The following review was written for Orem, but applies to Draper as well:
I've had sushi all over the Salt Lake and Utah valleys--from stuff that tasted like canned cat food mixed with wet toilet paper, to fish so good that it must have been blessed by Poseidon himself--and I'd developed a firm belief that good AYCE sushi just didn't exist.
A belief I held proudly, that is, until my friend convinced me to try this place in 2010. I reluctantly broke bread with him here (but not real bread--it's a sushi place, you know) and on that fateful day, history was made. We've eaten here probably 20 times since.
The three things this restaurant does best are value, flavor, and consistency.
VALUE:
My pal and I will work up a good case of the hungries by raking leaves or navigating the raging Provo River, and then we'll head on over to the Sushi Ya.
Each of us will get 4-5 rolls from the AYCE dinner menu (usually the Playboy, Mama, Rocky Mountain, Spicy Crunch, and perhaps one wildcard) and the dozen mussels. That's a large and delicious meal for about $25 dollars per person after tax and tip.
FLAVOR:
Go eat those rolls and mussels and tell me that's not one of the tastiest meals you've had this year. And I'm saying this in November; that means you've got almost 11 whole months of meals to compare with this one!
I'm not worried. I know what I said.
CONSISTENCY:
What surprised me about this AYCE sushi, beyond its value and taste, was its consistency. The rolls and mussels look and taste exactly the same (if not a little better) every time we go in.
Every. Single. Time.
And on top of that, I've been to their new Draper location twice this year, and was shocked to find that the food there is a carbon copy of the original Orem location.
How do they do it? Must be magic. Good luck explaining this one, Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
Now is the time in my review where I will mention what I'd like to see change or improve at the Sushi Ya.
1. This first one is easy--be open on Sundays. I'd probably feast at the Draper location every other Sunday, were it open. But I understand that business would probably be too light to make it a profitable day. Still, a man can dream.
2. The only real con that I feel when I eat at these stores is that they suffer a little bit from what I like to call "Cafe Rio Syndrome." I just made that up, right now, and you can use it if you want, but remember who came up with it. Me, that's who.
By "Cafe Rio Syndrome," I mean that the food is delicious, but the best rolls on the AYCE are basically the same 5 or 6 ingredients, just arranged in different ways. It would be nice to have more variety there.
I am now realizing that Jim Gaffigan said something similar about Mexican food in general--the same 5 things just put together different ways. Does that make my invention of the term "Cafe Rio Syndrome" less awesome? No it does not.
But let's get back to reviewing the Sushi Ya. Seriously, do yourself a favor and try out the dinner AYCE--it's excellent all around. I've always been treated well here, and am always happy when I walk into and out of the restaurant. I hope they continue to perform awesomely, and that they're around for a very long time.
tl;dr Sushi Ya rocks the casbah read more