A food-loving town can never have enough sushi joints, so it’s no big surprise that Portland just gained a new one. Food Factory Miyake recently opened its doors at 129 Spring St., next to the West End Grocer. It’s an intimate space, with an ambitious plan.

Right now the menu contains the usual array of offerings: maki rolls, sashimi rolls, nigiri rolls, seaweed salad and miso soup. But chef and owner Masa Miyake has grander plans.

With training in French and Italian cooking, plus 10 years experience as a sushi chef (most recently at Yosaku), Miyake hopes to bring his culinary sophistication to the table.

“I want to make many foods,” says Miyake, who has a total of 20 years experience in the kitchen and moved to Maine from New York City within the last year. “I don’t want to be bored.”

He points out that the noodle maki sets (a bowl of hot or cold noodles served with maki rolls) and the noodle mini don sets (again noodle bowls served with donburi or rice with toppings) are prepared in the traditional Japanese style. Specialty rolls, like the steamed lobster with a spicy sauce, reflect a blending of cultural traditions.

“I didn’t want a big restaurant, because it’s hard to control,” Miyake says. He adds that with the small scale of his new place (it has five tables and three bar seats), not only can he keep an eye on the whole operation and interact with guests, he also can flex his creative muscles. As a result, he is encouraging special requests.

Miyake runs the restaurant with his wife, Chieko (who takes care of the front of the house), and one employee. Because the husband and wife team need to pick up their three children in the afternoon, the doors close at 2 p.m. on weekdays and then re-open at 5 p.m.

Prices range from $3.50-$6 for the maki and nigiri rolls and from $9-$14 for the specialty rolls. Take-out is available. Wine and beer are not on the menu, but Miyake says customers are welcome to buy some next door and enjoy it with their food.

As Miyake sees it, his goal is simple: “I just want to make nice food and make people happy.”

— Avery Yale Kamila

Food Factory Miyake is located at 129 Spring St. in Portland. It is open Tuesday through Friday for lunch from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner is served Tuesday through Thursday from 5-9 p.m. and until 9:30 p.m. on Friday. It is open from 4-9:30 p.m. on Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. FMI call 871-9170.