THE SUSHI BAR
18 Denkoglou Str
Tel: 981 84 42
Open: Mon to Sun 12.00 to 23.00
Credit cards: yes
WiFi available

When it comes to sushi, Bulgaria is not the first place of which one would think – and not like there is reason to. There has never been a large Japanese influence in the country, nor are we exactly on the cutting edge of the culinary map.

Thus it was with a mixture of hesitation and anticipation that we first went to The Sushi Bar. The second sushi restaurant to open in the country – back in December 2004 – it has earned its place as the first in quality.

The service can be a bit lax, a bit laissez-faire in the sense that the waiter (he’s been there for the year-and-a-half that we’ve been going, which is a good sign in itself, to have staff continuation) kind of indifferently tells that the restaurant does not have octopus today (which in truth is ok, because I’d rather have no fish than old fish), or that, on another day, there is no seaweed for the tofu salad (lettuce, grated carrots, seaweed, tomatoes, fresh onion, tofu, sesame dressing, 250 g at 4.90 leva) – but isn’t that 50 per cent of why one would order that salad instead of the garden salad? Or, that he just kind of does not know from where the fish comes (or is it that he does not want to say?). But the service is also accommodating and polite, and will even provide water from the tap without a fuss.

I love raw fish, particularly sashimi (pieces of raw fish). The Sushi Bar offers a good selection of this, with choices like suzuku (European bass, 120 g, 6.80 leva) or ika (squid, 120 g, 7.90 leva), along with the regulars like maguro (tuna) and sake (salmon). Never have I been disappointed with the freshness of the fish, or in the way it’s been presented.

Usually, we order sashimi and some other things to share, like hoso maki (thin rolls) or maki sushi (medium-thick rolls) or futomaki sushi (fat rolls) or uramaki (inside-out rolls). The problem with the menu is that there are so many choices, that it’s hard to decide. The oshinko hoso maki (pickled Japanese radish, 160 g, 2.10 leva) is fun, as is the temaki sushi with red snapper (a hand-roll, about four leva). They all come aesthetically arranged on a wooden geta of appropriate size, accompanied by wasabi and gari (pickled ginger).

The only order with which I’ve been disappointed has been the futomaki with tuna and salmon. At 12.90 leva for one large roll that has been sliced into 10, it’s not expensive, per se, but the pitifully tiny cubes of fish inside did not seem to justify the price. And the avocado was hard. The same poor size-price ratio goes for the salads as well.

For those wanting a selection, the set menus are the way to go, as they offer a good variety of pieces for a good price.

In addition to fish, there are also noodle dishes and some chicken teriyaki.

The miso soup was nice, though it was served with spoons, which a friend who has lived in Japan said would be strange. He did, however, approve of the way in which the chopsticks were presented: each pair in its own paper wrapper.

The overall decor of the restaurant is clean and refined, black with shades of cream. The front part of the restaurant is bar tables, while the back has lower seating options. Furniture is glossy black, and thankfully, the “Japanese” influence has been kept to a minimum. In total, there is seating for about 40 people.

Most recently I was there for lunch, to get take-away, in fact. Unlike the evenings, when it is often impossible to get a table if you have not reserved (it’s easier to get a table if you do not mind sharing with another party), it was only about one-third full. Still, it took 18 minutes for my sushi roll to be made – apparently, it’s popular for whole offices to order for delivery.

And, I was kind of disgusted when the lady who was working behind the open-to-view sushi work station scratched her face with her fingernails, then continued to work with the food. Luckily, she was not making my order at the moment.

Take-away comes in a nice plastic box, accompanied by wasabi, pickled ginger and some little tubs of soy sauce. Good soy sauce, too. Though the wasabi, this time, was a bit runny, and the pickled ginger was hard, watery and insipid. Usually it’s of a better quality.
A note about the menu – it’s trilingual Japanese (romanji)-Bulgarian-English, and rather well translated, too. Though there were some amusing things, like an item listed as “sea sausage” turning out to be surimi. Another note: The Sushi Bar has a very good wine list of mostly Bulgarian cellars, with bottles starting at the reasonable price of 12 leva, and menu items have wine recommendations.

The Sushi Bar is one good catch.