Our next First Friday Feast is in Southern California, where we had a large family dinner at Blue Ocean Carlsbad for some sushi and more.

First Friday Feast is a monthly series debuting on the first Friday of each month and elaborates on a recent dining experience.

We’ve been trying to have a date night each month this year (and post about it on the first Friday of every month). Sometimes we bring the kids along for date night and sometimes they stay at home. But that’s fine by us–the kids are more than welcome to tag along if they want. This time we had some other family members join us. The more, the merrier!

Arrival to Blue Ocean Carlsbad

We showed up at Blue Ocean Robata and Sushi Bar in Carlsbad after a long day at nearby Legoland. Naturally, we had no reservations but on a Tuesday evening, we didn’t think it would be that bad. It took us about 15 minutes to get seated (in large part because we had a party of 11).

The staff led us to what I could best describe as a semi-outdoor area. There is a roof over your head with three walls around you. Don’t expect much of a breeze out here. But it is a nice vibe in this section of Blue Ocean Carlsbad.

We had a table in the corner, where we all waited anxiously for our food. Poor Alex didn’t know it at the time, but his meal would come after everyone else ate (more on that later).

The Blue Ocean Carlsbad menu

The drink menu is quite extensive with plenty of sake and a lot of cocktails.

The menu has a lot of options beyond just sushi, which is good if you’re not a fan of (delicious) raw fish. You can think of it as the front page contains cooked items and the back page is all the raw.

The Food at Blue Ocean Carlsbad

Since we had such a large party, I didn’t get a chance to capture the notes and try all the dishes. So I’m going to spend some time talking about the more notable dishes from the evening.

Drinks

I’d prefer not to drink alone, but go figure that I was the only one drinking tonight. Well, I guess I get to say 乾杯 (kanpai, or cheers) to myself. Sadly my preferred Japanese beer wasn’t on the menu (Asahi). of course, I only really like Asahi because our waiter at the impressive Suiran hotel comically remarked “ah, super dry!” when I ordered it, and it just lives rent free in my mind.

Blistered shishito peppers

We are generally fans of shishito peppers, which tend to be fairly mild in spice. However, these peppers were on the spicy side. That seems to be because they came smothered in a sauce that added both flavor and a kick. We didn’t think the peppers needed the extra sauce, but we still devoured them.

Salt & pepper calamari

I know Jenn and I have always had some apprehension about ordering calamari. We’ve been afraid that it just wouldn’t be crispy enough or that the squid is too chewy. This calamari ended up not having any of those concerns. It had an incredible amount of crisp to each bite and the flavor wasn’t overpowering. If there’s any critique I can give, it’s that we were hoping for a bit more for $13.

Blue Ocean Three Course

Jenn ordered the three course meal and shared it with her sister. If you’re not too hungry (or are petite), I think it can work out.

First up is assorted sashimi, which consisted of salmon, tuna, and yellowtail. Or, as they are otherwise known as: yum, yum, and yummy. These are thick cuts of fish and good quality. This is probably the best part of the three dishes.

Next up was the miso soup. It seemed a little odd that this was the second course but I imagine it was just the order of what the kitchen produced. It’s fine though a bit unmemorable.

The third course was the Chilean sea bass. The fish is pillowy soft and very flavorful. Part of that flavor comes from the accompanying thick sauce. We think it would have been fine without the sauce, but it’s awesome that they’re good at cooked fish to go with all the raw fish on the menu.

Blue Ocean premium nigiri omakase

I ordered the omakase, which is typically my default order at sushi restaurants. This $55 dinner certainly looked impressive with several fish on their own raised platforms. The one downside was that the server didn’t describe which fish was on the plate. I like it when I know what I’m eating, and I had a fairly good idea of what each were already, but I would have liked confirmation.

Each piece of fish went down easy. Many practically melted in my mouth. I’ve always liked eel, but this one was pretty delicious. And I know Jenn is more of an uni fan than I am, so I shared that one with her, much to her enjoyment. For just $55, I’d say this is a pretty good value on the menu.

Mexican roll

The one dish I didn’t have much experience with is the Mexican roll, which my niece ordered and devoured quickly. I tend to hesitate ordering the specialty rolls at restaurants, which I find to be a bit of a gimmick, but she felt this one was heavenly. She said there’s something about the sauce and how it hits the imitation crab that transforms the dish into one of the best she’s had. With praise like that, perhaps I should have tried it myself!

Chicken Teriyaki

The restaurant doesn’t have a kids menu, so we needed to order something for the kids off the adult menu. Char loves chicken and rice, so we ordered her the chicken teriyaki. I did try some of this dish and the chicken is plenty moist and the flavor is well-balanced. She thoroughly enjoyed this dish, so consider it a safe option for kids.

Ishiyaki hot stone

Now let’s talk about what Alex ordered because it’s a bit of a problem. He ordered the Ishiyaki hot stone, which is raw beef that you cook yourself at the table, which sounds simple enough. However, we had to ask several times where his dish was. We asked three times. By that third time, a full 30 minutes after the first food appeared on the table, the server admitted that there are only two hot stones available in the entire restaurant. Of course, he said he would check (he didn’t before?) and then immediately emerged with the dish.

The main problem is the lack of communication. If there are only two hot stones, and others have already ordered the dish, it would be helpful to know there is a backup when ordering. Or at least let us know there would be a potential wait–no warning was provided at all until after we had to follow up three times. You wouldn’t normally expect there to be a wait for something that you cook yourself. Alex did ultimately regret his decision, sadly.

As for the dish itself, it was just OK. It came with soy sauce and sesame sauce for extra flavor, but no rice (that’s extra). For just a single tray of beef that you have to cook yourself, it’s not worth the money. The extremely elongated wait could be impacting our feelings on this one, but choose anything else.

Recommendation: Maybe, if you don’t get the beef

The fish is delicious and hit the spot. That counts for both the raw fish (sashimi, nigiri, and rolls) and the cooked fish (Chilean sea bass). It shouldn’t be a surprise that you should eat fish at a sushi restaurant. That’s their specialty after all.

If you have kids who aren’t yet accustomed to eating raw fish, the chicken teriyaki is a good option. Or you can also go for the pineapple fried rice (not pictured), which wasn’t as sweet as we’ve come to expect from other restaurants.

However, do yourself a favor and don’t order the hot stone beef. The kitchen was supposedly backed up on a random Tuesday night; I can’t imagine what it’s like over a weekend when it’s more crowded. Our impression of the service at the restaurant was good up until it became clear that Alex would be eating well after everyone else finished and the restaurant didn’t seem to think that was a problem.

Where do you like to eat in Carlsbad, California?

Suggested reading:

• Other Destinations and Restaurants We’ve Visited
• Great for Legoland Stays: A Review of the Sheraton Carlsbad
• Beautiful and Yet a Major Blemish: A Review of the Park Hyatt Aviara