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Katsume is not your average sushi restaurant. Along with sushi, crispy katsu cutlets, and teriyaki, you can order poke, ramen, and Korean specialties.
“We are a Japanese restaurant with authentic recipes, but we also innovate,” said co-owner Jay Rhee Rhee. The duo of Rhee and co-owner Alex Ko are the sushi chefs.
During several visits, I saw groups of all ages, couples, and solo diners. Many ordered the lunch or dinner special bento box, a meal unto itself and a good deal for $14. Our server Rachel was cheerful, efficient, and mindful of our prior visits.
The ambiance at Katsume in Pleasanton is calming with soft jazz playing in the background. Taking over the former Sozo Sushi location, Rhee refreshed the space with privacy panels between tables and brightened the décor since opening in July 2025.
The appetizers held some surprises. Vibrant colors burst forth from the poke salad. Green and purple microgreens topped a mix of marinated tuna, salmon, and hamache. The light sesame dressing pleased my poke-loving friend Janice. I liked the KatsuMe spring roll, stuffed with tuna, seaweed salad, avocado, and cut into manageable pieces.
The Cherry Blossom sushi roll was appealing with rounds of salmon and a generous mound of tobiko. We shared but couldn’t finish the El Dorado roll with thin strips of white tuna and avocado wrapped around spicy tuna and shrimp tempura. Vegetarian options abound, and the chefs adjust spice and sauces to your taste. Rhee also serves hot sushi items such as the Baked Scallop, Baked Lobster, and the salmon-forward Lion King. Presented with a shower of tempura on top, the Jumbo Crunch has crabmeat tucked inside.
Every detail counts at a restaurant. With the miso soup, I noticed that the seaweed was cut into larger pieces than usual. Often seaweed appears in miso soup in such miniscule pieces that you can barely taste them. Others who dislike the briny aquatic greens may prefer small pieces. Rhee welcomes requests to adjust spice level and adjust the amount of sauce of vegetables with a dish.
Given that we eat our food with our eyes and our palate. I smiled when my beef sukiyaki arrived. The circular splay of Napa cabbage zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, sauteed onions, and broccoli with the meat and scallions in the middle caught my eye. I’ve eaten many bowls of sukiyaki including in Japan, and KatsuMe’s version is high caliber.
I knew that Rhee founded Tommy Katsu in Livermore in 2018, though he is no longer a partner. With the precise, artistic way that Rhee personally prepared sushi, I asked about his background. His first job was in S. Korea with an international trading company. After relocating to Portland 25 years ago, he worked as a dishwasher at a sushi restaurant, learned knife skills, and became a cook. Two decades ago, he continued working in restaurant kitchens in the Bay Area and then moved into management positions.
Rhee was eager to start another restaurant. Along with renovating the interior, he installed all-new kitchen equipment. A major upgrade is what Rhee calls his “steakhouse grill” which enables him to menu kama, broiled presentations of salmon or hamachi.
The broiler and grill also led to Rhee and Koh beginning to serve Korean dishes. The increasingly popular bulgogi is menued as spicy pork barbecue, a variation on sweet-savory beef bulgogi. We liked the bulgogi made from grilled pork shoulder and belly cut into bite-sized pieces.
Familiar with bulgogi, Janice liked the tender meat with some caramelized pieces. “When you order this dish, the meat can be chewy or greasy,” Her husband marveled at the leftovers, and noted that reheated, the meat tasty and not fatty. Both agree: The level of spice was “just right.”
LA galbi, a popular dish in Southern Calif, is a “Special Menu” item. The beef short ribs are marinated in a sweet and savory sauce and then grilled under the broiler.
“Our style is different from most Japanese restaurants. We seek more flavor with unique seasonings and more vegetables,” said Rhee. The daikon and other vegetables are pickled in-house.
When Rhee told me he used 27 different seasoning agents, I asked for a few specifics. “We have seven different soy sauces, three types of mayonnaise included Best’s brand, six vinegars from rice vinegar to rosé vinegar and dark balsamic.”
The chicken katsu sauce was excellent. I asked for more sauce to take home with the leftovers. Rhee slow cooks 10 large onions for 30 minutes, adds Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and mustard, and then simmers the blend. The Lion King sauce for the hot sushi roll starts with a pound of garlic, Best mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and mirin, the sweet rice wine for cooking.
For tempura, Rhee stocks “live” panko, also known as “wet” panko as opposed to the dry kind one buys in stores. Fresh panko, made in Japan with no preservatives, is frozen and vacuum-packed. This product feels more like fresh breadcrumbs and results in a light, delicate batter.
But wait, there’s more. In addition to teriyaki, there are six varieties of udon from seafood and beef to vegetable and plain noodles with broth. Shoyu and tonkotsu ramen are served. Green tea ice cream is dessert—and birthday folks such as Janice receive one on the house.
The beverage list includes Ramune, a Japanese carbonated soft drink and Coke products, juice, lemonade, iced black tea, hot green tea, hot and cold sake, Japanese beer, a red, white, and traditional plum wine.
According the Rhee, the future of Katsume may hold more bowls and more Korean dishes. “Our main concept is Japanese, but we will introduce Korean dishes. If our guests like it, we will keep it on the menu.”
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