“Behind Applebee’s on Washington Road” doesn’t inspire much faith that you’re on the road to great food. But believe me: That’s exactly what Kinja Sushi Express is.
I’d almost forgotten about this gem of a restaurant, tucked inside a shopping center on Shartom Drive. The last time we’d gone was well before COVID-19 and even before our daughter was born, and I wasn’t even sure it was still open. But there it was, with its Kinja Sushi sign and mirrored windows painted with the words Japanese Teriyaki, Korean BBQ and Kinja.
Inside, it was bigger than I remembered and a bit dim, with tables going far back. But it still had the same poster of “Sushiman,” a cartoon of the owner and sushi master, and I felt like I remembered the tiny sushi bar and the raised seating area, which is where I think my family and I enjoyed a meal last time.
I remembered too that the staff was a bit gruff, and true to form, there weren’t many smiles as we asked to sit at the sushi bar. But I didn’t mind. As a young teen, I worked in Asian restaurants, and honestly it just felt like home: the photos of food plastered everywhere, the whiteboard scrawled with the day’s specials, even the gruffness. It wasn’t personal, just their personality.
As the staff quietly made their way around the restaurant, showing guests to their tables and taking orders, we looked at the menus. Along with a main menu of sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, tonkatsu, rice bowls and Korean BBQ dishes like bulgogi and galbi (marinated beef ribs), a menu of specials line the walls, including the day’s sushi rolls and appetizers, a seafood or egg pancake, and noodle bowls loaded with protein, vegetables and a sliced hard-boiled egg.
But I wanted sushi.
The young man who made our rolls wasn’t Sushiman, and unlike other sushi bars, you can’t actually watch rolls being made. But I saw a hint of a smile and a little pride when, as he served our platters, I asked if he’d made our sushi and he answered, “Yes!”
Against the lacquered red platter, the coral pink salmon nigiri was beautifully arranged next to a delicate California roll filled with crab and avocado, and the Aloha Maui roll filled with the same and topped with a mixture of seafood—tuna, cooked shrimp, salmon, and red snapper.
Good sushi, I think, is about freshness and quality—even if not outright bad, you can taste flabbiness and less flavor in an inferior piece of piece. The vegetables should be fresh too. And importantly, it’s about balance of seasoning in the rice itself, which is usually flavored with rice vinegar, salt, perhaps a bit of sugar or honey, and steamed with a sheet of seaweed for umami flavor.
I’ve had plenty of sushi that I’ve enjoyed. But as I took my first bite, I remembered why we loved coming to Kinja.
The salmon and other fish had incredible flavor and was tender but firm—perfectly fresh. The nigiri had the right amount of wasabi on it for heat. The avocado was creamy and sweet and the crunchy cucumber offered texture. And the seasoned rice was cooked the way it should be cooked—not too soft, not too hard—and it had flavor.
It just tasted so fresh. And it reminded me what great sushi should taste like.
We ordered a plate of bulgogi too, and it was fine, especially when mixed with the spicy kimchee that came with it.
But it would be hard for any dish to follow that sushi.
As we checked out at the cash register, the older man who took my credit card looked familiar. As I glanced up at the Sushiman poster, I took a chance and asked, “Is that you?” His face broke in a huge smile. “Yes!”
“The sushi was so good!” I exclaimed.
I think he was still smiling after we left.
Make Your Reservation
Kinja Sushi Express
516 Shartom Dr.
www.facebook.com/kinjasushiexpress
Entrée cost: Around $11 to $30 (depending on how much sushi you can eat)
