Flavor of Oklahoma: How Takaramano does sushi differently

With a surge in new restaurants coming to Oklahoma City, many are offering a wide selection of Japanese food on their menus.

In Oklahoma City's Plaza District, one such restaurant is showing the News 9 team what sets it apart from others.

Meaning "treasure" in English, Takaramono's head chef Ling Chi Wong says he and his employees wish to give customers an experience they will treasure.

"The freshness is very important," Wong said. "Just like a Broadway show, every night."

However, Wong said food was not the reason he came to Oklahoma City.

"I like basketball," Wong said. "I think the [Thunder are] doing very great this year. I'm very excited to see one of the games."

Regardless of motivation, the sushi at Takaramono is a slam dunk.

With fresh fish flown in every two weeks, the meat is then divided into lean and fatty sections, allowing you to taste the difference in texture and flavor.

"Everything has such a unique flavor that even if you're not into sushi or sushimi, but you're trying it for the first time, it's something that you could venture into here," Takaramono manager Krystal Lenstra said. "Because the chefs put such a refined twist on it."

The dishes are not large, but it is designed so that you order a variety of smaller dishes and sample all of them.

As for how he would describe his restaurant, Wong said he wants guests to see everything.

"You open a box of treasure and then you say 'Oh wow, it's beautiful,'" Wong said. "You take it in and everything is nice."

Even if sushi is not what you are looking for, Takaramono offers several other items cooked on the grill, including chicken skewers, wagyu beef skewers, grilled veggies, and Korean fried chicken.