November 2004-Restaurant review: Samurai sushi & roll

Samurai Sushi & Roll
Miso Soup for You!
1158 S. Harbor Blvd. Fullerton, Ca 92832
Sun-Thur: 11:30am-10pm Fri-Sat: 11:30am-11pm
Closed Mon-Fri: 2:30pm-4:30pm
Mon-Thur: 4:30-6pm Happy Hour

I like sushi a lot, but that does not mean I know a lot about sushi. Let’s face it, fresh fish prepared by highly skilled chef/artisans is not quite as affordable as a Double Double made by a high school sophomore. My sushi experiences are ones I like to be filled with copious amounts of raw fish and a few choice friends, so getting the funds and schedules to come together can make them a rare treat. The fare was exceptional and the company was an unlikely mix of friends that made for the most interesting and enjoyable evening in recent memory.
For me, sushi has either been a quaint, quiet and polite experience, or a sake bombing, happy hour of all you can eat and drink rowdiness. Samurai Sushi and Roll seems to fall somwhere in the between. The restaurant itself was larger than I expected and carried through the front door the pleasent but surprising aroma of the grille. With it’s Zen and sparse decor and track of “J Pop”, popular Japanese music running in the background, Samurai made for a unique mix of the traditional and the modern.
Standing behind the sushi bar were smiling, humorous and loquacious chefs who create an engratiating and fun atmosphere. The service was very friendly and accommodating and the food was incredibly satisfying. That night we tried a few things I had never heard of nor seen before, and truly, that is just the reason I signed up for this job.
Among our best choices were the simple and fresh sashimi($12) comprised of two peices of the following; salmon, yellow tail, halibut, and tuna, yellow tail and salmon being my personal favorite. Enjoying them plain or dipping them in a mixture of soy sauce and wasabi is a rule of thumb for me. What I like best about sashimi is that it balences out the complex and rich flavors often found in the sushi rolls giving your palate a break.
For example, I have to admit that one of my very favorite dishes was one that seemed to be the least traditional. Nevertheless, the Dream roll($10) was delicious in a way I’ve seldom experienced. Half sushi roll of crab, avacado and cucumber, half creamy baked Salmon, arranged in a circle with baked scallops in the middle... well, it’s a really unique indulgence. You must try it.
I also found myself bogarting the Rainbow roll($8) which, arranged in a semi-circle, was topped with seven different fish with a range of hues creating a spectrum of flavor that was as appealing to the tongue as it was to my eyes. And the eel topped Dragon roll($7.50), well known for it’s potency boosting properties in men caused both a fight and a lascivious discusion to break out over the last piece.
One dish which got mixed reviews at the table was the Hot Night roll($8). With cucumber, shrimp and ground tuna mixed with hot spices, we enjoyed the taste but found the texture a bit mushy. I would have liked the tuna in whole pieces instead. But combined with hot sake and ice cold Ahsahi, everything was balenced well.
The dessert menu was limited to green tea ice cream or Mochi Ball ice cream in mango or green tea flavors. Those of you who have never tried Mochi Balls must do so post haste. They are small scoops of rich and smooth ice cream inside a gummy sort of covering or shell that you can hold. The texture is really my favorite part of a Mochi. (You can also get them at Trader Joe’s.)
The only downside to our evening was that we got carried away with ordering rolls and didn’t concentrate enough on trying any of the appetizers or grilled items that smelled so good on the way in. Samurai may not be a sushi house straight out of Kyoto, but it is terribly tasty, very friendly and comparable in price to other haunts you might be familiar with. I will return very soon.

Oranges
Food: 4
Ambiance: 3
Service: 4