I was first deceived by its genteel green color to taste a spoonful all at once. Ever since, the wasabi has been a turnoff. Ever since, I also scoff at sushi, “pieces of overpriced cold rice, cold veggie and tasteless seafood” I labeled them. Well, they’re still overpriced, still cold, but definitely not tasteless. Be it the oksusu cha, the small salad with Korean mayo dressing, the creative rolls, or my infatuation with anything Korean (even when it’s just Korean-made Japanese food), the sushi at Anzu taste wonderful to me.
I’ve blogged about Anzu twice already, but it would be incomplete to talk about Anzu without talking about their sushi menu. The selection is countless: nigiri/maki, vegan/non-vegan, normal/fried/baked/crunchy, etc. Yah yah yah, this is uramaki (Westernized sushi) with the nori inside, avocado, cream cheese, names like Avatar and Golden Gate. But the point is they’re good. They also give you free soup, salad, and either edamame, fried tofu, or gyoza for appetizer. This would be one of the first places I’d take my little sister out to eat, had the US Embassy granted her a travel visa to enter the States (they wouldn’t do it unless she were married and had her husband stay in Vietnam). But since it’s so difficult to come here legally, guess we’ll have to celebrate Sou‘s birthday with pictures of sushi. 🙂
Calamari tempura roll ($4.99)- calamari, cucumber, avocado, kamaboko, roll over with spicy mayo and mango sauce.
California tempura Jr. roll ($5.25) – unagi (eel), cream cheese
Crunchy ebi roll ($4.25) – ebi (shrimp), unagi, cucumber roll over and looks like a catepillar. It’s fun to eat, but it also hurt the roof of my mouth a little bit.
Kanpyo roll ($2) – dried squash – I especially love this one for its simplicity yet addicting flavor.
N’jin roll ($4.95) – fried salmon skin, avocado, cucumber, kamaboko – The fried salmon skin is very crunchy, a little overpowering, but I like skin. 🙂
Spider king roll ($5.99) – soft shell crab, cream cheese, avocado, topped with tobiko (flying fish roe). This one is a bit salty and naturally it gets saltier as it sits longer in the soy sauce. The tobiko adds texture and little flavor.
Sweet potato roll ($5.50) – deep fried sweet potato, topped with sesame, spicy mayo and soy sauce.
Tropical roll ($2.95) – batter-fried asparagus and fresh mango in mango sauce.
Good old Futomaki ($5.25) – mixed vegetables (carrot, cucumber, kanpyo, takuan, and something like pineapple (?))
I like them all.
Address: Anzu Japanese Cuisine
2433 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 843-9236
The tropical roll gets my all-around best award. I like Anzu for their variety, low price, and free starters.