Former Tadokoro Chef Opening Adams Avenue Sushi Bar

An alum of San Diego’s prestigious Sushi Tadokoro, a well-established member of the Eater 38, is branching out with his first solo project, an eponymous sushi bar that’s set to open on Adams Avenue in mid-March. Soichi Kadoya will be the chef/owner of Soichi Sushi, which is landing the 1,110-square-foot University Heights space that was the longtime home of Farm House Cafe and has been occupied by neighborhood eatery Circa since 2014.

He and his wife Raechel will take hold of the space next month and are planning some minor changes to the dining area, including converting the wine bar into a sushi counter. The chef, who’s trained in Japanese cuisine for 25 years, has been cooking in and out of San Diego since 1999. While working at Pacific Beach’s once-beloved Surfside Sushi, he met fellow itamae Takeaki Tadokoro, who would go on to open Sushi Tadokoro in the Old Town area.

After spending the last five and a half years preparing traditional Edomae-style sushi at Tadokoro, Kadoya will now apply those skills to his own restaurant. He tells Eater that he’ll offer two versions of omakase, a chef-customized multi-course meal consisting mostly of nigiri sushi; sushi will also be available a la carte. Soichi Sushi will offer appetizers, as well as hand rolls and nori maki, or seaweed-wrapped rolls with simple fillings, but don’t expect California rolls and overstuffed, over-sauced specialty rolls.