Richmond’s sushi scene is exploding
Posted on | November 6, 2007 | 12 Comments
The former Roly Poly sandwich shop in Carytown will soon open as “Moshi Moshi,” a sushi restaurant with saki bar. The concept was created by the owners of Sumo San in the bottom, who are taking a different approach to the traditional sushi restaurant. Owners expect the restaurant to open by January.
The sushi scene has absolutely exploded in Richmond, with established favorites Akita and Skicky Rice facing fierce competition from new entrants like Carytown Sushi and the latest restaurant, Ninja Sushi, opening up on Robinson. Concept places like saki bar Moshi Moshi and conveyor belt sushi at Sushi Go Round in the West End are putting further pressure on the conventional sushi restaurant.
The traditional favorites are not taking the competition lightly. Akita now has two locations, and Skicky Rice has opened up a chain of take-out sushi restaurants, both looking to diversify and strengthen their positions.
With the market becoming saturated in sushi, it is clear that some restaurants will rise to the top of the food chain, and some will be dead in the water. As for me, I’m heading to Moshi Moshi to have a Sapporo saki bomb, which has been around hundreds of years longer than the “jaeger bomb.”
Moshi Moshi will be located at 3321 W. Cary Street in Carytown.
Ninja Sushi will be located at 204 N. Robinson in the Fan.
Sources: Style Weekly, RTD
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12 Responses to “Richmond’s sushi scene is exploding”
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November 6th, 2007 @ 5:46 pm
Man, that last big paragraph had waaaay to many puns.
I’ve never been into sake, but I’ll throw a few back if you’ll have me.
November 6th, 2007 @ 11:40 pm
Sumo San is the best! Can’t wait for Moshi. If they have the “Crouching Tiger roll” at the new place, I don’t care what kind of concept is being attempted. Also, their albacore sashimi in marinade… wow, it’s super good. I’m skeptical about a Ninja themed eatery, even more so than the unimaginative Carytown Sushi. If any proprietors are reading this, you can vie for my sushi bucks with heaping helpings of raw tuna, tempura shrimp, rolled in rice and dipped in chili mayo :0)
November 10th, 2007 @ 1:07 am
[...] sushi = more [...]
November 15th, 2007 @ 10:23 am
Carytown Sushi review on RTD…
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/entertainment/restaurants.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-11-15-0019.html
November 15th, 2007 @ 1:21 pm
Yum, I so want to go on a sushi tour of Richmond now.
February 26th, 2008 @ 11:09 am
Moshi Moshi is EXCELLENT. My friend lives in Carytown and can not stop raving about this place. He finally got me in there the other day, and I have to say it blew my mind. I had what they call “The Raw.” Slightly seared steak strips served w/ mushrooms and peppers. It was one of the best meals I can remember. The service was also top notch. I can’t recommend this place enough.
February 26th, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
I liked what I got there but I wasn’t blown away by any means. I’d like to try and entree more than the sushi next time, which seemed a bit creative but skimpy in terms of cuts of fish. I kind of chalk it up to the Sysco Food Service-ization of our restaurant industry- everyone’s serving the same mediocre raw ingredients, it seems, so the possibilities are limited. I like the space though.
February 26th, 2008 @ 8:07 pm
As for the last comment made by chase, “sysco food service-ization” does not play apart in any way at moshi moshi. the owner fed exs the fish fresh every two – three days. he cuts the meat off the actual fish, and it never comes from a square flash frozen packet like most of the sushi joints in the area. he also throws anything out that is older than 2-3 days. it is slightly more expensive because he goes out of the way to spend more on fresh fish coming in than the supposed “sushimi grade” flash frozen stuff. also sumo san is the sushi joint, moshi moshi focuses more on the hibachi side. the sushi is great, and by all means better than what you would get in quality and taste than most places in the area, but next time i suggest trying the entrees. just because someone owns two restaurants doesnt mean your going to get the same theme at both. needless to say i will be a forever regular since that 1st bite.
March 3rd, 2008 @ 12:00 pm
anyone know anything about Sushi Ninja on Robinson?
April 22nd, 2008 @ 8:52 pm
Yeah, Sushi Ninja is open on Robinson, it is very-very good. They are finally open for lunch, which is good cause I work the late shift. I haven’t tried all their food, but the A++ Shashimi Grade Ahi is off the hook.
July 7th, 2008 @ 8:44 am
I had the most horrendous sushi experience at sushi ninja. The head chef has absolutely no idea how to make sushi. The fish wasn’t any fresher than other sushi restaurants around town and it was hacked up badly. The sushi rice is very important and they also manage to screw that up. The rice is over cooked, lack flavors of vinegar, kombu, and sugar. The chef didn’t put any wasabi between the fish and the rice when making the nigiri. The reason you but wasabi between the fish and the rice to for adhering the fish to the rice and to add a layer of flavor but their nigiri fish was stuck on the rice because it was way over cook and sticky. Some of the fish tasted fishy as well like the tuna, it wasn’t fresh. I would say the level of skills of the head chef is on par with Ukrops sushi booth. The sushi tasted like they bought couple books on how to make sushi and opened a restaurant because you can charge more on Japanese food. The whole experience was traumatizing.
May 15th, 2009 @ 1:46 pm
Thanks “Mike” for that overtly poor usage of the English language.
“The chef didn’t put any wasabi between the fish and the rice when making the nigiri. The reason you but wasabi between the fish and the rice to for adhering the fish to the rice and to add a layer of flavor but their nigiri fish was stuck on the rice” Wow! Is that a sentence. I am glad that the chef didn’t put any wasabi on my A++ ahi when visiting, as that would have really upset me. It is used to mitigate fishy fish taste like hamachi. So, what did we learn? Evidently, re-constituted wasabi paste that is actually just a filler for the original freshly grated rhisome should be used for “adhering” the fish to the rice. Wow, if anyone should check out some books on sushi it is you sir. I liked their food, but wasn’t as keen on the absence of liquor, as I like to drink.