January's Taste - Aji Sushi & Grill - Issaquah, WA

Sushi is the subject of my 2015 Food Quest for the Best. Today we sampled Aji Sushi & Grill in Issaquah, WA. 

The atmosphere feels a bit disjointed due to the blending of a large print of New York City, pink crystal lights and traditional Japanese decor. The service makes up for it though. They begin your meal with a hot (very hot) towel to wipe your hands and bowl of hot Miso soup. The menu is packed with cleverly named rolls and Nigiri to choose from. They also have a happy hour menu available everyday from 3 pm to 5 pm.

We went during the noon hour and had no trouble getting a seat. Since we have been going to sushi together gyoza has been our traditional must have starter. Aji's steamed gyoza was wonderfully tender and very flavorful. The dipping sauce was the perfect complement and not overpowering. It has a slightly sweet note to it.

My better half, C, has a thing for the simpler side of sushi so he ordered Smoked Salmon and Ebi Nigiri to start his meal. The salmon was a perfectly portioned cut but he wished it had just a tad bit more rice on the bottom. The salmon itself was tender with just the right amount of smoke as to not over power the fish. The Ebi was fresh and not dried out like you sometimes find. For his rolls he had the Tuna Roll and the Salmon Roll. The cuts on the rolls were beautiful. None of the rolls fell apart when picked up by chopsticks and the nori was very mild and tender. There is nothing I hate more than chewy, fishy nori. The fish quality at Aji Sushi Grill is superb. Whoever is doing the buying is doing a great job! Another sign of a good sushi place according to C is the wasabi. Aji's wasabi was bright and fresh so he took that as a good sign right off the bat.

My favorite cuts of sushi are the more complicated rolls. Today I sampled their Seahawks roll and the Baked Scallop Roll.  Normally the baked scallop roll is one of my favorites. Aji's baked scallop roll was probably my least favorite of any I have ever tasted. It was made up of crab, avocado, asparagus, baked scallops, spicy mayo, eel sauce, green onion and smelt eggs. There was something very off putting about the eel sauce and even the scallops themselves. The scallops were chopped up and very over cooked to the point of being pithy, if fish can be pithy...  I was so disappointed. Other baked scallop rolls I have had are made up of creamy bay scallops that are still soft and silky even after being baked. I did find that it was better when I dipped it in the gyoza sauce instead of my normal soy and wasabi mixture. I don't think I would order this one again.

The Seahawks roll on the other hand was wonderful. Slightly overpowering on the heat scale but the the tuna was wonderfully tender and fresh. It was made up of tempura shrimp, crab, avocado, tuna on top along with a spicy cilantro sauce and tobiko. The presentation on this roll was amazing. The tempura shrimp was delicately breaded and did not weigh down the roll. By far the best roll of the day.

The Seahawks Roll

Overall, I really enjoyed Aji Sushi & Grill and would definitely go back to try some more of their creatively named rolls.

Aji Sushi & Grill

1052 NE PARK DR, ISSAQUAH, WA 98029

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