Arigato Sushi & Grill: The Not So O-fish-al Seafood

Arigato Sushi & Grill: The Not So O-fish-al Seafood by: Mena Maurice

A Food Reviewer, a Food Model, a Mystery Shopper and Auditor, a member of the Egyptian and International Gourmet Association affiliated with the French Organisation.

Having a good sushi experience is all about the harmony of all its components inside your mouth. The taste of the salmon, with the avocado, the teriyaki sauce, the sesame, the seaweed, is like a symphony good to the ear; you can’t tell where the sound is coming from, is it the trumpet? The saxophone? All that matters is you are getting the perfect piece of music from a well-trained orchestra.

Being greeted in the restaurant you are visiting decides what direction your whole experience will go. It was good to find an Asian face welcoming me in a Japanese restaurant; it gives the customer reassurance and a feel of the place’s expertise. I was offered a variety of tables to sit on, which is important for any restaurant, to give more than one option and leave it to the customer. Check. It should not take more than a minute since you step into the restaurant till you are seated; it took me a few seconds to get to my table. Check.

Arigato Sushi & Grill is a good place for dates, families, friends, reunions and big groups in general. The way this place is divided into partitions helps it receive the different types of get-togethers. First partition, equipped with tables for two, is designed for couples. Second partition is mostly for groups of four. Then comes the area made for bigger groups to reach 12 persons or more. This gives you the feel of privacy and cosiness so that you are not bothered by the great number of people. It was nice not to catch that fishy smell around Arigato, especially that it works with raw fish, so that’s a plus. The reason the air was pure is the balance between the room’s temperature and the fridge’s.

This takes me to my next point; let me tell you some tips you can follow before digging into your sushi. 1.Make sure you can see the bar’s glass fridge temperature as it shows how your food is kept and you can definitely tell how fresh the food you are about to eat is.

2.From my own experience and as a sushi expert, there is no such thing as fried sushi for God’s sake. Call it

3.Sushi is a healthy meal. If you eat it, you benefit your body.

4.When eating sushi, go to experienced, professional sushi places to get its right taste. Sushi bikes will mostly give you a wrong first impression about Japanese food.

5.Take time to read the components of each kind of sushi so that you order something you like.

6.You have to taste a culture to understand it. Eating sushi makes you familiar with a big part of Asian culture.

I insisted on reviewing Arigato Sushi & Grill as it showed a drop in its performance as a restaurant a few years ago. It did not have experienced managers to take the position it deserves in the market. However, it made an extraordinary comeback that I now classify as the best sushi place in Egypt. I honestly have tremendous respect for those places that work on themselves to get over the hard times and establish a good name and reputation. Let’s be fair, there sure are other good sushi restaurants, but I consider this the top not only for their food. How do you know if you are eating good sushi?

Its components should be fresh. You can know that from its taste, smell, and color. This applies to the protein in the piece (salmon, shrimp, caviar..), the vegetables and fruits (cucumber, mango, avocado, ..) How it is rolled. It should be contained and not stale. If the rice does not stick together, it probably has not absorbed a fair amount of vinegar. Its protein: either shrimp or whatever, it should be of its normal color.

I have ordered almost all the sushi rolls this place serves, and I honestly have nothing to say about any of them. Let’s take the Philadelphia roll as an example, it consists of Philadelphia cheese, salmon, seaweed,

and rice. Very simple, very basic, yet mouthwatering. When evaluating a restaurant, you try its most basic food; if you find it good, you dig into its sophisticated plates. Also, the Hoso, one of sushi’s simplest forms; salmon, rice and seaweed.

Another form of sushi is the roll which, as we know, is ordered by either 4 or 8 pieces. As is common knowledge too, Nigiri is served by single pieces which is good if you are looking to order an odd number of pieces. It is basically a layer of rice, with protein of your choice on top, all wrapped by seaweed. We also got the Tamaki, which is a cone filled with your choice of cucumber or avocado and protein. It can be eaten like a sandwich. Oshi and Junkan are two more forms. Oshi consists of a layer of rice, and minced protein on top with a separator, could be cheese. Junkan is the same except it is wrapped with seaweed. Sashimi, mainly consists of protein served with cucumber or celery, cut into slices, also served in 4 or 8 pieces, or 3 or 6 pieces in some places.

Photo by: Marina M. Photography

Arigato Sushi & Grill serves sushi according to the international standards. It is all by the book, with fresh components to make you feel that indescribable feeling once that piece touches your tongue. Check. Moving forward to the portion; the sushi piece is neither too small, like most Japanese restaurants in Egypt serve it, nor too big for a mouthful. It is an intermediate size for your mouth to swallow and enjoy. So, Check. Let’s talk about the value. Arigato’s “all you can eat” is usually for 250 Egyptian pounds including no tax or service, but since I visited on its anniversary, they had an offer of 200 pounds instead. I think that is a very reasonable price compared to any other place, and you do get value in return for your money. Check. Hygiene is taken care of; all waiters and chefs are neat. It is good to see them with shaved beards and trimmed nails. One of the crucial things to observe when eating outside. Check. It was nice to be followed up by the restaurant’s manager who came to my table and checked if I were satisfied with the food and service. Check.

I have been eating sushi for 20 years and have tried it at almost every Japanese restaurant in Egypt; this is one of the few that abide by its rules since the Japanese cuisine invaded the Egyptian market. So, as a sushi expert, I highly and massively recommend Arigato Sushi & Grill for anyone who would like to try the authentic taste of it; I guarantee you will not

regret it. Enjoy it!