. weekdays and 4 to 9 p.m. weekends. Find more information at sushishirokuma.com.

That’s certainly in keeping with the breadth of his other offerings. The four-year-old Kuma Market at 1417 Fourth St. carries Asian cooking essentials, snacks, drinks and freshly prepared takeout foods, including bento boxes, sushi, sashimi, teriyaki and gyoza that are made at Shiro Kuma Sushi.

It’s open from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily. Find more information at kumamarkets.com.

Catering for events and parties is available at Kuma Sushi Catering and can be ordered at kumasushicatering.com or by calling 415-295-7464. The team can also set up an onsite sushi bar with a chef.

Finally, the nearly three-year-old Kuma Cafe adds a sweet complement and whimsical element to the mix with fruit smoothies and boba drinks with toppings; iced matchas and coffees; premium iced, hot and fruit teas; shaved ice; Shiro Kuma Sushi poke bowls; okonomiyaki (savory pancake) and sandwiches; and Japanese desserts made at a rented bakery space.

The cafe is open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 1128 Fourth St. See the full menu at kumacafesanrafael.com.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer and restaurant columnist. Email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with news and recommendations and follow on Instagram @therealdealmarin for more on local food and updates on the launch of The Real Deal Marin restaurant search guide.