Food review: Bincho roll

Restaurant: Sushi Time (San Francisco)
Food description: Albacore white tuna and avocado roll with tobiko (flying fish roe)
Food rating: 7 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Unlike some of the other offerings at Sushi Time, this roll did not disappoint. The white tuna and avocado complemented each other like crab and hot butter, as if they were destined to eaten together. I tasted zero fishiness this time, only smooth buttery deliciousness. Though rich, it only needed nothing more than a quick swig of beer to cleanse the palate. The portions of fish and avocado were sizable compared to the rice, and the tobiko added a nice hint of texture and flavor to the mix. Though I'm more of a sushi person than a roll person, it was great for what it was. Nothing spectacular, but no complaints either. It makes for great filler in between bites of sashimi.

Food review: Spicy white tuna roll

Restaurant: Sushi Time (San Francisco)
Food description: Albacore tuna and cucumber roll topped with spicy mayonnaise and sesame seeds
Food rating: 7 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

I always like to get the spicy tuna rolls when we go to a new sushi joint, partly because I like the spicy mix of flavors and partly because I get to eat it all - M doesn't like the mayo! Normally I don't see the albacore used in the spicy tuna roll which turned out to be a pretty good change in this case. The mayo dollop on top was not too mayo-ey and let you taste the rest of the ingredients without being overwhelming. The spiciness was just right, and it was a little bit sweet as well. Overall good flavor - and yummy sesame seeds. I dislike when the sesame is lost completely and they did a good job here of balancing. I'm curious if they didn't use the red tuna in the roll because it isn't normally very good - it sure wasn't on this visit. Well, I am pleased with this rendition of the spicy tuna roll by Sushi Time and I would have it again.

Food review: Super dynamite roll

Restaurant: Red Box Sushi (San Francisco)
Food description: Deep fried spicy sushi roll with white tuna, hamachi, and salmon in a spicy mayonnaise topped with kabayaki sauce, masago (smelt roe), and scallions
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Again - look at how beautiful that layout is! But this time, unlike the maguro, the flavor delivered. Yummy fried crunchiness on the roll casing, not too much mayo, not too much roe, and a yummy scallion layer. I would have given this a 8.5 or even a 9 if it had been a little less spicy, and please note, I realize that spiciness is a "to taste" flavoring. However, for me it was slightly overbearing on the mix of other flavors inducing a cancelling effect and could have been toned down just a bit. Regardless, this and the salmon were easily my two favorite dishes of the night and I will definitely be ordering this again if we go here again. Also I wanted to note that the dynamite rolls at different restaurants use different ingredients, I'm curious if the lack of maguro (red tuna) in this one is purposeful because they know its not as good... hmmmmm.

Food review: Rock and roll

Restaurant: Red Box Sushi (San Francisco)
Food description: Sushi roll with eel, hamachi, avocado, watercress, and wasabi mayonnaise topped with kabayaki sauce
Food rating: 7.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

The rock and roll was excellent at Red Box Sushi. I would have rated it an 8.0, had it not been for the wasabi mayonnaise. I appreciate what the chef was trying to do by adding this element, (adding creaminess and then offsetting its oiliness), but it was just overkill. The combination of avocado, eel, and hamachi was already rich and creamy enough (you wouldn't add mayo to guacamole now would you?) and the watercress was just enough radish to contrast the oil. I was totally savoring this roll until the wasabi mayo kicked in and started obscuring the flavors. I think the typical recipe only uses eel and avocado, but the addition of big chunks of hamachi was a good call by the chef. Maybe I can get him to make it special for me next time sans the mayo!

Food review: Dragon roll

Restaurant: Sushi Delight (San Francisco)
Food description: Shrimp tempura roll with cucumber, topped with avocado and eel (unagi)
Food rating: 7.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 5+

I'm more of a sashimi person than a roll person, because the flavor of the fish gets lost too much. The great part about the Dragon roll is that the eel and avocado are on the outside, so you can actually taste what's important first. In combination, the eel and avocado deliver a rich, buttery, sumptuous flavor. When you throw in shrimp tempura, you've now got grease overload. Even with the cucumbers cutting the oilyness, it's still somewhat ruins what the eel/avocado combo had going for it. Though that could be said about all dragon rolls, I still think there's more things the chef can do here to offset the heavyness of the oil in this roll. Overall, this roll is still pretty tasty, just make sure you've got some Kirin nearby to cleanse the palette.

Food review: Dynamite roll

Restaurant: Sushi Delight (San Francisco)
Food description: Spicy tuna, eel, and cucumber roll deep-fried amidst a bed of seaweed salad
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 10+

This is one of the more creative rolls available at Sushi Delight. For not being a huge fan of spicy tuna, this roll hits it out of the park. The presentation is excellent and the flavor is a nice balance between spicy and sweet. It's not overly greasy and the cucumber isn't overpowering. The seaweed salad is a nice companion to cool off the spiciness. The eel gets a little lost in the spiciness, but it's still a very tasty combination. Overall, it's a very nice rendition of the spicy tuna roll and one of my favorite items on the menu.