Become a Sushi Connoisseur

Sushi is a fairly popular and trendy thing that geeks love. There are countless varieties of rolls and combinations of fish, vegetables, and other goodies to please the palette. However, the question must be asked: are you getting the best out of your sushi eating experience? Together, we’ll explore different ways to unlock the secrets of appreciating your sushi experience.

Don’t just be a geek eating sushi, be a sushi geek!
Food, like many other things such as books and video games, is something that we can geek out over. Good food doesn’t just fill your tummy until the next meal, but it also tickles your palette with a variety of textures and flavors. Take the time to enjoy your food, and you’ll learn to appreciate the difference between good sushi and a mediocre dish passing as sushi.

Know how to discern the good from the bad.
The quality of the sushi is determined by a combination of things that should all be taken into consideration when eating at a Japanese restaurant. One of the most important things is the quality of the rice. Japanese rice is short-grained, and it is specially prepared when used in making sushi. The rice is cooked not only with water, but also with rice vinegar and a touch of sugar and a pinch of salt. The end result of properly-prepared and fresh sushi rice is a rice that has a small hint of sweetness and is sticky. The rice under your piece of nigiri sushi or around your sushi roll should have a slightly sticky consistency, and it should be soft.

Rice that is hard is either cooked improperly or not fresh; if you’re biting into a piece of sushi and the rice is crunchy, it’s not good rice! That ball of rice under your nigiri sushi shouldn’t be a hard clump, it forms a ball because it has a slightly sticky consistency — and good rice can enhance the flavor of the fish that you’re eating. On the other hand, if the rice falls apart at the barest touch, it may be overcooked, or the person cooking it may have used too much water. This can be a pain when eating sushi because the rice completely falls apart. The rice should be easy to chew, but not so mushy that you can’t even pick it up with your chopsticks.

The other important aspect of good sushi is the quality of the fish itself. Fresh fish (with the exception of a few kinds of fish, such as mackerel, which is soaked in vinegar) will have little-to-no scent at all. If the fish in your sushi has a strong fishy odor, then it’s probably not as fresh as it could be. Another thing to consider in the quality of the fish is the cut of the fish itself. Fish such as tuna has a “grain” and the fish should be cut against the grain for the best quality of slice. That way, when you take a bite of your nigiri sushi (biting it in half is allowed!), you won’t be struggling to tear a piece of fish off. The texture and consistency of the fish should be smooth. If it looks lumpy or is cut with the grain instead of against it, you aren’t getting the best quality fish.

If the cut of fish isn’t good, or it isn’t as fresh as it could be, don’t hesitate to send it back. Of course, a good sushi chef would never send out anything but the best cut of fish — trust me, I’m friends with a second generation sushi chef, and he won’t serve his customers fish that isn’t fresh.

Appreciate the fish.
The down-side of all-you-can-eat sushi is generally that most people tend to stuff their faces and gobble down as much sushi as they can without really tasting it. Just because you’re at an all-you-can-eat sushi bar doesn’t mean that you can’t eat like you’re at a traditional restaurant. Slow down when you’re eating. Take time to savor each bite. How does the fish taste on the rice? What does the soy sauce add to the flavor? What kind of texture does the fish have — is it chewy, or does it melt on your tongue? Take a few extra seconds to really appreciate your food. You can still eat all you want to/can eat, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the quality of your dining experience for the quantity of the fish.

Tip: the ginger on your plate isn’t just for decoration. Between eating different types of sushi, take a small bite of ginger. This spicy pickled root helps to clear the palette so that you can enjoy the taste of the next piece of fish without the aftertaste of the previous piece.

Don’t be afraid to try new things.
Along with finding one sushi restaurant and sticking to it, many people will eat only one or two different types of sushi and never attempt to expand their palette. This is definitely not the way to become a sushi connoisseur! Don’t be afraid to try new things, and if you eat only sushi rolls, don’t be afraid to try the nigiri sushi — the slices of fish on top of a ball of rice — as well.

The best way to try new things is at an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant with a friend. Nigiri sushi comes with two pieces of sushi, so you can order a different variety of fish and try it out to see if you like it. Tuna and salmon are pretty safe — and if you like salmon cooked, I can guarantee you’ll love it raw! — but there are plenty of other tasty kinds of fish to try. For more mild tasting fish, I suggest yellowtail and red snapper. For something a little more bold and flavorful, try the mackerel. Looking for something a little different? Try the tamago — this nigiri sushi contains no fish, just a light and fluffy sweet egg.

Once you’ve been to the all-you-can-eat restaurant and figured out what you like, then you can go to a traditional sit-down restaurant. Traditional restaurants tend to be slightly more expensive than all-you-can-eat, but the quality of the fish is always much better than even the best all-you-can-eat restaurant. I love both types of restaurants, don’t get me wrong, but you do get what you pay for when you go to a traditional restaurant over an all-you-can-eat sushi bar.

Don’t get into a rut.
Many people who are fairly new to sushi will find a place that’s cheap and convenient and will just stick to that place. I know that there’s a sushi restaurant across the street from UNLV that has cheap rolls, but it also has poor quality sushi, yet there are people who will continue to go there because it’s cheap and convenient.

Try eating sushi at different restaurants. You can try an authentic Japanese restaurant that serves sushi as only part of a much larger menu, or you can try some of the all-you-can-eat places around your town. The quality of sushi will vary depending on where you go, and once you’ve found a place with good quality sushi, you’ll be able to tell the difference between high quality fish that’s worth your money and the mediocre stuff that many restaurants try to pass off on you in order to earn a quick buck.

Getting the most out of all-you-can-eat.
Inevitably, once you find an all-you-can-eat restaurant with good quality sushi, you’ll likely eat more of your meals there than at a traditional restaurant where you pay per dish. All-you-can-eat sushi restaurants are making a ton of money off of thousands of people every day because they don’t know how to get the most for their money.

First, don’t order anything fancy to drink. Stick to hot tea or iced water. Sodas and beer only make you thirstier, which means you drink more and the rice expands in your stomach. I generally will only take a few sips of water or tea while I’m eating at an all-you-can-eat venue, that way I don’t get too full too fast just from drinking.

Another thing to keep in mind is the type of sushi you’re ordering. It may appear like you’re getting more for your money by ordering rolls than nigiri sushi, but this just isn’t the case. For example, a Philadelphia roll at a restaurant I frequent costs $8.95 on the regular menu. One order of salmon nigiri sushi is $3.75. But you’re getting so much more in a Philadelphia roll, right? Think again. The same amount of fish goes into a Philly roll as you get with one order of nigiri sushi. So, basically, you’re paying a little over five bucks more for a couple of cents worth of cream cheese and avocado. So, when you go to an all-you-can-eat buffet, make sure that you’re eating at least a few orders of nigiri sushi with every roll you order. The more actual fish you order, the more you’re getting out of your money.

Lastly, if you’re given the option of regular or low-sodium soy sauce, go with low-sodium. Soy sauce is very salty, and choosing the low-sodium variety will cut down on your feelings of thirst while eating. Just make sure that while you’re eating all you can eat you make sure to take time to enjoy the textures and flavors of the food you’re eating!

With these tricks and tips, you’re well on your way to becoming a sushi connoisseur. If you live in Las Vegas, I can suggest a few high-quality restaurants for you to try out. First is Sushi Yamaguchi. Remember that second-generation sushi chef I mentioned? He works at Sushi Yamaguchi. This is a traditional restaurant without all-you-can-eat, but all of the food — the sushi and the regular dinner menu items — are worth the price. They’re close to the West Charleston Campus of CSN and have daily lunch specials. For all-you-can-eat sushi, nothing beats Sushi Twister on Boulder and Sushimon in Henderson. These are two of the best all-you-can-eat places I’ve been to — and trust me, I know good sushi!

Is there a sushi restaurant in your area that can’t be missed? Let us know in the comments!