So how was sushi dinner fellas? I'm still holdin' out....for what, I'm not sure. And mrsreindeer don't do no sushi so I have to find a chance to fit it in when she's busy!
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Originally Posted by ucla695
Ah, good old Pier Ave in Hermosa…Club Sushi is one of my old haunts. I haven’t been there in years, but we used to go all the time for happy hour. I agree that the sushi wasn’t the best, but was good. Definitely can’t beat it for happy hour! After filling up there, we’d cruise to Sangria, Sharkeez (before it became a nub  ) and/or Hennessey’s. 
I'll have to check out that roll whenever I'm down on Pier. |
Sharkeez nub
....NO MO! They rebuilt it and it looks NICE! No wonder they set themselves on fire. The old joint was a dive.
When you do roll down there Mike.....call me, I'm down, whenever I can break away. And we can smoke outside Naja's at the Redondo Pier afterwards and try 70 of their 77 beers on tap. It's all about moderation.
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Originally Posted by TRicker
So for those of us who are new to sushi. How does Sea Urchin taste? I'm willing to try new stuff (had Octopus and liked it, eel not so much). I always see it and wanna try it, but am not really into anything too fishy. Should I? My current fave is yellowtail. Just don't want to look like a complete idiot if its a stronger tasting item.
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UNI - do it - try it - do it
Like others have said and I've touched upon, Sea Urchin is definitely an acquired taste. It's not fishy like mackerel and I'm definitely impressed you tried Octopus and liked it. Not sure what you didn't like about the eel...some don't like that it's EEL (bottom dweller, scavenger, etc.) but I find it quite good. And it's cooked (which takes away the 'fear' or 'grossness' of eating something raw) with the sweet eel sauce (which is more like teriyaki sauce) on top. If you're feeling like giving it another try, I much prefer
freshwater eel so give that a shot. And good octopus sure is good. You can even ask them to put eel sauce on top of that and it's a nice combo.
So, back to Uni (sea urchin)....again, the best comes from Santa Barbara, California, not Japan. I wonder if the Japanese order from us? When you look at a piece of the Uni sushi, the Uni (and correct me if I'm wrong here but I believe what we eat is the roe or eggs and not the actual urchin....and it doesn't look like any fish eggs I've seen before) resembles a tongue.
I don't believe there's much of a smell to it and some add the quail egg on top for an extra 'wow' factor and more creamy, silky, yolky, goopy goodness. I, on the other hand, tend to be more of a purist. I like the plain 'ol uni, resting on a bed of rice, surrounded by a crown of seaweed.
So imagine an orange-y tongue as you lift the piece to your mouth. As you bite, the roe tends to kind of melt/liquefy in your mouth. Not like popping the larger salmon roe that is also served the same way but just kind of melting, creamy in your mouth. The first taste, well, tastes like the sea.
As I've mentioned before, I order this every chance I get. This is the one item on the menu that truly reminds me (as if I need reminding) that I'm eating something that came from the sea. Sometimes, the sushi chef will tell me they don't have it when they actually do and that's because they make the decision for you as to whether or not it's fresh enough. It's unfortunate that some of you have ordered it and those places haven't taken this step in quality control, but I'm not surprised. Also, I think we're spoiled out here on the West Coast because we're so close to Santa Barbara and it's almost always going to be available good & fresh.
So, that first bite is 'of the sea' and then you get on in to the rice & the seaweed and they complement the wonderful salty, creamy, sea-like flavors really well. Some folks don't like the texture but I love it. And again, I wouldn't say it's 'fishy' tasting, just like swallowing some seawater...but better!
Down in Redondo Beach at the pier, I even shared a live urchin with a buddy of mine as it crawled across our plate. I don't like harming living things myself, so that was a bit tough. But tasty!
I'm dying. Must have UNI now!
I hope that helps and I wish you luck on the Uni slope. Please tell us about it if you do end up trying it!