When scouring downtown Carlsbad for a funky place to eat, a distinct, white building with a woven tunnel screams for attention. The restaurant’s sign reads “Blue Ocean Robata and Sushi Bar“– sushi, well that points to Japanese cuisine, but Robata?

Robata, the abbreviated form of “robatayaki” denotes “fireside-cooking,” and is an encased-flame style of cooking that originated in Japan centuries ago. Blue Ocean Robata and Sushi Bar located on Madison Street, features this unique take on classic sushi. Items on the Robata grill are served on either one or two skewers — a Japanese twist to an American classic, barbecue — and include meat, chicken and seafood. The chefs at Blue Ocean continue the tradition by using similar hardwood and charcoal as used by Japanese in centuries past. The restaurant is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 4:30 to 10 p.m.

“I had no idea what Robata was when I first came to Blue Ocean,” sophomore Erin Slane said. “After guidance from my waiter though, I am now a fan of Robata cooking.”

Blue Ocean has a diverse and unconventional menu that features several varieties of sides, specialty rolls, sashimi and desserts. It also offers a variety of unconventional soups and salads, such as spicy sashimi salad, seaweed salad and tomato coconut bisque soup. For sushi lovers, it serves a multitude of different types of sushi and sashimi. One favorite is the Heart Attack roll, which contains deep fried bundle of spicy tuna, shrimp and Jalapeno cream cheese and is topped off with green onions and masago (the eggs of the small Capelin fish).

“Blue Ocean is definitely for those who are adventurous and willing to try new things,” Blue Ocean customer James Sudakow said. “I tried many items on the menu that scared me but ended up being beyond amazing.”