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Sushi Ya? Yeah!: New Orem restaurant does sushi right

By Logan Molyneux - Daily Herald - | Jul 18, 2007

Sushi Ya in Orem goes a step further than other all-you-can-eat sushi restaurants — it’s open season on all 40 varieties of their sushi rolls and nigiri.

If you’re tired of California (crab), try Arizona (yellowtail), or venture to New York (shrimp), New Jersey (salmon), or New Orleans (spicy shrimp). If you need adventure, climb the Rocky Mountain (shrimp, tuna, salmon, scallop) or see Alaska (crab, salmon, salmon eggs).

You also can see a Rainbow (yellowtail, tuna, salmon) or a Sunset (salmon, crab), but watch out for Tornados (shrimp, crab) and Hurricanes (spicy crab). Meet Jason (cooked scallop), Eddie (salmon skin, octopus) and even Barney Rubble (tempura shrimp). It’s enough to make you want your Mama (shrimp, eel, tuna).

It’s hard to imagine any wait to be seated, because the restaurant is so large. The building used to house a Chinese restaurant, so the decor might leave you wondering which country’s cuisine you’re eating, but it’s comfortable and quiet.

After getting descriptions of the sushi rolls from the menu, diners order with what looks like a sheet from a mail-order catalog, filling in a quantity next to the name of the roll. Thankfully, our waiter was patient and courteous while we decided between Unagi (eel), Yapi (seaweed) and Takamaki (tuna).

The sushi arrived on a huge plate, and it looked like enough to feed, say, Godzilla (white tuna). Each roll order is served in eight pieces or as a hand roll. With such a variety on the menu, we would have liked to try a little of everything instead of a lot of some things. Many varieties were simpler than average, but they were all less Americanized than at other restaurants.

The rolls we tried were easily on par with other fine sushi establishments. The Rocky Mountain has an extra slice of fish on top of the roll, which makes it a lot to fit in your mouth but extra flavorful. The Rainbow was tasty, except that the tobiko (flying fish eggs) it was rolled in drew mixed reviews because the eggs pop in your mouth.

Our favorite was the “#1 House Special” Crystal Shrimp roll. No description is offered about what’s in the roll, but it’s drizzled with a sweet sauce that adds a pleasant flavor. Meals come with miso soup and cabbage salad with a house dressing, if you ask for them.

Unfortunately, Sushi Ya is only for sushi lovers. Entrees like the Teriyaki Chicken and the Steak Bento Box were so-so at best. The tempura vegetables were delicious, but the meat was dry and the sauces lacked flavor.

The price tag is a little higher than the average dinner ($18.95), but the variety is enough to make any sushi lover Happy (salmon, cream cheese).

 

Starting at $4.32/week.

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