NaiYaRa Has a Secret Off-Menu Sushi Doughnut

Miami's reputation for being exceptionally late when it comes to food trends seems to be over. In the past few months, poke shops, edible cookie dough, and matcha tea stands have made their way to the 305. Now, say hello to the sushi doughnut.

NaiYaRa, in Miami Beach's Sunset Harbour neighborhood, is the first to debut the fashionable (and tasty) sensation. Swap sweet brioche dough for rice and seaweed formed into a doughnut shape and decorated with ingredients such as wasabi, ginger, avocado, and mayo.

Created by NaiYaRa chef Danny Khoetchapalayook, each doughnut is made to order and must be requested, because it's not listed on the menu.

Toppings range from salmon, tuna, and caviar to crisp rice balls, truffle flakes, and cashew mayo. All doughnuts, however, have a round bed of sushi rice as their base.

"I saw it first on Instagram late last year coming back from California," Khoetchapalayook says, "but what I saw was very basic."

Instead, the chef set out to blend the concept of a chirashi bowl — rice with fish, vegetables, and other ingredients — with an aesthetically pleasing doughnut.

Customizing your own sushi doughnut doesn't come cheap, though. For now, one doughnut costs $25, but it includes an unlimited number of toppings. It's also a large portion, comparable to the size of a doughnut from the Salty Donut. Khoetchapalayook assures it tastes as good as it looks and is worth the price. And just think of how Instagram will blow up once you post a picture of this outrageous treat.

"It tastes amazing," he says. "Come in and try it for yourself."

For more information, call 786-275-6005.