I ordered in from J Sushi on Friday night and I noticed the prices were high but was hoping that this meant the quality was awesome. I decided to order an appetizer, a roll and a meal to get a feel for what they have to offer. I ordered the crab stick tempura for $4.95, the spider roll for $8.95 and the steak hibachi grill that comes with fried rice and a salad or soup for $17.95. I found the wait to be long, but not outrageous.
The crab stick tempura was very chewy and didn't have a ton of flavor. It wasn't the worst thing I've had, but I have no desire to order it again. The spider roll for $8.95 was on par in many ways with other rolls I've had at other locations. The best spider rolls I have had will provide a larger fried crab portion to the crab salad. This one did not but it is in line with the portion of many other places, that's not an issue to not order the roll again. The main issue is the nori wasn't fresh so it fell to pieces and I basically had to eat it with a fork. It tasted pretty good but I didn't order sushi salad (hm, new menu item?) so I was a little disappointed and if it had stayed together it would have been too large for one bite anyway.
The steak hibachi came with a fresh salad that was pretty good. The steak and marinade tasted nice, there was a great mustard base sauce for dipping, plenty of vegetables and decent steak. The taste of that dish was fine. The fried rice was chock full of a lot of veggies if that's your thing. Personally I prefer more rice than veggies but I don't dock for that since a restaurant has to appeal to the majority. My issue is that I have ordered this same dish at other places for $5-6 cheaper with fantastic veggies (so tender they would melt in your mouth) and better meat (better cut and cook with a lot less fat). That boggles my mind, if you are going to charge so much more for a common dish, you have to really deliver!
I don't mind paying more for great food but you should blow me away with your flavor combinations and quality. My favorite local place also delivers, and I would have gotten the same amount of food and an additional roll for a couple of dollars less and it would be fantastic! No worries, the rating system doesn't include docking a star for not being exactly like my favorite place, each restaurant should have its own personality, but this place needs to remember that there is competition in the area and they should be in line with the best out there, not just better than the worst.
I've only tried a sampling of their menu and I'm not adverse to trying something else in the future. I would definitely try another sushi roll and a different appetizer and see if I get fresh nori, in case they were having an off night. However, I won't have a lot of patience with okay or poor quality at these prices. For now, 3 stars, but barely. This is because most of meal tasted fine, but was completely over priced for the portion and quality. I'm hoping they execute better if I try them again. read more