The modern décor, a quality sound system, beautiful lighting and a large life-like tree arching in the middle of the room; these are the first things you will notice at the new Sumo Maya. The restaurant opened Monday the 16th of June and we were invited by German Osio the owner, to take it for a test drive during a soft opening this past weekend. German also created and owns Local Bistro in North Scottsdale and Central Bistro in the Biltmore/Arcadia area. Sumo Maya’s atmosphere is a tease to the senses and a precursor to the menu which features so many different types of tapas, everyone is sure to find something they will enjoy. A relatively new fusion concept of Mexican & Asian, may seem like strange bed fellows but in reality they mix nicely and provide a truly unique experience for your taste buds.
We started with 2 different types of guacamole; one with bacon and another with pumpkin seeds. Both were freshly made and zesty with the bite of the lime juice soundly pronounced in both versions. They were served with fresh tortilla chips which also come seasoned and quite enjoyable on their own. Moving on to our tapas, the table shared tuna ceviche which was plated beautifully and served in a coconut within a bowl of ice. In fact all the plates were so beautiful to the eyes; I noticed the table would at times take a moment to enjoy the pure beauty of it before destroying it with our chopsticks. Next up were multiple sushi items including; maya roll with a surprising outer layer of rice crispies, very fresh tuna nigiri, Suzuki roll with spicy tuna, avocado, and a chipotle mayo, and tuna tataki with sweet passion fruit caviar.
The next few dishes were shared around the table but could easily be a meal in itself. Tempura rock shrimp were covered in a spicy mayo with black truffle aioli and summer peas. Very similar visually was the calamari which was also lightly fried in a tempura batter but with a peanut flavored sauce. Both disappeared quickly from the table, but it might have been because they both were very tender and tended to melt nicely on the tongue. The second, third, and forth bite happened before you knew you were hogging the dish. It was time to pass the dish to others and move on to more of the items.
Half lobster covered with a crab and panko crumb seasoning was succulent and tender. We were offered forks but none were needed, it came out in nice size bites with the mere force of our chopsticks. Spicy crab noodles ended our Asian spectacular, with beautiful Portobello mushrooms and a not to spicy sauce it would be a perfect size for a main meal for anyone. The table was getting full but we had a couple more items to try. Chicken and Pork tacos the size of a baseball in circumference was a nice return to the Mexican side of the menu. The fact was that the table tended to the Asian side of the menu for no particular reason, but there were plenty of other more Mexican style dishes we didn’t get to try which will need to be experienced on our next trip. It looks like another success is on the horizon for German Osio.
For more information see the Sumo Maya ingredients page: