I love sushi. If I could afford it, I would eat it every day. So I’m always happy to try out a new sushi place. When my friend suggested I give Sushi Spott in Mill Creek a try, I couldn’t wait to go.
I’ve been a couple times since then, and I’m glad I found it.
Now, for the sake of full disclosure: I love sushi, but I am not an expert. I’m more of an enthusiastic devotee.
I know that there are experts who can expose the delicate flavors of raw fish the way a wine aficionado can tease out the flavors of a great wine. I am not one of those people.
I can tell you what I like, and what I don’t, you’ll have to decide the finer points for yourself.
So, back to Sushi Spott. It’s an unassuming little restaurant in a strip mall. Inside, there’s a small bar near the sushi chef and a selection of tables. The service is friendly.
On my most recent visit, the pleasantly chatty sushi chef was discussing the highlights of recent football games with customers.
On this trip, we started off ordering calamari ($6.95) as an appetizer. It was tasty, not chewy, not rubbery, and came with a delightful tangy sauce.
My husband was enthusiastic about the calamari. I enjoyed it as well, although I thought some of the pieces were overbreaded. I personally like the tiny octopus served with calamari, but some people find them creepy. So if you don’t like those, don’t order this.
We also ordered some nigiri sushi with tuna ($4.25). It had a generous slice of tuna. The fish was firm and pleasant tasting. My husband, a self-described rice snob, said they nailed the rice. It was seasoned but still sticky and held its form well.
Next up was a tuna roll ($4.45). The rolls had a good ratio of tuna to rice; I dislike it when rolls have too much rice. The tuna had a nice, luscious feel. It was rich and almost creamy.
We also tried the sunrise roll, which we couldn’t resist because the menu touted it as their No. 1 roll. It contains crabmeat, tempura shrimp, tuna and seared salmon with eel sauce, special sauce and tobiko. So, it’s a lot.
It’s quite a marvel of construction. It had a lovely smoky, just mildly sweet flavor. It was insanely decadent and over the top. I enjoyed it, even if it was a bit messy — this was definitely the hardest roll to eat. Sushi purists would probably be appalled by this roll.
The caterpillar roll ($9.95) featured barbecued eel and cucumber, topped with avocado, tobiko and eel sauce. The eel was tasty, but the rest of the roll was unexciting. The avocado might as well have not been there. I couldn’t taste it at all.
We split an order of seafood nabeyaki udon ($12.95), which is an udon noodle soup with seafood and tofu. The noodles were fantastic. The soup broth was a bit bland, but it was greatly improved by the condiments that are served on the side. They’re a bit spicy, so start slow when you add them in.
The seafood was plentiful, but nothing special. It didn’t have the vibrant flavor of really good, fresh seafood, but it wasn’t bad, either. I would have preferred the soup with just the excellent noodles and tofu.
I’m glad we have Sushi Spott. If you like your sushi simple, this might not be the place for you. Or stick to the nigiri. But if you like rolls and don’t mind some fancy creations, you’ll enjoy it.
Sushi Spott
1700 132nd St., Mill Creek; 425-338-4553, www.sushispott.com. Specialty: Sushi.
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday; 3 to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Alcohol: Wine, beer, sake.
Vegetarian options: Few.
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