The opening of Kyoto Ka in Edison Plaza has added a bit of diversity to the lunch options available downtown.

Sushi, once relegated to one or two specialty restaurants in large cities, has gained in popularity in the last decade or so, with a plethora of options in metro Toledo. Still, until recently, the Japanese delicacy was absent from the downtown lunch scene.

Kengo Sushi & Yakitori opened early this year, but only to the dinner crowd. In June, Joe Cho, owner of Sylvania Township’s popular restaurant Kyoto Ka, opened a second location at 300 Madison Ave. He chose the site when he realized that many of his customers worked downtown.

Perhaps with that in mind, the new location is like a miniature version of the Central Avenue restaurant with seating available for a maybe a couple dozen diners. The red walls, wood tables, sushi bar, and Japanese embroidered wall art give off a homey vibe. On recent visits, we also received a hearty greeting from the chef upon our arrival.

The menu too is a scaled-down version of the original. Still, with its variety of rolls and entrees, even a frequent diner would have a hard time getting bored with the selection. The harder part might be deciding on a favorite.

MENU: Kyoto Ka

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On our first visit, a companion ordered the sashimi bento box. Bento refers to a Japanese-style single lunch, which includes protein, rice, and vegetables. Sashimi is thinly sliced raw meat, usually fish. In this case, the box contained three slices each of white tuna, tuna, and salmon (the daily selection is chef’s choice), gyoza (Japanese dumplings), a California roll (crab, avocado, and cucumber), a house salad with ginger dressing, a cup of miso soup, and a side of white or fried rice.

At $9.95, the bento boxes (also available with teriyaki or sushi instead of sashimi) are a bargain. My companion described it as tastier and more filling than a similarly priced meal from a popular sandwich chain.

We also ordered the spicy pork bowl ($9) and the sushi sampler ($8.95).

The pork was thinly sliced served with rice and iceberg lettuce and covered with a flavorful sauce that packed a punch without overpowering the dish. Initially put off by the presence of lettuce in a hot dish, I found that it offered a nice crispness and cut some of the heat.

The sushi sampler featured four pieces of fish, including tuna, salmon, and whitefish served over rice.

On a return visit, we ordered the chicken teriyaki, the seafood miso soup, and several rolls.

The teriyaki ($8.95 for chicken, or $10.95 for beef or salmon) featured a sliced chicken breast glazed with a subtle glaze of soy sauce, ginger, and sesame served over a bed of crisp sauteed vegetables, including broccoli, carrots, red cabbage, onions, and mushrooms. If that wasn’t enough, the dish is served with a house salad, a cup of miso soup, and a bowl of rice.

The salad ingredients are pretty standard, but the ginger dressing provided a satisfying blend of sweet and spicy. The miso soup — seaweed, small bits of tofu, and green onion in a soybean broth — served as a nice, light starter to the meal.

The miso seafood soup ($4.95 for a bowl) amps up the flavors by adding plenty of miniature shrimp, clams, and mussels.

The yellowtail roll (yellowtail tuna, sesame seeds, and green onions for $5.95) and the salmon roll ($4.95) are minimalist options that showcase the flavor of the fish.

The Joe roll ($11.95) layers spicy crab, cucumber, avocado topped with alternating slices of white tuna and salmon. Served with a spicy mayo sauce on the side, the Joe roll is more complex in its flavors and features a hint of spiciness.

A deviation from the raw theme, the Star roll ($9.95) layers salmon, cream cheese, shrimp, and avocado. The roll is then dusted in a tempura batter and deep fried and drizzled with sweet sauce. Still, the Star roll is anything but heavy. Instead, the tempura batter results in a light crispness that pulls the flavors together.

For sushi and sashimi, the freshness of the ingredients is paramount, and Kyoto Ka certainly delivers on that front while managing to stay budget-friendly. It also serves tasty alternatives for diners who might be turned off by the thought of raw fish.

In fact, the only drawback is the restaurant’s limited hours — 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Hopefully, Kyoto Ka soon will offer yet another dinner option before a Walleye game or other downtown event.

Contact Bill of Fare at fare@theblade.com.

First Published September 24, 2015, 4:00 a.m.