Sushi Bar - Revisit

Hubby and I had hit our limit of decadent holiday dinners just after Christmas and decided to go back to Sushi Bar and see how they were doing. My first visits were both enjoyable so we looked forward to seeing if they have maintained their quality. 

We really just wanted sushi so we ordered several rolls and a couple pieces of salmon nigiri and skipped any appetizers. I did also had a bowl of miso soup ($2). I have to say, they may have one of the better bowls of miso I have had around town. It just seems heartier somehow, a denser broth. It was studded with the usual cubes of tofu and some seaweed.

We had the Christmas roll (seemed appropriate) ($7.99), the Phoenix roll ($10.99), and the Hoosier roll ($4.50)—and as I mentioned, an order of salmon nigiri ($4.50).  Honestly, I think our favorite was probably the Christmas roll. It had spicy tuna and crunch on the inside and lots of sliced avocado on top, as well as some masago. Even though the spicy tuna was more of the less identifiable pieces of fish (almost more like a paste), it had a nice crunch with the tempura bits and you know how much I love avocado. The flavors and textures were nice together. 

The Phoenix roll is one we often get in some variation in a lot of sushi places. It had shrimp tempura inside—and they were generous on the shrimp—there was quite a bit of shrimp sticking outside the ends, not just the tail. It was topped with eel and avocado and unagi sauce, which is a soy based slightly sweet sauce. We like a bit of crunch, so we like the ones with fried stuff in them.  It hit the spot.

I kind of threw the Hoosier roll on at the end of our order worried we wouldn’t have enough. And it was only $4.50 so I figured it would be small. It was only 6 pieces vs. the larger 8 piece rolls that are topped with stuff. It was simple with just plain tuna and avocado and drizzled with spicy mayo. It was a good addition and for the price, you can’t really go wrong.

The only real complaint we had about the rolls overall was there was something just a little off about the nori (seaweed). It was just a little too chewy. I am not sure what causes that, but from my cursory search online, it can be from just too much moisture –like if the rice is moister than normal. All the rolls suffered a bit from it. It didn’t ruin the meal or anything, but we both noticed it right away. The salmon nigiri was one of the best things, probably because it was a great piece of fish and because it didn’t have any of the nori on it.

All in all, (hopefully temporary) nori issue aside, I think the Sushi Bar is a solid choice, particularly on Broad Ripple Avenue. The prices are reasonable (and the beers are still $1 for domestic bottles and $2 for imports!), the food is good quality and our service was friendly and efficient. In fact if anyone was slow, it was us trying to make up our minds about what we wanted. The place was doing a steady business as well and I was glad to see it.

Sushi Bar

911 Broad Ripple Avenue

Indy  46220

317/257-7289

www.sushibarindy.com