An Office Move Inspires a Musubi Story

Our office moved a few weeks ago. Like any re-location, this disrupts the commute from home to office and creates an adventure for discovering new places to go during the day. I especially like going to new places to eat, and finding better alternatives for burgers and fries.

I mentioned our office move to a friend who works in the same neighborhood. He said we work in a place with several great eateries within a very reasonable driving and even walking distance.

He mentioned several places off the top of his head, and one or two immediately stuck in my head and sent a signal for me to go as soon as possible. One place is called “Musubi-ya,” and it is less than five minutes’ drive from my office.

Musubi (a form of onigiri sushi) is similar to a sandwich in Japan: It is a ball of rice with a tasty item inside and wrapped with a strip of seaweed (nori). It is portable and eaten from the hand.

The most famous variation of musubi is not Japanese, but Hawaiian: Spam Musubi. It is easy to make, but the key ingredient for all musubi - and all forms of sushi - is the proper sticky rice. It must be “sushi rice” such as Japanese short grain rice. (And no, Uncle Ben’s is not a suitable substitute, but that is another story . . . )

Some of my fondest childhood memories are about family outings to the beach. Playing in the sand and water and – eating hot dogs and musubi for lunch.

Musubi appears in an early scene in the 1954 movie “The Seven Samurai,” where a samurai disguises himself as a priest to rescue a kidnapped child. In order to gain access to the hut the bad guy is hiding in, the samurai throws in two rice balls and then rushes the bad guy, kills him, and rescues the child.

Back to the restaurant. It is called “Musubiya Balls!? & Burgers.” I ordered the two musubi special. It comes with a bowl of miso soup. I ordered “Belly Dancer” (pork belly) and "Spicy Miso Beef."

Among the various musubi types, there is of course the most famous version of musubi -- the Hawaiian version called Spam Musubi. And yes, they have that version on their menu.

The “burgers” part of their dishes are unusual. Instead of an American-style bread bun, they use two ramen patties. The burger meat has a Japanese flavor, with teriyaki sauce. I will have to try that the next time I visit.

Unfortunately, their website isn’t very good. But their Facebook page and all reviews are very good.

Although I prefer my musubi on the “plain and simple” side (like having just a small umeboshi inside and a sprinkle of furikake), I liked both musubi I ordered and will return for more. Strangely, umeboshi musubi is not on their menu.

Guess who entered that notice on the blackboard a the back of the restaurant?

About Wayne Yoshida

Wayne Yoshida is a technical writer and education advocate with sales management experience. Wayne currently works in the alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) industry and has worked for a wide variety of high technology companies, including aerospace and defense, photonics, lasers and opto-mechanics, two-way radio, telecommunications and a non-profit, educational organization. His personal passion for electronics and Amateur Radio opened many doors to some very interesting personal and professional experiences. Working as a ham radio consultant for the NASA Johnson Space Center during Space Shuttle mission STS-9 is his most memorable experience. Connect with him on LinkedIn, Twitter and beBee, and for a look into his personal passions, follow his blog.

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