Venturing down to Waikiki: Sansei

When I think of sushi in Hawaii, I think of Sansei. However I realized that I am dating myself...because I also think of Sansei in Restaurant Row turning into a dance club at 10 pm on Friday and Saturday evenings....yikes!

I was meeting a friend from the mainland who is staying in Waikiki for dinner. I'd originally planned to take her to Side Street on the Strip on Kapahulu, but neglected to realize that it was Tostito Bowl BCS championship day, and the bar was COMPLETELY packed. Boo :(

So we walked back towards Waikiki (since we'd already paid for parking in the lot next to Side Street) and went to Sansei, since I was curious how they are doing these days.

It's on the 3rd floor of the Waikiki Beach Marriott (on the Diamond Head end of Waikiki), right next to DK Steakhouse (which are both owned by DK restaurants). The interior looks surprisingly just like Restaurant Row.

The Sansei Special Roll: spicy crab, cilantro and veggies dusted with furikake. Meh.
Kapalua "Butterfry" roll with Ponzu dipping sauce - meh. Where's the rice? Why is it deep fried?

Miso butterfish...delicious, but it's also pretty hard to mess this one up.

Tempura sweet onion rings - nice touch with the tempura batter

Poke - really liked the addition of salad greens here

Overall, I'm glad I went; it definitely satisfied a craving for Sansei-style sushi. But I think next time I'm craving Japanese, I will splurge on Sasabune or Gaku, or hit up a more reasonably priced sushi joint...does anyone have recs for one with fun rolls like Sansei?