Last year, Kuro Nami opened in the former space that housed Sushi 69 for 17 years. When the owner of that restaurant, chef Hiroyuki Makino, retired, it was bought by Jackie Suthon, the owner of Baan Thai Cuisine, their next-door neighbor. Chef Miyuki Acevedo, who was trained by Makino at Sushi 69, became the chef at Kuro Nami Japanese Kitchen. Everything crocheted together quite nicely.

We parked on San Anselmo Avenue and walked down the path to Kuro Nami. Parking is also available in a small lot off of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard just south of the restaurant.

Kuro Nami translates as “black wave.” The name has some rather ominous connotations but, in this case, none were intended. But the dramatic interior plays on the name with black textured walls and selective lighting. Swirly black-and-white-topped tables and comfortable black chairs contrast with the enclosed patio seating that’s brightened with cascades of white faux flowers. Raised stool seating is available at the bar if you want to enjoy the sushi bar action.

Several sake cocktails are $13 or $14. Draft Sapporo Premium and Asahi Super Dry are $8 each with Hitachino Nest White Ale at $14 a bottle.

A few wines are available by the glass ($12 to $14) or bottle ($46 to $54). There are wines that would go well with this food but, in my opinion, not the cabernet sauvignon or chardonnays on the menu. Several sakes ($9 to $175) are served cold, except for one that’s hot ($10). One of my favorite sakes is Dassai 39, which fortunately was by the glass at $9. It’s a dry, crisp sake with cucumber and fennel flavors — excellent with the food. To really enjoy it, ask to have it poured into a wine glass rather than the small glass overflowing into the little box.

We began by ordering two hand rolls: the Sweet Potato Tempura ($7) and Spicy Baby Scallops ($9). The black rectangular platter held two wooden troughs. Each one had a sheet of seaweed and some sushi rice. In one were two slices of pickled daikon topped with a narrow tempura-fried bar of sweet potato with squiggles of vegan mayonnaise and some sesame seeds scattered on top. It was surprisingly lacking in flavor except for the daikon.

The other rice trough was topped with very sweet baby scallops and what appeared to be a bit of the vegan mayonnaise mixed with tobiko dribbled over the scallops. Thinly sliced scallions were the finishing touch.

The presentation was the most enjoyable part of the hand rolls.

My friend loves Karaage, so we ordered the Japanese fried chicken morsels ($14). The pieces of thigh meat hadn’t been trimmed well, leaving some of the thinner parts that became stringy and tough. The pieces were irregularly shaped and instead of being golden were gray. Of course, we ate it all — after all fried chicken is fried chicken. It was served with a small black bowl of vegan mayonnaise with a stripe of togarashi, a Japanese seasoning, across it. It was dramatically pretty.

The Saba Nigiri ($11) was really delicious. The mackerel was a bit firmer than I’ve had. Its textures and flavors were excellent. The marinade had firmed the fish more but had not obscured its flavor. Just a bit of ginger and scallions decorated the top. I found it much easier to eat this out of my hand rather than with chopsticks.

There are 16 signature rolls on the menu. But, Kuro Nami added “Japanese Kitchen” to its name to let people know it was more than a sushi place. Here you can find Gyoza dumplings ($13) and Brussels Sprouts ($12) that are fried and served with Sriracha. There’s even a Japanese hamburger, Hambagu ($17), right next to traditional sushi fare.

Under the Kuro Nami specials is one I intended to order and forgot to: Crispy Rice Sushi Bites ($20). Fried sushi rice cakes are topped with spicy salmon, sesame seeds, serrano chili and tobiko. It looked like a tasty appetizer.

We selected the Takeshi Roll ($21). The long black oval plate was covered end to end with the maguro-draped roll. Maguro, bluefin tuna, is mild in flavor and seemed wasted when used on a roll with so many other flavors going on. Its silken texture is what gives the roll fame.

In the Takeshi Roll, the rice was rolled around shrimp tempura, spicy scallops, avocado and cucumber. Then, it was topped with shiso leaves and unagi, an eel sauce. The tuna is draped over the roll, cut into eight pieces, dotted with spicy mayonnaise and sprinkled with furikake. There was a whole lot going on. We agreed that all the components were delicious but it was just too much — and too much to eat in just one bite.

One of the house specials is the Spicy Mentaiko Crab Pasta ($22). We really should have stopped but wanted to taste this one. If we’d begun with it, I think it would have been a hit, but at the end of our meal, it was too rich. It was a festive presentation. In the black bowl of pasta, the cod roe-tinted, creamy corn sauce had soft shell crab tempura rising from the sauce with shiso leaves and sparkly, orange tobiko scattered about the surface.

When we first were seated, the server mentioned their Yuzu Cheesecake ($11). That sounded yummy an hour and half before, but by then we had had more than enough.

Of course, I could fault us in what we’d ordered but we found the food off balance. The sauces and garnishes tended to overwhelm the main ingredients. But there was no doubt that the restaurant intended to wow diners.

And it certainly did with its dramatic atmosphere, attentive service and spectacular presentations.

Ann Walker is a freelance food writer. Email her with suggestions, comments and questions at ijfoodwalker@gmail.com.