Just moved, and can’t wait to check out the
sushi scene in your new neighborhood? Want
to show off your favorite sushi restaurant
to your sushi-loving friend? Or just got
introduced to sushi, and now you can’t get
enough? No matter the reason why you’re
looking for a good sushi restaurant, make
sure you don’t pick a dud. There are a few
things to look for in a sushi restaurant
before you spend a dime that will tell you
if it’s worth eating there.
Fresh air. Smell the air in
the sushi restaurant when you walk in. Do
you smell that fishy smell? Fish doesn’t
smell “fishy” when it’s very fresh—it just
smells sweet and clean. If you smell a fishy
scent, their fish may not be perfectly
fresh, or the restaurant may not be clean.
A good presentation. Check
out the sushi that’s being served at the
sushi restaurant. Is the presentation
pleasing to the eye? In Japanese culinary
tradition, presentation is just as important
as taste. If your restaurant is slacking in
presentation—rolls are loose, nigiri-sushi
is just thrown together, sashimi isn’t
arranged pleasingly—chances are they cut
corners elsewhere as well.
A lot of locals. Do the
local people eat here? Chances are, the
sushi lovers who live in your neighborhood
know the good places to eat. Don’t be afraid
to ask around and get reviews of the
restaurant from people waiting for a table
with you. If there’s not a good number of
regulars, chances are it’s not the best
place around.
A focus on sushi. Does the
sushi restaurant serve other foods besides
sushi? (Other Japanese cuisine) Most of the best sushi places around
specialize. While you still may be able to
get good sushi from a place that serves
other cuisine as well and simply has an
added-on sushi bar in one corner, you’ll
probably have better luck with an all-sushi
restaurant.
Fresh fish. This is
probably the most obvious. Don’t be afraid
to go up to the bar at a sushi restaurant
and take a peek at the fish and other foods
they’re using. Fish should be clean and
moist. There should be no dryness and no
discolorations. The same goes for the
vegetables and other ingredients they use.
All vegetables should look green, fresh, and
clean.
The right ordering policy.
You should be able to order sushi pieces two
at a time. If the chef or the wait staff
want you to order everything at once, that’s
a sign the place is not particularly
authentic—and probably don’t have the best
sushi.
No conveyor belt.Sushi restaurants with
rotating conveyor belts that have plates of
sushi on them are impressive to sushi newbies—but most aficionados avoid those
restaurants. The sushi on the plates has
often been sitting out a bit and isn’t as
fresh as it could be.
While there are many sushi restaurants out
there, it can take a bit of trial and error
to find the best sushi restaurants. However,
good sushi is worth the extra effort it
takes to find a truly exceptional sushi
restaurant. Follow these tips for best
results, and happy hunting!
Chef Ozaki developed Allsushirecipes.com
both to educate and to bring his customers
together.On this site,
sushi lovers from all walks of life can
gather to share their enthusiasm for sushi
and have all their questions about it
answered.Here, you can
swap sushi recipes, connect with other sushi
enthusiasts, learn about sushi, or find a
sushi restaurant near you. Have a question, comment, or
suggestion?Chef Ozaki
loves to talk with his customers—both at the
restaurant and online.Feel free to email him at
Ozaki@Allsushirecipes.com if you have any
questions—or any suggestions on how he can
make this site better.
