Any good sushi in Monmouth County???

I have tried and searched. Do you have a sushi spot you love or am I doomed to have mediocre sushi for the rest of my NJ life?

We were on our way to try Sushi by Kazu in Freehold but last minute diverted to Indian (which was great).

Thanks in advance!

I may be able to help. What kind of sushi do you like? That term can mean a lot of things to different people.

Thanks, I should have clarified. We are fairly adventurous eaters but the deep-fried-drenched-in-sauce-rolls aren’t really my jam. Fresh fish that allows the ingredients to shine. I had raw scallop, layered with super thin slices of lemon and herbs once at a spot near Parsippany once that I still think about. Does that help?

I like NeMo in Keyport. They usually have scallop and uni sashimi.

But… they are also an asian fusion restaurant so they do have those fried rolls and all kinds of cooked dishes. To be honest they do a very good job at the hot food as well.

I’m not aware of anyplace in Monmouth, or even Middlesex, that serves top flight Sushi.

If you want that kind of experience take the Seastreak into the city.

Most of the sushi around here is made by Chinese, if not Mexicans, and evolves around indifferent executions of salmon, ahi, crab stick, yellowtail, colored flying fish roe, avocado, cream cheese and, worst of all white tuna.

(Escolar, or “white tuna”, is something you see often on menus around here. The fatty esthers in escolar are indigestible, as a result they actually cause diarrhea! Imagine that, sushi restaurants actually serving you fish they know will make you sick.)

The above ingredients are usually rolled, sometimes in strange combinations, but sometimes not. If a place is really exotic, they may have grilled eel or mackerel on the menu. Sea Urchin is invariably well aged, and to be avoided.

Obviously from the foregoing I am not a big fan of Monmouth sushi. If you are going anywhere make sure they have a big turnover so the fish is not sitting. I would also avoid Sundays and Mondays.

Two places that I find are a bit above the run of the swill around here are Kanji in the Shrewsbury plaza, and Tokyo in Freehold for the lunch buffet. Sono in Middletown is also ok in a pinch. But you won’t find anyone who trained in Japan at these places, if you want to talk to the chef you will need to speak Fujianese.

And as noted none of these are great, or even very good, compared to what you can get in the city.

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No offense intended Seal, but Nemo is just not clean. You can see that when you walk in there. I tried it against my better judgement, based on some recommendations from CH. Sure enough, a gastrointestinal incident ensued. I have placed them firmly outside the circle of trust.

Another place that falls into this category is Izu in Long Branch, which had been positively reviewed in the NY Times. Last time I went there was no AC and they had SCREEN doors ! Flies were buzzing around the bar… If you know anything about flies and food borne illness you know what that means.

Finally Fuji in the Trader Joe’s plaza is to be avoided at all costs. I actually got fish that was MILDEWED there. Gagged on the roll. Should have reported them to the BOH.

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Lol VK, I never take offense - it’s not like I have stock in the place ;o)

We’ve always enjoyed Yumi in Sea Bright…

Would love to hear thoughts on yumi…next on my sushi list

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Expensive and more of a fried roll and cooked food kind of place. Good, but for that kind of thing I prefer Kanji.

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SensAsian on Rte 9 in South Brunswick is very good. It’s a while since Ive been there since we don’t get over that way too often anymore but it was still there the last time I passed by.

Thanks, we have been to NeMo a few times. I am not in a huge hurry to go back. And yes, I agree with the other poster that it seemed dirty…

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I will try Yumi next time we are over in Sea Bright. Thanks for the recommendation!

I was feeling optimistic that perhaps I have missed a hidden gem that only the HO crowd knew about! Agreed that going into NY is probably our best bet for our next craving. I work for a Japanese bank so I will ask around for some recommendations in the city from the expats.

We have been to Sono many times over the years. I feel like it either used to be better or my taste buds have refined? I don’t know but it wasn’t anything exciting the last couple of times.

Interesting note on the white tuna. GROSS!

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Been to Yumi too, all the same ingredients as the other places around here as listed above. While not fresher these are arranged in slightly more artful presentations, and closer to Rumson. As a result, it’s more expensive. Nigri is $ 7 a pair, rolls run $ 15-20 a piece.

The focus is NeoAsian which I think translates from the Chinese as “let’s throw a bunch of crazy shit together and see if Gwai Lo will eat it”.

Again the dread white tuna makes an appearance, this time in some of the signature rolls. And again it is run by Chinese (chef Shuenn). Jiro is not in sight, even if you dream of him.

If you are looking for that simple yet perfect piece of amazingly fresh something fishy that just makes you go oooh, which I think is what you are looking for, to the city you must go.

As far as the craving goes, I will cave and go to some local places. Just be wary of what you are getting. Chinese made “Jersey” sushi is what it is, and is never going to be great. So at least make sure it is good, and also fresh. Siracha mayo covers a multitude of sins.

I further agree with this author that it is perfectly acceptable to be racist when it comes to sushi:

https://www.tofugu.com/japan/real-japanese-restaurant/

About the only sushi place I know of that is Japanese owned and run in the State of NJ is Takuma in Madison. And then there is the food court at Mitsuwa in Edgewater.

If there are others I would love to hear about them.

Sushi by Kazu is the only sushi place run by Japanese in Monmouth I known of. Just a note that I believe Kazu pretty much only serve sushi; they have basically suspended the cooked food menu in case anyone in your party don’t eat sushi.

For all the Non-Japanese run sushi place in Monmouth, my favorite is Konbu in Manalapan. I found the quality of their fish quite decent and the portion is quite generous for what they charge.

Slightly outside of Monmouth, Ajihei in Princeton and JoSho on Cedar Grove lane in Franklin Park(?) come to mind in terms of Japanese place run by Japanese.

Taka in Asbury park is one more ycf

Tomo’s Cuisine in East Hanover is run by a Japanese fella by the name of Tomo. It is the second iteration of Tomo’s, he closed the first one to go home and help out after the tsunami. Tomo has rules for eating at his restaurant. No junk sushi is one. Just because you’ve been to Nobu doesn’t make you an expert is another. If you can find better sushi please go there, that’s another. Anyhow, it’s the real deal.

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oh, that’s right. I actually been there once before they moved. I don’t remember the sushi from that meal. I did remember the short ribs dish was good.