2-Bit Review: Sushi Cafe

One or two visits. A few hundred words. Sometimes that’s all it takes.

Many sushi fans in town are not aware that there’s a little joint for raw fish in Briarwood Mall.

Sushi Café is in the north side corridor off the Sears wing, across from California Pizza Kitchen and sandwiched between Pearl Vision and World of Nails. It’s a tiny little place, with dine-in seating for 10 people max, But they cut a nice piece of raw fish.

When you enter, the owner and his staff always shout “Hello! How are you!?” like you’re a long lost cousin. You can peruse the special, which might be something like a bento box with California roll, four shrimp gyoza, and edamame for $7.

I almost always order the spicy tuna roll, along with one piece of salmon and one piece of unagi (freshwater eel) sushi. You get a cup of miso soup with your entrée, too. All that, plus a diet coke, runs $10. I like Sushi Café’s spicy tuna roll because they chop the fish and mix it with the spicy mayo before rolling, and then top with a healthy dollop of more of the spicy mayo and a few chopped scallions.

I will occasionally stray and order a Caterpillar roll (cucumber, avocado, and unagi), which has always been nicely done, too. Unagi is my favorite, but every once in a while you get some that tastes funny – like an old sock or something stale. I’ve never encountered this problem at Sushi Café – their fish always tastes very fresh and yummy. And, dine in or carry out, they are always fast. This is a plus when you need all the extra time possible on your lunch hour to shop in the new Sephora across the way.