By Ed Martin, Editor
Owner and master chef Sunny Law hosted a unique Japanese dinner Saturday night at his Sushi Table Restaurant.
Owner and master chef Sunny Law hosted a unique Japanese dinner Saturday night at his Sushi Table Restaurant.

Lemoore has more than its share of excellent restaurants. From the proliferation of top-notch Mexican cuisine to a smorgasbord of fine dining offered by such longtime venerable eating establishments such as The Vineyard Restaurant, Senor Ponchos, and Reyna's, Lemoore's hungry population will never starve.

There's no question that Lemoore's 25,000 or so amateur food critics have more than enough dining choices from which to satisfy their culinary tastes. However, the sum of dining establishments in Lemoore offering a full dining experience – personal service and the occasional 10-course meals – are few and far between.

But there are exceptions. Enter local restauranteur Sunny Law, a trained master chef challenging Lemoore's fine-cuisine norms. The hard-working Law, who carries with him a permanent smile and a good-natured persona, refers to his cuisine as his "World of Flavors," and he does his best to capture those flavors with what some in Lemoore say is some of the best sushi east of Tokyo – or maybe south of Fresno.

Those "Flavors" were on full display at a recent Saturday night in Law's anchor restaurant, Sushi Table.

Let's face it. It may be hard to beat the dining experience at Law's mainstay restaurant, a local eatery housed in Lemoore's Save Mart Shopping Center. It's a dining establishment owned and operated by Law, a Hong Kong native and CIA (Culinary Institute of America) trained chef whose chief ambition in life it appears is to act as a harbinger of fine dining – all while wearing a permanent smile and displaying a caring manner.

And in that respect, he has succeeded. Just ask anybody who has dined in one of Law's restaurants.

Certainly, he's not the only restauranteur to offer locals an exceptional dining experience, but he might be one of the few that provides a truly unique affair.

A pair of Sushi Table dinner guests enjoy the restaurant's cuisine.
A pair of Sushi Table dinner guests enjoy the restaurant's cuisine.

Law, and his wife, Fanny, are the owners and operators of three restaurants in Kings County. His Sushi Table and Bobo Island – a smaller venue found in the downtown area, across from the Lemoore Stadium Cinemas – offer Japanese cuisine as does his most recent addition, 201 Kitchen, located in Hanford's Costco business park.

A native of Canton, China, the likable Law, who lived and attended school in Hong Kong, migrated to America to join his family in 1987. He has four brothers and two sisters, all of whom live in San Francisco. His 92-year-old mother still lives in the Bay Area. Law is the youngest of the clan.

Law retains a recognizable Chinese accent as he teaches his faithful guests the art of Japanese cuisine. While he's lecturing, he continues to work, slicing a hunk of tuna for yet another round of fresh sushi, and somehow, he pours yet another shot of  Sake. His job is to keep his customers happy, and judging by his guests’ consumption of sushi and sake of his guests, he’s succeeding.

He enjoys the art of conversation and talks incessantly about the food. It comes naturally to him, particularly the teaching aspect of the job. Over the years he has dabbled in the personal and private chef business, and he relishes his role as a teacher in the "Master Chefs Series Presents Japanese Cooking" program.

His friends call him a sushi artist.

He is a man always in motion, and his goal is to bring joy to his customers. Whether it's preparing a new dish – his steamed lobsters in a sea of delicious butter squash sauce or a simple platter of California rolls – Law always manages to find the time to talk to his customers and delicately pour one of about 20 varieties of Japanese sake for his 25 guests. Soon the lobster tails, cooked perfectly, are served and quickly devoured by his thankful customers.

Not a bad bargain for $45 per person. 

Let's be clear; the lobster was one of the last courses during a two-and-a-half tour of some of the finest Japanese cuisine in Kings County, if not the Valley.

Law's guests began their culinary adventure once they took their seats. Law, or one of his servers, immediately poured the first of some 30 Japanese Sakes. Just a taste mind you, and as for me, a lightweight journalist, I've never been a connoisseur of the drink made from fermented rice, but I did manage to sample a few, from a top-of-the-line sake, referred to as Junmai-Shu to a sampling of fruit-flavored sake quickly recognized once it touched my sensitive palate.

As we sipped on sake, before us was a delicatessen of delightful dishes, ranging from small plates like Onigiri and Yamaimo maguro (tuna), cucumber with moronic miso, Saikyo-Yaki and Fukimiso Chuka scallops – all delicious and quickly devoured by Law's friends and dinner guests.

Next up was a delicious octopus and something called Hokigai sashimi. Don't ask me to describe it because I can't. It was just one of many tasty treats that not only satisfied my curious palate but had me wanting a second helping.

One of my dinner partners, Barbara Martin (no relation) and her husband Tony, thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of their dinner. "I think it's amazing," said Barbara. "It's something you find in any big-city restaurant. There has never been anything like this in Lemoore."

It turns out Barbara and Tony are regular visitors to Sushi Table. "The fact is that the chef here greets people," she said. "It's a hands-on experience."

For two-and-one-half hours, Law's guests devoured more delicacies: Fukimiso Chucka scallops, Hokigai sashimi, Yamaimo maguro (tuna), scallops in seaweed salad, and the tasty Japanese Wagyu beef sushi (America's version of Kobe beef).

Saturday night's gathering was, indeed, a unique experience. Lemoore's best-known sushi chef has succeeded again in creating a singular dining experience, lending his personal touch to a meal that will undoubtedly be remembered. He has managed to create a dining experience not often seen this side of the Kings River.

Sushi Table is located in the Save Mart Shopping Center, located at 155 W Hanford Armona Rd. Suite B, Lemoore, Ca 93245. Sushi Table is open Monday thru Friday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. thru 9 p.m. It is open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call (559) 925-1698 for more information.

Lemoore's Sushi Table Chef Sunny Law continues to create a unique food experience