Holy Hamachi - It's Late Night Sushi
Written: Aug 26 '06
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Pros: Late night sushi in Oakland.
Cons: Giant sushi rolls - and sometimes there's a wait.
The Bottom Line: While not the best sushi around, Koryo Sushi is great for a late night bite.
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| megugrrrl's Full Review: Koryo Sushi |
Getting a decent bite to eat past 10PM is pretty difficult to do in the San Francisco Bay Area, and it's even worse in the East Bay. Oh sure, there's always Denny's and the like - but we want variety, not waffles.
Not all is lost - Koryo Sushi (near the corner of Shattuck and Telegraph - yes, they really intersect!) is open until 2:30AM (11:30PM during the week.) And because it's one of the few places open past 9PM, lots of people go, but it's nice to know that you're not the only one who has a 10PM chirashi craving.
The Sushi
The sushi is actually pretty good, probably somewhere near the bottom of my Unofficial Top 12 Sushi Places in the Bay Area. The fish is generally fresh, and you'll find a buttery gem here and there, but occasionally, just once in a while, you'll end up with some duds - still edible, but duds. Even though they can't keep a healthy supply of toro (fatty tuna), hirame (halibut), or katsuo (bonito) they do have a decent selection of standard nigiri (two pieces of fish (or other) on finger-sized beds of rice) with staples like buttery hamachi (yellowtail), oily saba (mackarel), garnet-like maguro (tuna) and such. The sushi rice texture is mediocre, and the seasoned rice passes but it is almost never packed tightly enough, and frequently crumbles with the first touch of your chopsticks. One thing I like about Koryo is you check off your sushi order with a golf pencil - which makes the ordering process easier for everyone. (Nigiris range from around $3-$7)
Mega-Makis
Around half their sushi menu is simple - like the aforementioned nigiri choices and basic rolls like California maki, kappa makki (cucumber) and tekka maki (tuna) but the other half is decidated to ridulously large custom rolls with bizarre names like The Shrek, The Pink Lady, Crazy Monkey, or TNT... and there are maybe a dozen of these monsters, illustrated for your morbid curiousity/delight. A lot of these fancy rolls use multi-colored sheets of soybean paper (green for The Shrek) and the sushi chefs make good use of green tobiko, and after being decked out, dipped, or deep fried, very few of these rolls resemble sushi, and should only be ordered (if ever) out of curiousity because, well, because they're not like sushi anymore, and I'm a lot like user mongkut, I can't recommend them.
The rest of the Menu
Koryo Sushi also has a big Japanese appetizer selection with winners like ohitashi - a cold boiled spinach treat pressed into a dark green rectangle in a delicate soy-based dressing and the Hamachi Kama - or gigantic yellowtail collar - grilled and served on a big plate for you and your friends to pick at. There are also not-so-good appetizers, like the deep fried Gyoza. Most things deep fried are good, but not potstickers - they need to be pan fried and covered to be steam cooked. Likewise their tempura (which is only good deep fried) is a let down - heavy, greasy, and the sauce isn't very good.
If you want something other than sushi, they do have teriyaki'd meats, breaded katsu cutlets, and udon noodles. I've tried their teriyaki chicken, which was just like teriyaki chicken you'd find anywhere else - pretty unremarkable. I'd venture to guess that most things on their menu is the same in that while it may lack authenticity, it's not bad. Most entrees come with a bowl of average miso soup.
In addition to a few bottled beers, they have a nice variety of cold sakes with descriptions on the menu - your server should be able to help you decide. Dinner for two with sake will run under $50.
Service
The service here is really hit or miss - occasionally the sushi chefs and servers are your best friends, and at other times they totally forget your existence - and I've noticed it has no correlation to how crowded it is, it's just finicky. The staff is young and hip by Asian restaurant standards, which is nice and friendly, but this also lends a certain ping of apathy.
Etc.
Koryo Sushi has a small sushi bar, and two small dining areas. The decor is no frills and you feel safe and secure, cut off from the rest of Koryo Plaza by covered windows.
During the week, this place is busy, even at 10PM, and if you come on a weekend, expect to wait a while with the North Oakland hipsters.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: 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: 317 members
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