The first time I came to Sushiland, my friend and I were in the midst of cramming for finals, so we opted for to-go so we could eat while cramming. My second time was eat-in with a friend who lived nearby to celebrate the end of finals.
The restaurant itself is relatively small, with maybe six or so tables inside. There's a parking lot in the back and to the side, which is pretty convenient. Service is friendly but seems a little inexperienced. When I ate in, my friend and I walked into a full house, so I asked the waitress behind the cashier how long the wait time would be. She gave me the blankest stare for a good couple of seconds and then turned to ask another lady how long the wait time would be. I found this interesting, and the slightly lackluster service persisted throughout the rest of the meal. Plates weren't cleared away despite my friend's and my best efforts to pile them at the edge of the table, our waters took quite a long time to refill, and the check took a painstakingly long time to arrive. We weren't in a hurry this time, so I didn't particularly mind, but I can imagine how such service would be frustrating in a different situation.
Sushiland Roll (to go):
(http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sushiland-hayward?select=NzmJ2_9GaQ5pTfQwmr9zEQ#2dtaSR2b0uNTNeRpHz-Log)
This roll sounded incredibly tasty on paper, but the execution was rather poor. The greens on top were a bit too saturated with dressing, and the mixed pieces of fish were stuck together in random globs. It was hard to eat to say the least, and the confusing presentation was exacerbated by the to-go box (which, to be fair, wasn't their fault). Either way, I most likely wouldn't order this again.
Seared Albacore Roll, White Dragon, Rock n Roll (to go):
(http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sushiland-hayward?select=NzmJ2_9GaQ5pTfQwmr9zEQ#qpWxBiRujIaQ06Yhxmk9ag)
The Rock n Roll had good flavor, but was a little oversaturated with unagi sauce. The White Dragon Roll was good, but I also felt like there was just a little bit too much sauce on top, which masked the flavor of the super white tuna. I also felt like the fish on top wasn't the freshest; it wasn't bad, but I detected a slightly mealy texture to the super white tuna. The Seared Albacore Roll was a disappointment to me. The pieces of albacore on top weren't seared very well; rather, they were overcooked and had hints of that "fishy" taste. I had to eat each piece with ginger and a good amount of soy sauce to counteract that flavor.
Chirashi:
(http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sushiland-hayward?select=NzmJ2_9GaQ5pTfQwmr9zEQ#w4LT07uEmAIzXXRNQ1UgWA)
My friend got this when we dined in, and I was surprised to see that it came on a plate instead of a bowl. This combination came with a generous amount of fish, and the miso soup (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sushiland-hayward?select=NzmJ2_9GaQ5pTfQwmr9zEQ#FEqs2u-vHaR3E6g0anM_8A) and side salad (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sushiland-hayward?select=NzmJ2_9GaQ5pTfQwmr9zEQ#JwFA06Q_mO7Wm0mXJ_mLhg) that it came with were fresh and good. I could have used a little less dressing on the salad and silken tofu instead of firm tofu in the miso soup, but that's just me being nitpicky.
I ordered the Nigiri Deluxe Combination (I believe?) that came with eight pieces of assorted nigiri, a spicy tuna handroll, and an order of California roll. I requested no salmon due to food sensitivity, and they were very accommodating with that.
Spicy tuna handroll:
(http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sushiland-hayward?select=NzmJ2_9GaQ5pTfQwmr9zEQ#vKw5RynkLZ5XkCw43WX-qg)
I liked this handroll, but it veered towards the bland side for me. The tuna was also very, very minced, so much that I didn't get any texture of fish. I did like the pairing of crunchy cucumber slivers with the tuna though.
California roll:
(http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sushiland-hayward?select=NzmJ2_9GaQ5pTfQwmr9zEQ#MTAqnp3yx49VOYTsJw67-g)
This has to be one of the creamiest California rolls I've ever had, and while it was good for the first couple of bites, it became very heavy very quickly towards the end. I did like the rice and ratio of ingredients here though, and I would probably get it again if it came with a combination, but perhaps not on its own.
Nigiri:
(http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sushiland-hayward?select=NzmJ2_9GaQ5pTfQwmr9zEQ#DUPtARNZkpYwM2kIbMCfuQ)
(http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sushiland-hayward?select=NzmJ2_9GaQ5pTfQwmr9zEQ#I092Kk8eOT8fSbgUTKfquw)
The nigiri here was rather unmemorable to me. It wasn't necessarily bad, but the fish wasn't the freshest. My favorites were probably the super white tuna and escolar. The unagi was slightly dry, the maguro squishy, and the other cuts of fish different thicknesses. This didn't particularly bother me, and the portion was definitely generous for the price.
Overall, not a bad place for a quick bite, but I don't know that I would return specifically for the food. read more