Sugarfish - Manhattan Beach

 

Man, I really want to love Sugarfish. LA loves it to the point of madness, and the South Bay has followed suit, but I truly do not understand.

The Don’t Think Just Eat is a deluxe combo for only $50, and for the quality of fish it’s supposed to be quite a deal. 

It is and it isn’t. It’s packed up real pretty and the fish tastes good, but I’ve just had so much better for less or the same. The standard salmons and snappers are good, and the Amebi was great. The rolls are fine, and I'm a sucker for mayo with blue crab, and the sashimi is a nice little extra. But the Toro was fishy; slick and fatty, but the flavor had more fish than fat, and I would have rather had Mitsuwa (their toro is very good, btw). 

What really bothers me is the way the rice fell apart. On Every. Single. Piece. I get that travel time affects the quality, but I've never had chunks of rice just fall out of a nigiri when I pick it up.

I’m guessing Sugarfish was something to write home about before they became a sellout. Even the highest end chains don’t deliver like a local mom and pop, and I'm guessing Sugarfish is Ruth’s Chris to The Arthur J. So choose Sugarfish if you want. You’ll get good quality at a fair price, and it will be pretty enjoyable, but it will never blow your mind.  . Do think and don't just eat because you might eat better from a local place instead.

Seductive Sugarfish – Santa Monica

The last time I heard the words “trust me”, they were coming from the sketchy guy holding two beers…for himself. In a dimly lit dive. Sugarfish is no dive, but you can understand my apprehension when the words “Trust Me” jumped out as I squinted at the menu through the mood lighting.

Except this time, instead of being revolted, I was pretty conflicted. Part of me wanted to say, “Buddy, it’s not THAT dark in here”, but another part of me said “Show me what you got.”

And Sugarfish sure as heck showed. My date with Sugarfish was off to a strong start with the Organic Edamame. These fuzzy little pods taste fresh-off-the-vine, and the salt infuses all the way through for an evenly flavored little bean of bliss.

The edamame was a surprisingly hard act to follow, and the Tuna Sashimi was trying too hard. The top-of-the-line tuna melts in your mouth, but the plethora of perfect ponzu didn’t do it any favors. Over-sauced despite being over-the-top tasty, the perfect taste and texture of tuna was almost a tease with all that sauce running interference.

I’m too cynical for love at first sight, but love at first bite is entirely possible with palate-pleasers like the Albacore Sushi. It may take a while to earn my trust, but between that and a Salmon Sushi sweet-as-sugarfish, I’ll trust Sugarfish’s quality any day.

I don’t usually like Yellowtail Sushi – it’s pretty unforgiving when it comes to freshness and tastes a little too fishy a little too quickly. Then again, this yellowtail was fresher than a first date, and between that the smooth-as-sake Halibut Sushi with an amazing accompanying yuzu ponzu, this place has reeled me in; hook, line, and sinker.

It’s been a long time since I’ve agreed to address a love-hate relationship, especially, my love-hate relationship with hand rolls. Half the time the sushi doesn’t go all the way through so you’re stuck sucking on seaweed and rice, and there’s nothing worse than getting to the bottom of the roll and only to find nothing there. Good thing the Toro Hand Roll was a cylinder crammed with fatty cuts of tuna that are as flawless as a honeymoon-phase relationship.

I may have a love-hate relationship with hand rolls, but I have a love-love-love relationship with blue crab. And this Blue Crab Hand Roll, bulging with blue crab sweeter than a lover’s kiss may be one of the most amazing things I’ve ever eaten.

When it comes to relationships, my policy is to proceed with caution, but seductive Sugarfish throws my caution to the wind. Forget my trust issues, I’ll trust anything they put in front of me. And forget my spite for sauce, I’ll put up with any ponzu on my plate. Funny, I usually don’t go for most things fresh off a boat, but fresh off a tuna boat is totally fine by me.