Asaka’s sushi does not disappoint

Quality Japanese food can be hard to come by in Indianapolis. Many people prefer American and Mexican cuisines, thus there is an abundance of American and Mexican restaurants throughout the city. Due to the lack of diversity of food in Indianapolis, it is a treasure to find something different. For it to taste good, an even rarer find.

Asaka Japanese Restaurant, off of 82nd street, is where I decided to gain new opinions and experiences on Japanese food. Prior to my visit, I had never eaten at a Japanese restaurant. I saw it’s great reviews online and it also happens to be really close to North Central. 

Knowing that this was a popular restaurant, I made a reservation.

The restaurant was laid out very open, but had privacy partitions, which I appreciated. 

I received a menu with all of the sushi available on it. It was in a check-box list so that I could order specific items. I decided to get the Crunchy Roll, the Dynamite Roll, the California Roll, the Philly Roll and Spicy Tuna Roll.

I have had Dynamite, California, and Spicy Tuna Rolls before, but only from the grocery store. I was anxious to see how they would compare to restaurant quality.

As expected, the sushi was much better than the ones I’ve had at the store. For the Spicy Tuna, Philly, and Dynamite Roll, the fish was much more fresh and flavorful. It seemed as if the fish was a more meaty middle piece, in contrast to a leaner edge piece of the fish. 

The Philly Roll had smoked salmon with avocado and cream cheese. I was kind of skeptical about the cream cheese, but to my surprise I found it blended well with the avocado, salmon, and rice.

The Spicy Tuna Roll had tuna and cucumber with some mildly spicy sauce on top. The sauce wasn’t too strong tasting and complimented the tuna and cucumber. 

The Dynamite Roll was undoubtedly the most spicy as well as the most filling. It contained tuna, smoked salmon, cucumber and avocado. While both the salmon and tuna taste different, they go great together. 

The Crab Stick mixed with cucumber and went really well together in the california roll. The California Roll was also topped with a tasty spicy mayo sauce.

My favorite roll would have to be the Crunchy Roll. The Crunchy Roll had fried shrimp, avocado, cucumber, and crab stick. The shrimp was fried in tempura batter, which is very common among coastal Asian dishes. The outside rice layer was coated in tempura flakes, which are made from tempura batter, adding more flavor and extra crunch. The crunchiness of the fried shrimp and the smoothness of the avocado, cucumber and crab creates a satisfying contrast in texture. 

Not only was the food really good, but the service was just as exceptional. It did not take me very long to get seated, and my menu was already on the table waiting for me. The menu gives you the needed details for your food. 

There are decorative privacy partitions which I am really fond of. There were also plenty of decorative candles and Asian lanterns that lit the room well.

The staff was very kind and enthusiastic. They were quick servers and would do temporary check ups to make sure I was having a pleasant experience.

The sushi also seemed reasonably priced. For six rolls, it cost about four to six dollars.

I am very pleased with the Asaka Japanese Restaurant. The service was great, the food was delicious,and the price was pretty reasonable.

I would highly recommend Asaka Japanese Restaurant to anyone who has a crave for great sushi.

9/10