Sushi New York Style - A Tragedy In Midtown

Last year I visited the Big Apple for the first time and, naturally, finding a great sushi restaurant was at the top of my agenda.

It turned out that it didn't even make my friend's list of things to do. 

When I excitedly scream "Let's go for sushi!", she promptly informs me that she doesn't do "raw fish". I can feel the tension building.

"Where would you like to eat?"

"How about Subway!" she beams.

I protest and tell her there are a lot of "non-raw fish" items she would definitely enjoy. She doesn't budge.

I was ready to blow my lid. We come to the CENTRE of the world and she wants to eat at Subway. Freakin Subway!

I ditch her and set off on foot, alone with the haunted look of an addict in need of a quick fix of sushi. "New York won't disappoint me and any sushi restaurant was bound to be excellent", I thought to myself. Such was my faulty logic.

I don't have to walk far before I stumble on Monster Sushi in mid town New York. The name should be my first warning. For such a huge metropolis the neighbourhood and restaurant are eerily quiet.

Warning number two comes shortly after I take my seat at a table for two. I spot the waitress hacking and coughing by the sushi bar. Normally, I would have put it out of my mind, but my visit is at the height of the bird flu scare.

When she arrives at my table, the waitress is sporting a rather large and unsightly bandage, wrapped around her left thumb. I feel my appetite for sushi starting to wane.

The menu contains a number of tasty looking items: Mirugai (giant clam), uni (sea Urchin) and a number of dinners with names like:

• Deluxe Sushi
• Unajiu
• Sush - Sashimi Combo

I order the Monster Sushi bento box dinner that consists of a tuna roll, shrimp tempura and oddly enough, a spring roll. All I remember about the meal is that the tempura batter was thick and over cooked.

 If nothing else, the price was reasonable. With taxes my bill came to $21.35 U.S.

I left the restaurant, disappointed. Maybe they were just having an off day and someone can send me a note about their experience dining at this sushi restaurant.

I won't be returning. Next time I'm in New York I'm whipping out the credit card and heading to the famous Nobu restaurant. Screw the budget! Check out their menu online. Just reading it sends you into convulsions.

Oh ya and I'm ditching my friend. If you don't like sushi, you ain't no friend of mine!