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Business & Tech

Restaurant Review: Sushi Land

This week food writer Clara Park reviews Sushi Land in Bryn Mawr.

is not quite the bright fantasy land the name would suggest. While there are colorful lanterns and various decorative calligraphy and artwork throughout the space, the major visual motif is blond wood. The restaurant is clean, bright and the furniture is functional and not cluttered.

My friend arrived late and trusted me to order for the table. We began with edamame, oshitashi (spinach with soy sauce dressing), osinko (assorted Japanese pickle), agedashi tofu, the house salad and miso soup. The edamame were steamed nicely and had a nice sprinkling of salt. These plump legumes were a delightful way to begin our meal.

As a spinach lover, I found the oshitashi sublime. There was an island of steamed spinach (cooked until it was tender but not mushy) in a sea of a light sauce. The soy based sauce was savory with a slight sweet undertone.

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The osinko was a bit disappointing. I had expected an “assortment” of pickles, but what I got was a plate heavy on the bright yellow daikon pickles, a few slivers of pickled carrot and nothing else.

The agedashi tofu were wonderfully crisp on the outside and delicate and warm on the inside. Agedashi tofu are a great introductory item for those that are new to tofu. The appealing texture and subtle flavors are very approachable. The dipping sauce was an understated soy-based sauce. I could taste hints of ginger and some rice wine.

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The house salad was excellent. Instead of the usual carrot ginger dressing, at Sushi Land the dressing is a creamy sesame dressing that is both nutty and deeply satisfying. There was a hint of sugar which balanced everything out. My friend and I could not stop raving about this dressing. The iceberg lettuce, julienned carrot, red cabbage and seeded cucumber slices were all incredibly fresh.

The miso soup with silky seaweed and small cubes of soft tofu was decent. There was a funkiness to the miso that was much stronger than normal. It could be that I was not used to this particular variety of miso. It tasted fine but wasn’t one of my favorites.

For our entrees we ordered the sushi and sashimi platter, which comes with five pieces of nigiri, nine pieces of sashimi and a California roll. Rounding out our order we had the hamachi maki (yellowtail and scallions), the sake make (salmon and avocado) and the spicy tuna roll.

The fish was fairly fresh. We had salmon, tuna, white tuna, yellowtail and fluke as sashimi (fish only) and as nigiri (over a brick of rice). My friend noticed that the fish was particularly shiny, which is a sign of freshness. The older the fish gets, the less shiny and more dried out it becomes. The fish was expertly cut, flavorful and artfully arranged. Even the crab stick in our California roll was a step up from the tasteless rubber that is typical imitation crab meat.

Our rolls were tightly prepared and had generous amounts of fish and vegetables. The salmon roll was brimming with bright yellow green avocado and bright coral-colored salmon. The yellowtail and scallion roll was a nice combination because the peppery onion flavor complimented the rich flavor of the fish. The spicy tuna roll was an inside out roll with rice on the outside. The spicy mayo packed some heat but was creamy and tasty as well. Spicy tuna rolls are usually made from the scraps of tuna, but I don’t mind eating the "scraps" when they taste this good. Both platters featured pure pickled ginger (no fluorescent pink dye here) which is always a plus.

The service is very friendly and accommodating without being overbearing. Our server always came to our table with a smile. She took our massive order in stride and cleared dirty plates efficiently while continuously filling our water glasses. The timing of our meal was on point, and items seemed to come from the kitchen and sushi bar at precisely the right moment. Our server’s pleasant demeanor added greatly to our fine meal.

The crowd at Sushi Land is quite varied. There were fathers and daughters enjoying dinner together, young college women gossiping and discussing the past week’s events over sushi and their favorite bottle of affordable wine (Sushi Land is BYOB), families, older couples and what appeared to be high school kids. The extensive menu, affordable pricing and friendly service offer something for everyone. 

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