Monday, March 30, 2009

Guerilla food Reviews: Nikko Sushi

OK so if you’re ever in Puerto Rico and want some damn fine sushi, you HAVE to go to Nikko Sushi. I’ve had sushi in Orlando, New York, Boston and Puerto Rico. I’ve eaten in over 30 restaurants and the best eel nigiri sushi I’ve ever had in my life comes from the chef at Nikko Sushi in Isla Verde.

Here’s the thing, if I like a place, I’ll come back. Now if I love a place, I’ll use them as a comfort food silo to refuel my life energies via culinary delights. Nikko Sushi delivers on pretty much everything I look for in a place, reasonably price though not cheap, great quality food, decent variety, friendly people and incentives to taste the entire menu.

That being said, you need to order eel with your meal. There’s just no way of me saying just how damn good the eel is at this place. To add to this, there are a few rolls you should definitely order:

Azao Maki (with shrimp): Bloody fantasic rolls where a shrimp tempura roll with cream cheese has a bit of fish roe added and wrapped in rice paper. Make sure to taste all the sauces you get with it and mix and match as you see necessary.

Hot Tuna (big roll): Another great roll, decent price, delicious, fresh and hot.

Crazy Roll (with bonito flakes): Depending on where you go you can have different incarnations of the crazy roll, and though Sushi Hana’s and Wasabi’s tempura dipped delight fare better, Nikko’s Crazy Roll is no slouch.

Atlantic Roll: Tempura snapper with the works. Yummy yum.

Sunomono Salad: I’ve tried this salad in a variety of places and Nikko’s can bitch slap the rest into submission.

Sushi Pizza: I’ve tried Sushi Pizza in one other place apart from Nikko Sushi, and after that failed attempt at being tasty, I vowed never to ever order a sushi pizza at a place that isn’t Nikko.

Fried rice: you can measure the quality of most places by the taste of their rice. This goes for places that serve paella, risotto, Cuban/Dominican/Puerto Rican cuisine or Asian food. To put it simply, I don’t think I’ve ever had fried rice as good as Nikko’s.

Seriously, this might sound like a paid endorsement, but nothing could be farther from the truth. I consistently pay the full tab, though weekends have sushi specials which you should look out for if you want to save a couple of bucks. But to sum it up, I’ve been to Nikko sushi probably more than I should if I was ever worried about eating raw fish… but since I love it raw, I can’t help but recommend it enough. It’s quiet, it’s clean, people are nice and the food is delicious.

Make sure to order the house flan too… it looks harmless but once you sink your spoon into it, you’ll know you’re in for a very happy ending.

Average budget if you want to go all out have wine, dessert, starters, individual sushi and about 3-4 rolls is about $80, but trust me, it’s a truckload of food. To get there, you’ll have to be in Isla Verde and get on the overpass that leads into Marginal Villamar, also home to Panadería España, or be on the Baldorioty expressway en route to the airport and get our through the exit just before Grande supermarket.

Tip accordingly and your welcome when you take your first bite.

cheers

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