Money Belt
Is it awkward when the giant clam on your plate gets around more than you do? Maybe a little. But that’s how they roll at Sushilicious. Kaiten sushi has it’s critics, and for good reason. Nobody wants fish that’s been rotating like a mistakenly-tagged piece of Sampsonite on the Jet Blue carousel at LAX.
Still, if you can put aside bad memories of all-things revolving (wayward dry-cleaning, squeaky spice caddies, really lazy susans) you’ll be ready for a sushi experience that comes right to you with all the regal, low velocity pomp of a Rose Parade Float minus the white-gloved hotties.
Dare I say...scallop-sational?
Consider the Medusa, a nori wrapped base of fried soft shell crab and creamy kani kama garnished with mesclun and dotted with roe. The rice is covered in ethereal tempura flakes that add crunch while soy-based tsume sauce lends a hint of sweetess to the crispy, savory bite.
Despite the funky, clunky names, (can you pass me a ‘Roll formerly known as California’, please?) the general concept of most rolls here is nothing new, but the whimsical delivery system, great prices and surprising freshness is.
Professional Itamae on a closed course: do not attempt.
Popular sushi rolls tend to be trashy in their seduction, preying on our basest desires. What omakase purist hasn’t given into the allure of deep-fried, toaster oven-baked, butane-torched offerings on occasion because of their sheer decadence? In that catagory, crispy cubes of molten fried rice with cool chili-laced chopped tuna on top remind of inside-out Sicilian arancini.
Still, there are plenty of healthier options. Sesame-flecked Napolean Dynamite with bare, translucent red snapper and cucumber laced in Sriracha is one. Twilight consists of shoyu-mirin basted and grilled unagi and cucumber topped with creamy avocado slices.
Supercali-Fraggle Rock Shrimp!
In most sushi bars, unorthodox Cali-style rolls are merely a habit forming gateway substance that primes the brain for later addictions to nigiri sushi, even sashimi. Although single-origin sushi is fine here, rolls are what get people hooked with Jeremy Piven-like zeal.
Sushicalifragilisticexpialidocious has this effect. The mild sesame-soy paper wrapped base is filled with crab salad, cucumber and salad greens contrasted with sizzling tempura rock shrimp drizzled in creamy chili sauce on top.
Roll Train.
The month-old brainchild of Daniel Woo is the latest in the kaiten sushi craze in OC, and ultimately the only one who puts out sushi that competes with its non-revolving counterparts. Everything on the belt is still made right before your eyes, with three chefs stationed at different locations inside.
Sushi is placed gingerly under miniature cake domes to protect it from the occasional sneeze or the meddling hands of the sake-bombed. Plate rims are color coded so staff can tabulate the damage. The conveyor belt is a high tech sushi-calator equipped with a radio frequency identification system.
Twilight Zone.
In Dahl-esque good egg/bad egg fashion, the belt senses a chip in each plate and a light goes on when one hour is up, signaling for the staff to pull it.
Who knew that the crowded, all-you-can-eat AC/DC-blasting rock and roll-sushi joints of the eighties with their Kirin-downing itamaes would give way to sushi-go-rounds playing Owl City flanked with pastel-clad club kids? And the word is out.
M likes it!
Woo hired social networking ninjas to tweet just about all things Sushilicious even before the doors were open. This beats sending the busboy out on Jeffrey dressed like a tsunami hand roll to attract customers. Just don’t be dissapointed that the hamachi you just snagged has more Twitter followers than you do.
15435 Jeffrey Road, Ste. 119 Irvine 92618. 949. 552. 2260
