MK’s Romance Roll is a blend of white tuna and red snapper with tuna and salmon topping, avocado, lemon juice, caviar, and four “flavorful” sauces.
Photo by Abeeku Yankah
The first thing to blast my taste buds was the sauce. Creamy, tangy, zesty — it not only held every bite together but somehow augmented each chopstickful. And that’s just how MK’s Sushi … rolls. Everything — from the sashimi to the iceberg lettuce in the salad — is fresh and done right. There’s a good reason this North Fort Worth operation is still hanging in there after a nearly 20-year run. Quality reigns.
When my wife and I first moved to North Fort Worth from Arlington Heights, MK’s was one of only a couple non-chain eateries within a 3- or maybe even 5-mile radius. Another was Flip’s Patio Grill (also still hanging in there — the Bleu Queso burger really kicks on all levels). Another, Los Molcajetes (and for good reason — fun atmosphere). The old me and her would not even recognize the neighborhood now. Over half a dozen similar big boxes have sprouted up around Flip’s, and there appears to be not one, not two, but three retail developments (Alliance, Presidio, and something called North Park or North View or something) just north of the intersection of Western-Center Boulevard and I-35N. These expanses overflow with food options. There are so many.
I’m well aware that quality is not the only determining factor of a restaurant’s longevity. We seem to lose quality dining establishments every month in Fort Worth. What explains MK’s success? Do they advertise? I don’t follow every newspaper or TV/radio station, but I can’t say I’ve seen an MK’s ad, heard an MK’s radio spot, or seen an MK’s TV commercial recently. Does MK’s, also with a location in Bedford, just have deep pockets? We’ll never know. All that’s certain is that the place has pretty good online support. For my wife and me, and now our 13-year-old son, the nicely appointed single room with a small patio, nestled in a mini strip mall behind a RaceTrac, is comforting in a slightly disorienting, nostalgia-inducing kind of way.
Tempura-fried shrimp plus avocado, white tuna, spicy shredded crab stick, green onion, masago, and a sumptuous blend of eel and spicy-mayo sauces make up MK’s Fort Worth Sunshine roll. Photo by Abeeku Yankah
MK’s was one of the first places where my wife and I dined out all those years ago. And not much has changed — about us or MK’s. The dining room is almost evenly split between four-tops and a long sushi bar, with an intimate cocktail area with high-tops to one side. The décor is Tokyo chic. Strategic lighting illuminates the all-encompassing black furniture, accents, and interior.
As part of a phonebook of menus presented to diners upon first entering, the Chef’s Specials called to us. It’s four rolls long, all under $20. Our son is a pretty adventurous eater, and his Romance Roll lasted all of five seconds on his plate. The white tuna and red snapper came across as pleasantly salty, kicked up by some tuna and salmon topping, avocado, lemon juice, caviar, and four “flavorful” sauces, and indeed they were — piquant and the tiniest bit sweet.
Also drawing from the Chef’s Specials menu, I opted for the Fort Worth Sunshine roll: tempura-fried shrimp plus avocado topped with white tuna and spicy shredded crab stick, everything garnished with green onion, masago, and that sumptuous blend of eel and spicy-mayo sauces.
One of my favorite dishes not only at MK’s but anywhere on the planet, the spicy Korean chirashi (hwae dop bap) hits that mythical spot between super-healthy and decadent. The rice bowl with assorted sashimi plus fresh vegetables, jalapeño, garlic, and a spicy chile sauce might help you live longer than a month’s worth of CrossFit. Mixing it all together makes for a delightful explosion of salty, sweet, and umami flavors.
My wife, the vegetarian, went with the simple yet flavorful avocado roll plus the lightly tempura-fried veggies: fresh, slightly firm carrot, onion, mushroom, all kinds of stuff. Dipped in the accompanying brown sauce, they’re a meal themselves.
The avocado roll is simple yet flavorful. Photo by Abeeku Yankah
Like most sushi restaurants, MK’s also offers other cuisines. There’s ramen, teriyaki, bulgogi, rice bowls, poke, and, for 36 smackers, the Lobster Heaven roll (lobster tail, avocado, and cucumber topped with a baked lobster sauce). For dessert, the tempura-fried banana with red bean ice cream does quite a good job of tempering all those exciting flavors that had come before.
MK’s also boasts an expansive martini menu. The Sexy Beach is kind of like a Captain on Acid, with Captain Morgan rum, Cruzan coconut rum, banana syrup, and pineapple. Like every other martini, it’s only $10.
That’s hard to beat no matter which part of town you live in.
MK’s Sushi
Korean chirashi (hwae dop bap) $25
Romance Roll $18.95
Fort Worth Sunshine roll $17.50
Tempura-fried veggies $12.75
Tempura-fried banana $9.75
Still standing strong. After all these years. Photo by Abeeku YankahThe interior to MK’s Sushi hasn’t changed much in nearly 20 years. Photo by Abeeku Yankah
