Well dad and I trudged in this disgusting heat and humidity, in which we both ran today, to Oishi in Newtown owned by a nice Korean couple. My standby, Ota-Ya, is closed on Monday, and I was really in the mood for some Japanese fare. I only say trudged because we can never figure out what/where we want to eat when we are confined and limited by both the day of week and the lack of ability to cook (due to my having cleaned out the fridge after last night). My dad cooks better than what we get out, but we go out simply with no other option - I was paid tips today and felt the need to splurge on a little sushi.
We entered and realized that it was absolutely packed to the gills for a Monday night in the restaurant world. It was like the recession had hit none of Newtown's occupants and none would have gone anywhere else with their rumbling stomachs. We were waited on once the host got off of the phone and were led to the bar by request, though most tables were full and lines would begin shortly after we were seated. Our waitress was a nice and friendly girl about my age ; ) and she was very attentive to our green tea needs (asking if we desired refills on several occasions). It was an overall pleasant dining experience. Dad and I split sushi and a piping hot bowl of seafood udon noodle soup.
Our sushi included tako, hokkigai, ika, eelcado, salmon-cucumber roll, and amaebi. The amaebi was true to its name, sweet and juicy little raw things with just a bit too much rice for their petite nature and delicate flavor. I found that the sushi rice almost overpowered the amaebi, but they were delicious nonetheless. They were not worth $5.50, but I dealt. The hokkigai was my favorite of the evening - there is something about nice chewy yet palatable red clam that really excites the mouth. After chewing a bit, it just seems to melt away with the wasabi and soy sauce helping to bring out the natural flavors of the seas. The hokkigai was rather large, unfortunately leaving me with a stuffed mouth as I tried to down it. The tako was even larger, and I felt like I needed to break my sushi etiquette and tear it. Of course, I did not. It was somewhat grainy as if it had been poorly cared for in the thawing process, and the texture was not something that would make me order it again. The tako is much better at Ota-Ya if you need to eat sushi and are suck in Newtown. By no means is Newtown the best place for seafood, but hey, I gotta have it somewhere....
My udon soup was disappointing, since I get it frequently when I go there, and I really kind of know how it usually tastes at Oishi. The shrimp pieces, yes pieces, were mangled remains of what looked like shrimp-textured intestines that accompanied only two actual full-bodied tightly curled shrimp as would be expected in a simmered broth. The udon noodles were a lovely texture to compliment the broth they managed to absorb and release with each mouthful. The squid pieces were good as they should be, and there was thankfully no fake crabmeat to go around this time. Often they put that in on the top as a sort of garnish-protein. It did not come with shichimi togirashi as it usually does to be sprinkled as a garnish, and the scallops I passed up since I don't really like them, and they looked to be lacking in texture. The broth contained very few vegetables, so i supplemented them with a side order of steamed vegetables in place of my boring salad. The vegetables added a sweetness and a richness to the already tasty seafood broth. I was very thankful for their accompaniment. The broth was definitely the showcase of the dish, as it should be, and could be enjoyed along with the noodles, each mouthful of noodles provided a substantial amount of broth with them, and the onions cooked in the broth provided a very aggressive sweetness to the already sweet meat of the shellfish. I would not order it again if I knew it would look/taste as it did tonight, since there are other things to try there, but it's usually better than that and prepared with a bit more care. They must not have been expecting the crowd either.
As a last note, a fly was buzzing around our portion of the bar, and of course when it landed close to me, I attempted my Karate Kid move with the chopsticks (my keitaihashi ofc) only to miserably fail several times, resulting in a chuckle from my father. Maybe next time with more practice I shall catch the fly with my chopsticks. Who knows what I'd eat with then.... I don't think I'll have to worry about that fantasy actually coming to pass anytime soon.
