Sushi in Japan Town

My stop in Japan Town proved worthwhile, but one can easily become indecisive amid the vast array of choices. To be competitive, a couple of the restaurants showcase their best items on colorful photo-boards standing on easels at the front door.

At Osakaya, the “Ebi Fry Roll” exceeded my expectations considering the plain name of the roll (which simply translates to “Shrimp Fry Roll”) and the strange mixing of breaded fried jumbo prawns (not to be confused with the lighter, less crunchy batter of tempura) with oshinko (pickled radish) and tobiko. It costs $9.50 for the roll, but you receive a humongous nine-piecer that it is at once thick and long. I thought the brown river of sauce on which the roll sat was a miso paste, but the waitress explained it was their signature “steak sauce” mixed with Japanese mayonnaise, which certainly made it creamy. It is both quantity and quality here, and the flavor holds a certain authenticity that isn’t easily imitable.

Two storefronts away in the restaurant mall, Kushi Tsuru offers “The Sweet Tooth”: a roll of apple, avocado, and cream cheese topped with strawberry, mango, kiwi puree and tobiko. I had stumbled upon it earlier, but deliberately chose to save this one for last, to savor as a dessert (it certainly seemed sweet enough).

The problem is, unless you move to Frisco for the sushi, you’re constantly going to crave it.

Osakaya
Japan Center, San Francisco
415-922-2728

Kushi Tsuru
Japan Center, San Francisco
415-922-9902