Another Sushi Place in the East Bay
Written: May 08 '03 (Updated Aug 04 '05)
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Pros: Sweet sushi.
Cons: Drunken Fish gets too crowded on weekends.
The Bottom Line: If you like Koryo Sushi on Telegraph, you'll love Drunken Fish on Broadway.
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| megugrrrl's Full Review: Drunken Fish |
Drunken Fish is a relative newcomer in the East Bay. It opened in 2002 and quickly developed a loyal following. We stumbled on this place purely by chance, and despite its gaps in authenticity, are very pleased.
interior
The interior is sleek, modern and clean. It's a little IKEA, but not overpowering. Deep reds contrast the black, which oddly enough, accentuate the light wood tables. The restaurant is upbeat and cozy, with seating for around 30 and a handful more at the sushi bar. There's also a partially-covered patio complete with bamboo for nice summer evenings in the back.
There's also a shelf inside that shows off the 20 different varieties of sake they offer. The variety is mainly with the brands they offer, but there are a few different ones, like sansachun - Korean wine flavored with the sansa fruit. As long as a place has cold, unfiltered sake I'm fine.
service
What I really enjoy and appreciate about Drunken Fish is the genuine service - unlike the other sushi joints in the East Bay. Every time I walk in, I feel welcomed. (Everyone knows how well this works the other way as well, how bad service can be a major turn off, like why mr.eyore won't go to Godzila Sushi anymore.) At Drunken Fish, they'll also plop down a complimentary dish here and there, will describe everything on the giant sushi platter you order, and will fill your order quickly. Your hot tea and water cups never go empty. The sushi chefs are a little cold, but the servers are tops.
menu
Typical Cal-Japanese food - sushi (complete with their signature rolls), noodle dishes, and bento boxes. Small salads (great miso tangy dressing) and miso soup are included with most orders.
Nigiris and simple makis hover around the $4 range, and can go up to $10 a roll for specials. The fish is relatively fresh, and the rolls are nicely assembled. Another reason I enjoy Drunken Fish is some of their sushi falls on the sweet side - the kani mixture (crab) and tamago (omelette) are prime examples of this. A few would argue with me over the particular taste of the crab and egg omlette sushi. At regular places, kani and tamago are like side dishes, mere filler. But not here.
You can order a la carte via a sushi checklist (I love this option, and think all sushi places should be required to do this) or order a sashimi/sushi dinner. ($10-$30)
Other options like udon (fat noodles) and tempura dinners are also available. Their Tempura Udon ($9) is topped with goodies (shrimp and veggie tempura is served on the side to delay eventual sogginess), and is unremarkable - the tempura dipping sauce doesn't really taste like tempura sauce, but that's okay because the tempura belongs in your udon anyway.
The best dinner option here (other than sushi) is the bento option, where you can pick two or three items. ($13 and $15 respectively) Bentos come with miso soup, salad, and green tea ice cream and diners choose between teriyaki (chicken, beef, or salmon), broiled mackarel, gyoza (meat dumplings), California rolls, tempura, or sashimi. Unlike most places, the teriyaki is actually grilled - the smokey charred taste is another plus for Drunken Fish.
downsides
Another major downside to this place, other than the tempura sauce, is the appetizers - I've tried a few and was let down. The Agedashi Tofu ($5) had a strange slimy quality about it (it's just deep fried tofu in a dashi-based sauce), and their gyoza (meat dumplings) is deep fried to a soft crisp. Usually gyoza is just pan fried and slighty steamed, lending a nice warm brown underside. Kara-age (deep fried chicken) was also a member of the mediocre club, as was the grilled squid.
There were also a few minor over-looked nuances, like not serving togarashi (red pepper) with udon or grated radish and ginger with tempura and some sashimi dishes. There are no excited "irrashai masse's" upon entering, but there were quite a few "kamsam-ni-da's", which reflects the Korean speaking clientele and staff. For me these are really minor things - things that I can overlook.
recommendation
Despite the unimpressive appetizers and food prep and presenation nuances, I like and recommend Drunken Fish. Their sushi is good, and the service is right by me, but I'd avoid weekends, as you'll encounter a wait.
If you like Koryo Sushi on Telegraph, I think you'll love Drunken Fish.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
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Epinions.com ID:
megugrrrl
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: Oakland
Reviews written: 147
Trusted by: 321 members
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