Shoga sushi bar in Orem serves classy tastes
The Sashimi Platter features salmon, tuna, octopus, yellowtail, escolar, suzuki, ikura with black, yellow and orange tobiko garnish.
Tuna Tataki features lightly seared tuna served with daikon radishes, avocado, spicy sprouts, tomato with honshu and Sriracha sauces drizzled on the dish.
Chef Enyx Bat prepares oyster shots at Shoga Modern Sushi Bar & Restaurant in Orem.
A set of oyster shots at Shoga Modern Sushi Bar & Restaurant in Orem mix artistry with aesthetic.
Shoba Special Roll and the Fresh Roll are served at Shoga Modern Sushi Bar & Restaurant in Orem.
The Sashimi Platter at Shoga Modern Sushi Bar & Restaurant in Orem. The platter features tuna, salmon, octopus, yellowtail, escolar, suzuki, ikura with black, yellow and orange tobiko garnish.
Tuna tataki features seared tuna served with daikon radishes, avocado, spicy sprouts, tomato and honshu and Sriracha sauce at Shoga Japanese Restaurant in Orem.
Oyster shots at Shoga Japanese Restaurant in Orem.
A place setting at Shoga Japanese Restaurant in Orem.
A Fresh Roll at Shoga Japanese Restaurant.
A Shoba Special at Shoga Japanese Restaurant.
A Fresh Roll and a Shoba Special at Shoga Japanese Restaurant.
A Sashimi Platter at Shoga Japanese Restaurant.
Chef Enyx Bat adds some black tobiko to a set of oyster shots at Shoga Japanese Restaurant in Orem.
Chef Enyx Bat puts the finishing touches on a Sashimi Platter at Shoga Japanese Restaurant.
A Sashimi Platter at Shoga Japanese Restaurant.
Tuna Tataki, from Shoga Modern Sushi Bar & Restaurant in Orem, features lightly seared tuna served with daikon radishes, avocado, spicy sprouts, tomato with honshu and Sriracha sauces drizzled on the dish.
The Shoba Special Roll and the Fresh Roll are among Shoga's many delicious, beautiful sushi creations.
The elegant atmosphere in a tucked-away sushi bar in Orem awaits errant foodies and is eager to please sushi connoisseurs with creative and edible sensations.
Shoga Modern Sushi Bar & Restaurant is far from ordinary with its Strawberry Salmon Salad and the riceless Nature sushi roll, to the gourmet dessert choices like the Chocolate Trilogy — but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Truly good sushi often lends itself to the number of complementary flavors and textures chefs can pack into a roll — or so I thought. The Shoga Special Roll expands criteria for a delicious factor that includes a creative arrangement of toppings as well.
Get this: How about adding minced banana peppers, cilantro, uncooked tuna and a mildly spicy crab salad atop a roll with tempura green onion, avocado, hamchi (yellow tail) and sesame oil inside? That’s the Shoga special at $13.95. Quite special, indeed.
Delightfully dazed from the zesty flavor combinations, and to recover from taste bud shock, I turned to a more traditional menu item — a simple garden salad. But what I was served was something far from “simple.”
More delicious innovation is found in the Strawberry Salmon Salad for $8.95, a remarkable value considering the large portion size. A 6-oz. grilled salmon fillet lies on a bed of greens with plenty of strawberries cut like silver dollars lightly covered with a honey-ginger house dressing. But this entree-sized dish has tons of little extras: mandarin oranges, cucumbers, paper-thin cut tomatoes, grated carrot, green sprouts and slices of an avocado quarter.
It was such a pleasant blend of sweet citrus and tangy vegetable elements, and each bite can be built accordingly to meet your stomach’s truest desire. There’s so many flavor options to combine in each mouthful.
Upbeat jazz and quiet contemporary electronica-classical music created a peaceful atmosphere. You don’t typically have the bustling restaurant kitchen soundtrack at a sushi bar. That was a big plus in my dining experience at Shoga.
A few television screens were tastefully mounted above eye level, so as not to distract you from having an unobtrusive social experience. The lighting arrangement in the dining room carved out individual eating spaces at the tables, booths and sushi bar areas and enhanced the calm, intimate atmosphere even more.
I’ve been around the sushi block, so to speak, and thought I have had most everything that world could offer. Yet again, Shoga demonstrated its Asian artistry in yet another sushi roll called Nature, a riceless creation wrapped in thin reels of cucumber skin.
Uncooked tuna and salmon are at the core of this roll with crab salad, sprouts and avocado as filler items. It’s also topped with tobiko, or small orange caviar dollops. Another sweet addition was the accompanying ponzu sauce, a soy sauce hinted with lemon citrus — such a nice blend with the cool crunch of the cucumber and creamy-smooth texture of the soft avocado and fish ingredients.
I would be remiss if I didn’t introduce you to Shoga’s secret weapon. A gourmet dessert called Chocolate Trilogy for $5.95, and it’s about the size and shape of a teacup. Really, a welcome portion size for a light dessert to top off your meal.
If you count the chocolate sponge cake foundation, it actually has four layers. Dark chocolate mousse at the bottom turns into milk chocolate mousse and then becomes white chocolate mousse, topped with powdered sugar and chocolate shavings.
This mousse tower is placed on a necessarily over-sized square plate, which is covered with drizzled caramel, white chocolate and dark chocolate syrups in a checkerboard design. A perfect addition for mixing with the mousse.
Shoga has a kid’s menu with options priced between $3.95-$6.95 and also has full dinner entrees such as filet mignon, chicken teriyaki and shrimp tempura among other menu items. The restaurant also serves a collection of soups and fried noddle dishes.
SHOGA MODERN SUSHI BAR & RESTAURANT
Where: 386 E. University Parkway
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2-9 p.m. Sundays
Prices: Soup/salad, $2.50-$9.95; lunch entrees, $8.95-$9.95; dinner entrees, $10-$19.95
Info: (801) 802-8388, shogautah.com