Kooma opens on the Wilmington Riverfront

A selection of sushi sits on the plate along with a Kooma Special Roll (shrimp tempura with eel and avocado on top), and next to that is the Bibimbab (a colorful bowl of beef with egg on rice), served with a side of hot pepper sauce. The drink is a chocolate mint martini. (Credit: Matt Urban)

Whether it's a successful chain or a local restaurant that's deciding to branch out, our dining confidence is always high when an eatery that's caught on somewhere else decides to point their sails in the direction of Delaware and open a new spot for its residents.

Going in, there is a certain sense of calmness that washes over us, knowing that, if the folks running the place have done such a good job in another town, odds are that work ethic and good taste are going to translate here.

Just last week, another business made the jump to Delaware when Kooma, a highly successful and very delicious sushi bar and Asian restaurant in West Chester, opened its doors on the Riverfront.

On our first step inside the airy space located down on Justison Street, we felt as if Wilmington had just gotten a little cosmopolitan kick in the pants, thanks to a sleek interior, vaulted ceilings, winding bar and a bumping system that mixed world music with acid jazz.

Passing the 15-seat bar on our left, where bottles lined shelves that ascended the walls, we were seated at the sushi bar. It was not your normal set-up, however, as these were tables situated perpendicular to the bar, rather than chairs facing a counter head-on.

As we do in many restaurants that offer the dish, we chose to start with the appetizer sampler ($22), which featured a collection of chicken yakitori, edamame, tempura shrimp and veggies, beef negimaki and crab shumai.

The tempura batter was as light as could be, with a flaky outside and tender shrimp, onion or carrot inside. The beef negimaki featured thin slices of room temperature sirloin wrapped around cream cheese and onion.

As for the crab shumai, talk about tender to the chop stick -- but not mushy, as can sometimes be the case with dumplings. The chicken yakitori was also tender, and not at all dry, glazed over with a sweet teriyaki sauce.

Since Kooma offers lunch combos, and it was about 12:30 p.m. on a Tuesday, one of my dining partners decided on the Sushi Lunch ($12), which consisted of six pieces of sushi and his choice of either tuna or California roll.

The tuna roll looked like any other maguro maki you've seen, but the tuna, salmon and yellowtail covering the little nigiri balls of rice were as vibrant as could be, with striking pink, stark white and ruby red coloring.

Feeling the need for sushi, I selected a house specialty, the Kooma Special Roll ($15). This would be a new experience: crunchy broiled eel draped with avocado over a shrimp tempura roll. For those who like sweet and crunchy, here's eight pieces of what you're craving.

Across from me sat a scalding stone pot of Bibimbab ($15), a Korean dish with layers of beef, scrambled egg, rice and veggies, served with an immediately spicy chef's hot pepper sauce. The flavors were killer, but use that hot sauce sparingly. (You've been warned.)

The final dish we selected was the Spicy Kooma Noodle dish with chicken ($16). The orange dish's sauce had more of a building heat, due to the Thai chilies ever-present throughout the bed of rice noodles and chunks of chicken.

Though the sushi was a bit pricey (specialty rolls can get as high as $22), we were most satisfied with the flavor and the size. They certainly didn't skimp on the fish, so it's a matter of getting what you pay for.

We're looking forward to getting back in there at night, maybe when DJs spin on weekends, or for happy hour when the bar is lit up and draft beers and martinis are 40 percent off.

Insider tip: Plenty of parking

Like some Riverfront spots (but not all of them), Kooma has a ton of parking, right outside of the restaurant on the street or across Justison in the parking lot.

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