Hi, I'm Earl. Product Manager at Yoyogi Sushi
The first time I went to Yoyogi Sushi, I came in with great expectations. My friends raved about it. Local publications raved about it, and even Yelp garnered favorable reviews. However, a glance inside the cramped restaurant shot bouts of doubt throughout my body. There was minimal décor. The menu looked greasy and worn out, and the wooden tables offered just enough room to shuffle around.
An adventurous foodie knows that a restaurant’s atmosphere does not tell all about its fare, so I decided to give the place a chance. I waited in line, watching a line of chefs busily compiling orders, and by the time I got to the front of the line, I decided on a combination of tuna and yellowfin rolls. An energetic old lady shouted my order in the direction of the sushi bar, and I saw one of the sushi chefs beginning on my order. His hands moved quickly and methodically, and I could tell from the mechanical precision of his actions that the sushi chef carried years of experience under his uniform. Comforted by what seemed to be quality craftsmanship, I handed over my debit card to the old lady.
After ordering, I found a table, one of the few tables open, and sat down. Within minutes, my order arrived on a simple, white plate with monochrome floral designs in the corner. I stared delighted to find that the rice to fish ratio strongly favored fish. Though the plating looked uninspired, one bite of the tuna roll affirmed my decision to come. The fish gave away telltale signs of freshness as my mouth hacked away at it into little pieces. The rice mirrored in quality, providing a glutinous, sticky complement to the fish. Given the $6 price tag for two, six-piece rolls, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better deal anywhere.
Yoyogi also performs well in the department of specialized rolls. Their spider roll follows the trend of high filling to rice ratio, and the crispiness of deep-fried crab remains intact despite being in a roll. As with most speciality rolls, the spider roll offers a smorgasbord of flavors, mostly salty and savory but also with a tinge of sweetness.
Yoyogi Sushi lacks the creativity and frills of an avant-garde sushi restaurant, and they don’t clearly state their sourcing of fish, but Yoyogi offers what many working class members of society want—an affordable sushi joint that procures tasty rolls.
