Five Sushi Brothers delivers (in more than the literal way)
Toni Chung drizzles sauce on sushi rolls at a fundraising party for Five Sushi Brothers in 2016.
Ammon Chung slices sushi rolls at a fundraising party for Five Sushi Brothers in 2016.
The Phat Brother roll features tempura shrimp and avocado, topped with eel sauce and chives.
{image}{photoCredit}Courtesy of Jacob Chung{/photoCredit}
{caption}The Lil Bro appetizer is a tempura style sushi roll filled with salmon and cream cheese, topped with spicy mayo and eel sauce.{/caption}
{standaloneHead}Review: Five Sushi Brothers{/standaloneHead}
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The Tiger Mom rolls features a tempura shrimp center, layered with Canadian salmon and topped with spicy tuna, shredded carrot, red pepper flakes and sweet Thai chili sauce.
{image}{photoCredit}Courtesy of Jacob Chung{/photoCredit}
{caption}The Band Manager is a tempura-style roll filled with avocado, crab, cucumber and cream cheese, topped with sriracha, eel sauce and chives.{/caption}
{standaloneHead}Review: Five Sushi Brothers{/standaloneHead}
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Provo has a number of great restaurants. But anyone who has ever been hungry in Provo after 9 p.m. has faced the same unpalatable array of bad choices: 1) Go into the kitchen and whip something up yourself, 2) just go to sleep hungry, or 3) put on a disguise and head back to the same fast food restaurant you always go to, hoping the cashier won’t recognize you this time.
By the time 10:30 p.m. rolls around, your car smelling like Wendy’s chili and your head searing from the large chocolate Frosty you inhaled too quickly (the shame passes faster the quicker you eat), you curl up in your bed — the bed that is now stained from ketchup and fry grease — and wonder, “Isn’t there a better way?”
Well, now there is. Five Sushi Brothers only operates between 9 p.m. and midnight, and they deliver. More than just literally.
I haven’t always liked sushi — I was scared of raw fish for a long time — but when I turned to the light, one of the first things I appreciated about the dish was how easy it was to get full on the rolls without feeling gross or heavy afterward.
That fact alone makes the late-night sushi delivery service Five Sushi Brothers a terrific idea. If there ever were a food to eat not too long before bed, sushi would be it.
We placed our order in the afternoon and they actually came around 8:30 that night, a little before their 9 p.m. opening. It was easy to place our order online, selecting the rolls and appetizers that we wanted and putting in our address — and then feeling the anticipation (and our appetites) increase the rest of the day as we waited.
For those who are timid to try sushi, the Five Sushi Brothers menu will hold your hand and make it less scary. The rolls rarely stray from the safer staples of shrimp, crab, salmon and tuna, which should be comfortable for novices. (If anything, I might hope for a few more adventurous options to be added in the future — and some options utilizing lemon would be greatly appreciated, too).
But those who have already been baptized into the cult of sushi should also be pleased with the offerings at Five Sushi Brothers — the rolls are prepared with care, and the ingredients are all tasty.
In fact, the experience may have switched me over to appreciate tempura sushi, which involves ingredients being fried in batter. I never liked that before, preferring the purely fresh rolls.
But the Band Manager — a tempura-style roll filled with avocado, crab, cucumber and cream cheese, topped with sriracha, eel sauce and chives — was perfect. The fried flavor didn’t overpower the other ingredients, and it still felt light.
We also tried NightWelker: The Midnight Detective, which was a bit spicy (a good thing), and features tuna and cream cheese, topped with habanero tobiko and eel sauce.
The Russells Fish Taco was our least favorite roll — a little heavy on the mayo — but it wasn’t bad. There are those who appreciate mixing different styles of food in the same dish, and those who find it confusing. I fully admit it may be a flaw of my own closed-mindedness.
The Tiger Mom roll was yummy. It features a tempura shrimp center, layered with Canadian salmon and topped with spicy tuna, shredded carrot, red pepper flakes and sweet Thai chili sauce.
We also ordered two appetizers — gyoza and tempura shrimp — which were inexpensive at $2 and $3, but a great value, because they were great. The batter on the shrimp was perfect, and like the rolls, the fried flavor and texture were not excessive.
The meal came in paper boxes, and included two Hi-Chew candies at the end (a nice touch).
With great taste and good prices, Five Sushi Brothers seems to have a corner on Provo’s late-night shame-free munchie market. I’ll be placing many more orders in the coming nights.
FIVE SUSHI BROTHERS
Where: Delivery throughout Provo, or pickup at 445 N. Freedom Blvd., Provo
Prices: $0.50-$10
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 9 p.m. to midnight (orders can be placed anytime)
Info: fivesushibrothers.com