HYANNIS — Tuna, salmon, crabmeat and eel sat on neat plates inside a glass-doored display easily accessible to sushi chef Carson Zhang. He reached into a rice pot and grabbed a handful of sticky rice and spread it on a sheet of nori, then added slices of avocado, cucumber and imitation crab. He rolled it, cut it in four pieces, arranged the cylinders on a rectangular plate with shavings of ginger and a dollop of wasabi, and sent it out to a customer at Ninja House.
The newly opened Japanese/Taiwanese restaurant has taken the place of Percy’s Place at 247 Main St. Opened in early September by wife-husband team Ashley Chen and Denny Zheng, the two are bringing the health and taste of Asian food to Hyannis. A lion dragon dance team performed at the ribbon cutting on Sept. 9. The lion-dragon danced in front of the restaurant before entering and dancing throughout the two floors and kitchen.
“It’s for good luck, good fortune,” Chen said in an accent still influenced by her time living in Japan and Taiwan.
Ninja House is Chen’s third restaurant
Chen has opened two restaurants before. She sold one but still operates one in Framingham called Kalasha Bubble Tea and Chicken, with a Korean menu. When Percy’s became available, Chen’s husband encouraged her to turn the storied breakfast place into one featuring a very different kind of food. Gone are the eggs, home fries and extensive breakfast menu of Percy’s. The menu now features special rolls, sushi rolls, bento box lunches, and even sushi pizza. Fresh tuna, salmon, lobster, eel and yellowtail sit on beds of ice in a Hoshizaki ice machine.
More:Sushi is more popular than ever, but is it healthy?
Chen hopes people will come in, try the food and have a nice experience. And she suggests that those who have never eaten sushi, try it in a certain order: California or vegetarian rolls first, then rolls with cooked fish, and finally rolls with raw fish. There is soy sauce, gari (sheets of pickled ginger), and wasabi to accompany the sushi. It’s very healthy, she added.
“For the beginner, normally people try the California roll,” she said, adding sushi with cooked fish comes next. “After you like it, people try the raw fish.”
Main Street space has a new look
The restaurant has been renovated. It features new black booths and tables, a black marble countertop bar, and a sushi bar where diners can watch the chefs at work. Tiny fish, seashells, and lighthouses hang from fish netting on one wall. New floors, a soft blue paint job, and an overall renovation has spruced up the place.
A smiling, golden porcelain cat welcomes customers inside with its waving arm. Chen calls a basket of golden coins, a few more lucky cats, and two plants in the vestibule traditional objects of good luck.
“They bring good fortune,” she said.
Customers can choose from a wide variety of items, from appetizers to raw and cooked sushi rolls, hibachi meals to soups, house salads to French fries. Ramen noodles, Pad Thai, fried rice, teriyaki meals and side orders are available.
The restaurant can seat about 50 on the first floor, and there is space on a second floor for parties of about 20 to 25 people.
Chen lives in Boston, but she has visited friends on the Cape often. She loves the area and its nearby beaches. When she saw that Percy’s was closing, she thought of the possibilities. Her husband liked the environment and encouraged her. She hasn’t done any advertising yet, so she’s relying on passersby and word of mouth to date.
“We want people to try our food and have a nice experience,” she said. “We want people to have fun. We want customers to feel that this is their home.”
Denise Coffey writes about business and tourism. Contact her at [email protected].
Keep connected with the Cape. Download our free app.
