SushiStop - Los Angeles

I'm annoyed before I even order. No one would call their prices unreasonable, but their advertising is a joke. “Everything $2.95” should really read “1/3 of the menu items for $2.95, 1/3 for $4, and 1/3 for $6” if they're trying to be honest. Seriously, just label the individual items, advertise them as "good value" or whatever and spare me the headache of trying to figure out what costs what!

Then again, at these prices, who cares?

I don't recommend starting with the nigiri. The quality is middling, and when it's just the fish with rice, there's nothing to cover that up.

The Bay Scallops are kind of tender...tender enough, I guess. Use wasabi and lots of soy sauce. The Uni is the big-spender item, $4 per individual piece. Not bad, but not as creamy and sweet as it should be, and definitely not worth the "splurge".

The regular Scallop is a bit lacking in flavor, though I'll always love the texture and the yuzu pepper on top. Eel sauce improves any cut of Unagi, and the Yellowtail Truffle Handroll is much edible than the nigiri was.

Put them side by side, and I'll always reach for the Baked Blue Crab Handroll first. The crab is baked in mayo, which enhances the flavor. A cheap thrill, but one I can still fall for.

My next selections are as boring as this review. There's a Spicy Scallop Roll with scallops that aren't that fresh, and the Spicy Tuna Roll tastes like finely-chopped Sriracha. 

It's not quite a roll, and thank goodness for that. The Tuna Crispy Rice may be the only thing to really hit the spot.

The one menu item less torturous than reading this bland review is the sashimi. Despite the 6-dollar price tag, it is worth way more for the slightly-better-than-mediocre quality. I assume it's because sashimi-grade fish has to be better. 

That said, I dig the Snapper Yuzu Carpaccio. The yuzu is a shot of super-citrus, and it makes the snapper...snappier. 

The Salmon Truffle Sashimi has a little sass as well, and it's just harder to screw up salmon.

The meal ends more eventfully than it began, but I'm not asking for an encore. In their defense, $2.95 for sushi is a steal on the streets of Sawtelle. but I think Kula is a little bit better. Honestly, the food isn't bad, and I feel bad bashing it as much as I did. At least you know you'll never get shorted at SushiStop...but you may want to make a shorter stop.