Sushi Alive (and Kicking!)

Still hung-over from the previous orgasmic experience that I had at Zen Bistro, I couldn’t think of any other place to top my encounter. I did my research online and saw one that caught my attention. Friends and colleagues have told me about this place. They actually said that it’s worth checking out. It’s name: Sushi Alive!

Once again, my best friend and I prepared for another Japanese journey. He still is, by the way, not over Zen too. But what the heck, right? The place we were going to was said to be only five minutes from us. Plus, we were fond of this certain Asian cuisine. In the end though, I think we just wanted more sushi. Yeah, I think that was the reason it boiled down to.

Looking and finding the restaurant was a breeze. You could see the bright sign. And the whole façade looked like every inch of it was covered in Japanese characters. There was instrumental music playing too. How very Asian of the place. Stepping inside was a feast for my eyes. It was a pretty small dimly lit room, but there were spotlights at just the right places. They shone only on the tables, just so you can see your food, I presume. The booths were very oriental, with a modern feel. Looking up, you would see inverted parasols adorning the ceiling. It was mellow and hip. The ambiance was amazing.



One thing that sparked my interest was their “table cloths”. They weren’t really made of fabric, but of something like a huge sheet of crafting paper. Every time a table was bussed, they just folded the whole thing and threw it away. They would just replace it with a new one for the next guest that arrives. I did not find it tacky at all. I thought it gave the restaurant an attitude. I kind of thought it was classy-slash-fun at the same time. It was like a huge placemat. Use, throw, replace. Genius.

I knew we were going to take a while to look over the menu and finally decide what we wanted for our main course, so I quickly scanned the appetizers. The gyoza seemed to call my name so, I immediately asked for that to start off with just when our drinks were being served. They didn’t have much on the menu. They seriously had two pages. Still, we had a hard time choosing just for the reason that everything seemed to be so good. Thankfully, our appetizer was deep fried so it bought us enough time to finally make up our minds.

Our gyoza arrived and I would have to admit that it didn’t really look that great to me. I looked at it as just fried things on a bed of leaves on a fancy plate. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve tasted a million gyozas in my lifetime. It’s just that it looked so normal and seemed as if there wasn’t going to be any flair factor to it. When I bit into it, I was glad to eat my previous words and bury them deep into my stomach. It was so delicate. The crispy covering was such a great way to introduce the perfectly seasoned pork concoction inside. The sesame ponzu sauce made it even more gratifying. I usually drown my gyoza with it, and this time around, that was still what I exactly did. The sauce was so incredible that my best friend didn’t want the server to take it away.


Gyoza

It was my turn to choose what sushi roll to get so, he ended up ordering the Tokyo Stir Fry. It was made with Japanese udon noodles with mixed vegetables in a sweet and tangy sauce, and guest’s choice of chicken, beef, or shrimp. It also included Miso Soup or House Salad. I made him choose the latter. Yes, I was the one who told our server that was what he wanted even if he already said “Miso soup.” I made the rules here. Ha. Just kidding.

Being the brat that he is, he asked our server if he could have half chicken, half beef. I’m glad our waiter was really accommodating and friendly. It made dining there a lot more enjoyable even though it was already pleasant as it already was. I was still looking over the sushi menu since I couldn’t decide which of the two recommended rolls I wanted to have when his House Salad came. It looked different in a good way. I would say that the bowl it was in didn’t really facilitate in the mixing of the ingredients, but it did not matter as soon as we sank our teeth into the crispy lettuce covered in their oh-so-heavenly Ginger Dressing. Believe me when I say I’m a die-hard Caesar Salad fan. Caesar, meet Ginger. I think my favorite dressing just met his match.


House Salad

Just like the ponzu sauce, we asked for the remains of the sauce to be left at the table. As embarrassing as it may sound, we were taking turns literally drinking it like it was tea or something. By the way, when I said that my best friend is a brat, it was just half-meant. He would probably hang me upside-down as soon as he reads this post. I’m trying to do some damage control here.

My best friend’s Tokyo Stir Fry came with what I finally decided on, which is the Godzilla Alive! Roll. Let me describe his dish first. It looked very inviting, with so many different ingredients tossed on the thick noodles, which were, I must say, cooked perfectly with the right kind of gumminess that I think Asian noodles should have. The cucumbers and carrots were all right. They weren’t as crispy as I hoped, but they can pass because they tasted fresh. The mushrooms added were a plus for me. My best friend loved the beef and the chicken. I, on the other hand, wasn’t really a fan of the meat just because I thought both of them lacked taste or seasoning. Gratefully, my best friend was innovative enough to dip each in the ponzu sauce that we saved. I thought it was an absolute hit!


Tokyo Stir Fry

Now, moving on to my Godzilla Alive! Roll. The plating was very impressive and contemporary. That was, of course, the first thing that you would notice. I think it’s a brilliant idea to stir the sense of sight first before you indulge your sense of taste into the dish’s yummy glory. It was spectacular. Everything included in the sushi was cooked. It had tempura shrimp, crab delight, cream cheese topped off with grilled freshwater eel and slices of jalapeno. First, I had it as a whole. It was delectable. Then, I broke it down to every single ingredient to have a taste of each. I would say that the best parts were the melt-in-your-mouth crab delight and faint sweet taste of the fresh eel.


Godzilla Alive! Roll

Mary Patrick’s review for the Tampa Tribune couldn’t have described it any better. She characterized the Godzilla Alive! Roll as such:
“The specialty rolls are the real treat for your mouth and eyes. The showstopper is the Godzilla Alive roll of tempura shrimp, crab delight, cream cheese, asparagus and fresh jalapeno topped with avocado, eel and atomic aioli. There's a lot going on in this roll, with a variety of flavors and textures and colors, but it works together perfectly.
How good is the Godzilla? After eating the Mexican roll and finding it all right, our sushi-doubting companion ate the Godzilla and became a sushi lover on the spot.”
I have nothing to contradict with her perfect depiction. I agree that the Godzilla Alive! Roll and the whole lot that comes with it works together in perfect harmony because my experience above confirms it.

I’m not really sure what’s up with sushi and orgasmic tastes in my mouth, but that’s just the only description I could find fitting for them. Orgasmic, according the Oxford American Dictionary, is very enjoyable or exciting. Well, that is what my taste buds have been experiencing with the sushi rolls that I have been eating.

The only thing that disappointed me is the fact that the food seemed to be not that filling. It’s either that or their portions were smaller than the ones that were served to us in previous restaurants. Sadly, Sushi Alive didn’t fulfill this end of the deal. I guess the roll wasn’t as huge as I expected it to be, and the stir fried noodles weren’t as much as it looked. Yes, the food is mouth-watering, but I would like to walk out with a happy stomach-slash-pudge and an addition box of leftovers for lunch the next day.

In my book, all in all, this restaurant just proved to me that Japanese cuisine is one of the few that genuinely tries to push for that extra oomph in everything, may it be in flavors, plating, ambiance, etc. Like the previous one I went to, I highly recommend passing by for a visit. True, it still didn’t top off Zen Bistro, one place that I am madly in love with now, but Sushi Alive came pretty close… It really came extremely damn close.

Sushi Alive!
15451 N Dale Mabry Hwy Tampa, FL 33618
Phone (813) 341-5483

      Extra Thoughts on Ms. DJ’s WWFF:

          The best reviewers visit each restaurant at least two times, often three. If you go just once, you won’t know enough to make
          decisions. Service, food, quality, and atmosphere may vary. One night service might be exceptional, and another night your waiter
          may be off having a cigarette while you’re waiting for the bill.

      First off all, I do not have the leisure of going back to the same restaurant. I’m doing this for fun. I don’t really have the money to
      eat out every single night. Also, I don’t have that much time on my hands to do so. If it were that easy, heck I would review
      restaurants for a living. However, I know that you have to have a name in order to have this job as a main resource to pay for your
      bills. Since I’m doing this as something close to a pastime, I do not believe that I have to come back to do the whole thing all over
      again. I must agree that seeing your server smoking a cigarette while in the process of waiting on you is extremely disgusting. I do
      believe that first impressions last. So, restaurants better be on their toes and make sure that they give their best to every single
      customer, may it be a critic, a regular, or even a child.