Sushi? Yaaaaaa!!

This blog will be about my personal experience in the very first Sushi restaurant in Suriname: Sushi Ya. They started their business several months ago and I wanted to go since then and actually got the chance to do it so last night. 2 friends of mine, Sahieda and Yasser, and I already made plans since some months ago , so it was really about time we did it.

I got to say, Yasser really suprised me. He acted  really very gentlemen-like, picking me up, opening the car door for me and paying for dinner,,,,the whole nine yards. It actually kinda felt a bit weird since I'm not used to it that guys still do that. However my boyfriend does that too, but somehow I think I just take that for granted since it seems to me that he does it as a automatic thing and it feels as if he should do it. I know, however, that many guys don't do that for their girlfriends, but the point I want to make is....that it really felt good that there are still gentlemen out there doing the right thing. So, an advice for guys out there, ladies dig the oldfashion gentlemen service from time to time.

Anyway....getting a bit sidetracked here. The place is redecorated from a Chinese restaurant that I used to know and I do admit that I expected more Japanese influences in the decor. They painted the walls really white, so that the big paintings really popped out. Secretly, I hoped that there would be a hostess, wearing a kimono, greeting us at the door and saying: "Konichiwa" or something, u know. Even if she was not asain-like, it would have added to the feel of a real Japanese restaurant.

For a tuesday night, I got to say that it was pretty crowded. We chose a table near the wall, where I have a good view of the sushi bar. The sushi chef was actually pretty stereotypical. Asian, looking real serious and with a toothbrush moustache or also known as the Hitler moustache.

I checked their prices already way upfront at their fb page and some people even complained that it's too expensive. Personally, my motto is if the food and service is good, I'm willing to pay the price. We ordered quite a lot and I have to say that the service was very good. We hardly had to wait for our drinks, neither the first dish of California rolls, which at the end I conclude as my favorite.

It is known as a uramaki or an inside out sushi, which means that the outer layer is rice, on which they sprinkle sesame or a kind of orange looking crumbly thing on it. I just googled it and saw that it's supposed to be tobiko or masago, some kind of fish egg or so. Hmm,,,interesting.

What I like about it is the crunchiness of the sesame on it and that the used ingredients really combined to a delicious flavor.

Next to the California roll, my friend picked some other types of sushi he wanted to try and I was dying for some tempura. I love tempura simply because it's fried, but it's still light and non-greasy. It's like eating fried food and not feeling quilty,  you know what I mean.

Initially Sahieda apologized for not being able to make it, but there she was in front of us. The place where she should be was not open yet, so she had to wait for several hours. Actually I don't even know if she still went, but was happy she could join us.

My personal opinion of the other sushi's is that it was good, but the vegetarian roll was a bit too big though. It was hard to take it with chopsticks and when you finally manage to do so, it falls apart.

   The wasabi was a bit weak for me. I really had to put a dab in my soy sauce before I can really get that kick, but probably because normally I already eat lots of pepper with my food.

And of course, we had to order sashimi since it's part of the Japanese cuisine and we heard that their sashimi is very good. We ordered one with 4 different kinds of sashimi: marinated tuna, red snapper, salmon and another fish, forget that one. I have to admit, I'm not fond of raw things. The thought about it alone gives me the creeps, but of course I have to suck it up and taste it for you guys, right? :p. Nah,,I did enjoy it. One, they plated it very colorful and it appealing and second, it doesn't smell or taste like normally fish would. The pink salmon is very sweet, slippery and how salmon should taste like. The marinated tuna had a sweet marinate on it and sesame, but I'd recommend you don't eat that one with wasabi since the taste of the wasabi kinda predominate that of the marinated tuna. My personal favorite is the red snapper though.Unfortunately my friends didn't feel like drinking sake, because that would've made the meal complete.

To top it all off, I ordered the Green Tea ice cream for dessert. I'm not sure if it's supposed to taste like this. In the very beginning I thought they gave me a wrong one, because it tasted like normal Vanille ice cream, but just when I was about to say something about it, the green tea taste pops out. They added a piece of tempura banana in it, which really go well with the ice cream. If you like the crunchiness of tempura, try to eat it as soon as you get it. If it stays too long in the ice cream, it tends to get soggy and lose its crunchiness.

Good food, good service and great company really does it for me. I know these friends for not that long as friends, but you know how sometimes it just clicks? It kinda does it for us. We are all persons with an outspoken character and share a common devotion for sushi and wine. Even though it's a bit pricey, but I can't wait to do it again!!

If you want to try it out, don't forget to make reservations: