In a Costa Mesa strip mall off Bristol Street, a sign asking visitors to ring the doorbell is posted in front of a space with dark, mysteriously tinted windows. When the door opens, the space behind the hostess is just as dark. It isn’t easy to see what is behind her, but once guests eyes adjust to the light, they see it. An elegant Japanese-style cocktail bar, low lit and romantic.
Highball is intimate, with just a few bar seats and high top tables. Its menu is mainly dedicated to the simple whiskey soda cocktail it is named for.
Highball is only half the story, however. Beyond the bar behind a door that is easy to miss in the dim lighting is Naisho Omakase, a 14-seat sushi counter.
The dual concept, officially opened in March, comes from Andrew Le, Thomas Pham and chef Shimpei Shinohara.
The bar side is inspired by Ginza bars that became popular in Tokyo in the 19th century and focused on precision and detail, like quality Japanese whiskey and hand-chiseled ice. Bartenders often wear white coats at such establishments, emphasizing their clinical thoroughness.
“We chose Highball as the name of our bar and its mascot because it captures everything we believe in,” said Pham, in a statement. “A classic highball consists of just two ingredients, it’s never fussy and always delivers.”
Japanese-style cocktail bar, Highball, serves a version of the bar’s namesake drink.
(Courtesy of SLIQUE Media)
Bar leads Justin Oh and Tony Morabito present a menu that features various takes on the classic highball with different combinations of fine whiskey, citrus and carbonated waters. Like the Mizuwari Highball made with Mars Iwai Blue Label Japanese whiskey, mugicha (Japanese-stye barley tea) and lemon twist or the Whisky Highball, with Taketsuru Malt Japanese Whisky and Singha soda, a popular high-carbonation sparking water from Thailand.
The menu includes other classic cocktails options like expertly crafted, dry martinis, served with a side of pickled shallots on ice. Even zero-proof cocktails are handled with care, using fresh juices and house made ingredients like coconut sea salt cream.
At Naisho Omakase, the care continues with multi-course omakase sushi masterfully prepared by Shinohara, who began his sushi training at age 13, at his parent’s Fullerton sushi restaurant.
“It was a mom-and-pop restaurant, so you had bento boxes, cut rolls and tempura. I found my love for cooking there,” Shinohara said, during a recent dinner service. “After learning teriyaki and the small techniques of making shrimp tempura crispy on the outside, my dad asked if I was ready to be in the sushi bar.”
Chef Shimpei Shinohara prepares sushi at Naisho Omakase in Costa Mesa.
(Courtesy of SLIQUE Media)
Guests choose between a 12-course nigiri-focused menu, the “Moment,” priced at $75, or 16-course, $100 menu known as the “Journey.” The latter menu features a dedicated shellfish, 14 pieces of nigiri and temaki, or a hand roll.
Shinohara shapes rice in his hands, sometimes with his eyes closed, like a musician playing by heart. He works quickly, but methodically, slicing bluefin tuna and searing fish with a torch to create aburi sushi, in which the flame melts fat and lends a smoky flavor. Shinohara holds a stick of binchotan charcoal over the fish, heating the charcoal, rather than directly searing the fish, a technique he said prevents the sushi from picking up the essence of butane from the torch.
Courses come out quickly, each one a perfect morsel of seafood, like kelp marinated sea bass, sweet shrimp, soy blue fin tuna and smoked black snapper Shinohara calls “ocean bacon.”
The tandem experiences at Highball and Naisho Omakase feel exclusive in their intimate speakeasy-style setting, but the team hopes they won’t remain a secret for long.
“The importance of Highball and Naisho Omakase lies in their cohesion. They are not a sushi bar with drinks attached, nor a cocktail bar with food as an accessory — they are a unified exploration of Japanese craft expressed through two mediums,” said Pham. “The concepts aim to add something new to Orange County’s cocktail and culinary landscape.”
Highball/Naisho Omakase is located at 3033 Bristol St #117 in Costa Mesa and open from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. daily. For reservations visit naishoomakase.com.
AloJapan.com