Moki’s Sushi is not far from my San Francisco hood and being a sushi fan, I’ve tried many more sushi places than I’ve written about…am learning daily that there are a ton more for me to try in this renowned “foodie” city.
I’ve been to Moki’s dozens of times in different locations, but the one thing that remains consistent is their commitment to freshness.
They’re also known for having a slightly more diverse range of maki rolls to choose from, such as their yummy Kona Roll, which is tempura’d shrimp, unagi and cream cheese topped with salmon, avocado, spicy sauce and macadamia nuts.
OR, how about smoked salmon with spinach, avocado, cream cheese and scallions? 
I was told that their Ecstasy roll is a incredibly popular with locals and being one of them, I should know, so rather than order my standard rolls and ngiri, I went for it. Imagine scallions and avocado tempura’d together with manguro, bincho, salmon and tobiko.
Moki’s does a great job with their presentation and the service is top notch.
While the food was fabulous, the saki “worked” (would love a few more mid-range priced options however), and the staff went out of their way to make the experience a memorable one, a few tips from someone who eats out a lot and of course writes about what she eats a lot :-)
1. The wine list was very mediocre. While the glasses were all reasonably priced ($8 a pop, which is reasonable for San Francisco), there wasn’t one higher end option by the glass. One Chardonnay and it was a pretty lame generic one easily found at any Trader Joes.
In other words, offer more choices. (I was lucky that they had a La Crema open for after dinner enjoyment but it’s not on the regular menu).
2. There’s no menu on the website – only a downloadable PDF of their take out menu (see below). Make it easy for people to find your menu, don’t make them download something to do so, and also include a wine list so people can see what their options are in advance.
3. Get on Twitter. I understand there’s a commitment to it, but get an intern or have the chef’s daughter, son or cousin kick in to help out in the beginning until you get it going.
It’s free to get an account and it’s a great way to communicate with your fans and customers, especially in a city like San Francisco which is so technology-centric. It may not be a must for a restaurant in a rural town in Kansas, but San Francisco is the social media capital of the world.
They treated us to a dessert when we weren’t looking: classic Mochi ice cream. And, it was deliciously unusual.
With Mochi ice cream, a flour-doughy texture wraps around ice cream and comes in a number of flavors including chocolate and different berry flavors. It is a Japanese confection made from mochi (pounded sticky rice) and then they fill it with ice cream inside.
Originally created by Lotte, as Yukimi Daifuku in 1981, the company first made the product by using a rice starch instead of sticky rice and a type of ice milk instead of real ice cream. Typically it is served as a round ball although they cut it for us, which resulted in a much more creative presentation.
Below, we sampled strawberry and green tea, the latter being a favorite. A little powdered sugar on the top with a sprinkle of mint leaves and it was a delightful surprise given that we were ready for tea and an early night.
Below is a sample of their specialty maki rolls for take-out although from what I recall, most of these were available on the main menu.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
