Was very excited to try another somewhat local sushi spot near Yucaipa, especially when it's receiving tons of high ratings. Guess my particular day just wasn't up to par? This spot can't seem to maintain their sushi chefs so there's lack of staffing and literally the only ones running it are the owners themselves. That's why there's currently only takeout and no in-house meal option.
Baked salmon roll is my favorite roll and the Yelp photos looked so enticing, so we stopped by and hoped this spot would satisfy my baked salmon craving! Buuut, unfortunately it did not. The baked salmon roll had tons of imitation crab and, to be quite frank, it tasted like a typical california roll with barely any salmon on top. Hardly any sauce for savory baked salmon roll bites. Although I asked for a good amount of ginger and wasabi since we ordered 3 baked salmon rolls - just enough ginger and wasabi was provided for the amount of 1 roll. As a particular sushi bandit eater... not a good idea to go cheap on the ginger and wasabi. Not a good idea at all.
My wife tried their Bunker roll - this also didn't satisfy her craving. Sometimes further from home isn't better, as our local sushi spots (e.g., Calimesa) are much better compared to what we ate today at this Redlands spot. Or could it be simply because they don't have a sushi chef? Not quite sure, probably multifactorial.
To top it off, I was simply taking photos as I usually would to post on Yelp and ended up getting yelled at by the older gentlemen behind the sushi counter?! I was taking a photo of the sushi counter with the line of glistening, delicious fish ingredients when the older gentlemen, who I bet is the owner, just happened to be there preparing our food. He ended up going off that I need to ask his permission when taking a photo of him and that it's illegal - so sorry! I just care about foodie pics, nothing else! I did ask for his permission after he stated it, but he kept going and I think his pride was off the chart already so best to just let it go. My first time here and definitely the last, unfortunately!
Why 2 stars? It's easy to tell they're going through some hardships with stress being a huge factor, so I'm not going to hit below the belt with a 1 star review. The ambience, if they ever decide to open up for indoor service again after hiring a sushi chef, is actually very classy and is easily wonderful for a quick lunch, night out, or dinner date. The space is very small inside so I wouldn't go with a large party or family. The sushi rolls themselves are average, nothing special, and I could tell they went cheap with the baked salmon rolls (orderd 3!!) thanks to the huge amount of imitation crab. Sadly the "flavor" we experienced today was on par with sushi served at a buffet.
Overall it's a good spot for locals nearby for a quick "to go" order. Otherwise, not worth it for those driving out of their way and would be better off at buffets or sticking to your local sushi spot. Don't be hard on the old couple as they're doing their very best to run their sushi spot single handedly. Better yet - if you're a local and eat here often, support them regularly and have your friends and coworkers order sushi here! Unfortunately, I wouldn't expect to have any sit down meals here any time soon. read more