La Fortuna has become the restaurant center of the East Cape. Before Shade, Lateral La Fortuna, Baja Station, Restaurante La Fortuna, and Tiendenita, there was Zai Sushi Surf Bar. Built on the edge of the arroyo with a view of the surf break, Zai was an amazing addition to the East Cape. Jason Manning, the chef and owner is a Japanese-trained Sushi chef who has done an amazing job of creating special sushi and cocktail offerings named after places and things on the East Cape. Since opening, it is now a requirement to have a reservation to go to Zai Sushi Surf Bar.

The restaurant is decorated with surfboards and murals and has two different dining areas. There is a small bar to the right as you enter Zai Sushi. The menu is extensive – seven pages with a separate cocktail menu – offering appetizers, ceviche, special Zai dishes, classic rolls, special rolls, hand rolls, and two pages of gourmet rolls. The last page is for drinks. For appetizers, we selected gyoza and tempura vegetables. The fried gyoza came with two different dipping sauces – one sweet and the other spicy. The tempura dish included three different vegetables – zucchini, carrots, and potato – and also had two different dipping sauces. For main courses, Beth selected the Tempura Shrimp with tempura vegetables; I ordered the Lemon Cream Salmon; and Patrice and Ethan each chose a sushi roll. The Lemon Cream Salmon was served with broccoli and the lemon cream sauce was delicious. The Tempura Shrimp was served in a large pile with two dipping sauces, and each of the rolls had eight rolls. Silence descended on the table as everyone dug into their food.

The food was delicious, the service excellent, and the view of La Fortuna and the beach great. The sun set as we were eating providing an even better atmosphere.