The other night I went out to a sushi restaurant for the first time. Before I continue, let me remind you that I don’t eat fish. However, it was my first restaurant review and I could hardly turn it down. So I went, sheepishly, my sushi-loving twin sister at my side.
And here’s what I learned my first time at a sushi restaurant:
There is a sushi bar menu and a traditional menu. You can order off of both or just one. My sister ordered off the sushi bar menu, while I chose the traditional menu—then we shared.
There is nothing wrong with you if you can’t use chopsticks. Yes, I recommend learning because, frankly, it looks chic and is fun, but the owner quietly and graciously provided me with a fork and knife, “for the chopstick challenged,” when he saw me floundering.
Sushi is raw fish on top of rice. Sashimi is raw fish. Rolls have fish rolled in seaweed and rice. Knowing these things is important or you’ll be a lost soul staring at the menu.
When you order sushi, you typically get two pieces of fish atop rice per order. When you order a Roll you may get up to six items on your plate.
If you plan to go anytime soon, here are a few suggestions:
Order the crunchy rolls. The ones I tried were made with fried shrimp and came dredged in crispy rice with sweet ponzu sauce on the side.
Don’t be afraid to order non-fish items. Restaurants typically have vegetarian rolls as well. The restaurant I went to, Kingyo Sushi in Newport Beach, also offered delicious Teriyaki Tenderloin that melted in my mouth.
Hope this helps if you’ve wanted to try sushi but have been afraid. My advice—just go. Give it a try. What have you got to lose? Besides, what’s the worst that can happen? If someone smiles and hands you a fork, just be glad they were there to rescue you before your meal became a muddled mess on the plate. Enjoy!