If you’re looking for a satisfying, healthy meal paired with fresh Japanese cuisine, try Sakura Sushi & Noodles. The restaurant, located on 14th Street, features a wide array of reasonably-priced offerings — from soft shell crab rolls to sea urchin sushi — sure to entice both apprehensive and adventurous diners alike.
With this in mind, I was surprised to see a sparse crowd at Sakura during my visit. Granted, my dining companion and I went on a damp Sunday night, and you can order take-out instead of sitting down — but we were both taken aback by the fact that only one other couple was in the restaurant. When a third couple entered, my friend said, “Wow, looks like we just beat the rush.”
In any case, Sakura offered up a meal that was somewhat of a mixed bowl but enjoyable all the same. When we sat down, my friend and I were contemplating ordering different types of sushi. But after a strong recommendation from the staff, we ended up both ordering the Sakura bento ox, a sampler platter of sorts. For just $15.95 per platter, we got miso soup, salad, California rolls, shrimp and vegetable tempura, steamed rice and a choice of a variety of meat or seafood dishes as the main dish. I ordered the beef teriyaki for my main dish, while my friend chose the chicken teriyaki.
What ensued was a veritable feast. Our appetizers — the soup and salad — came out quickly enough, and the clash between the steamy miso and the chilled greens was delicious and refreshing. The miso, which contains tofu, seaweed and scallions, came in a small bowl — just the right amount considering what was ahead. And if you’ve ever been to a Japanese restaurant or steakhouse before, you are familiar with their version of a salad: lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and a chilled ginger dressing with a consistency similar to that of ice cream. I only wish I had a little more time to enjoy the salad before our main course came out — and that Sakura had set the table for those like me, who have yet to figure out the art of using chopsticks.
The bento box was, literally, a box divided into four quadrants. In one section, we had fresh steamed rice — always a staple of Asian cuisine — and as a big fan of rice, I’m happy to report Sakura’s was delicious. In another, we had the shrimp and vegetable tempura. The shrimp tempura went down fast, especially when paired with soy sauce. The vegetables, however, were a different story. While the sweet potato tempura was good and crunchy and tasted almost like a french fry, the soggy broccoli tempura was barely edible. We also received a mystery vegetable that we both immediately regretted trying. A warning to those who order the bento box: If you can’t identify what you’re about to eat, don’t risk it.
The California rolls that came with the bento box were light and fresh — in a completely different class than the sushi-on-the-go offered at Pavilion XI — and came with the usual ginger and wasabi. While they were an agreeable addition to the meal, I would have liked to try something a little less conventional. Sakura offers up numerous types of sushi, sashimi and combinations of the two. Some of the combos sounded both mouth-watering and bold: spicy tuna and spicy salmon, eel, cucumber and yellow tail, sweet potato and avocado. My friend had tried the spicy tuna rolls before and was actually set on ordering them before we were swayed to the bento box. I’m planning on getting those during my next visit.
The biggest letdown of the bento box was incidentally the biggest part of the box: our teriyaki dishes. Both of the meat dishes came out lukewarm, which to me was unexpected. In addition, my friend and I concluded that the chicken — despite being slathered with sauce — was pretty dry and that the beef was a bit stringy and tough. I still enjoyed mine, but it’s safe to say it paled in comparison to the rest of our dishes. There are several other options for this course, including salmon teriyaki, shrimp and scallops, sashimi and tofu — as well as some dishes that I am unfamiliar with, such as beef negimaki, yakitori and kushiyaki. I definitely wished we had both picked something different and again, more adventurous.
After cleansing our palate with some fresh-cut oranges, we decided it was time to share yet another course. The dessert menu was limited to just four choices, but we again asked for some advice from the wait staff and weren’t led astray. Turns out the green tea ice cream, encrusted in a sweet dough and flambéed, was much more enjoyable than it sounds. The green tea ice cream was almost indistinguishable from vanilla, and the sweet crust was very reminiscent of a funnel cake. All in all, it was a good end to our meal — and only $4.50.
Of course, Sakura specializes in sushi as well as traditional noodle dishes, like udon or soba. You can even try something a little off the beaten culinary path, like Zaru soba, which features cold noodles with wasabi and quail eggs in a special sauce for only $8.50 — shrimp can be added for $2. In addition to the noodle dishes, Sakura offers a wide selection of appetizers, ranging in price from $4.50 to $9.95, as well as five types of soup and six types of salad. The menu also features a large list of lunch specials at reduced prices, most of which come with miso soup on the side.
Sakura — don’t confuse it with the Route 29 Japanese steakhouse that shares its name — offered an entertaining meal and a welcome change from my usual Corner spots. While there were some dishes both my friend and I wish we could have swapped out, I think I’ll definitely be back again soon to try some more adventurous fare.
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