Hello Sushi

The saying "You can't judge a book by it's cover" befits Hello Sushi. It's
dull gray exterior and cumbersome location is their obstacle to big
success, cause this place is lovely. The rosewood floors are high
glossed, and look striking against the vanilla colored walls and black
tables. Best of all are the private rooms, where tradition insists on the
removal of shoes before entering, and rice paper sliders can be closed
for privacy or some serious romance. Our waitress, Tomiiko has been
quite pleasant as well as interesting, once she started appreciating that
we were becoming regulars. She gets such a kick out of our oldest son
who loves freshwater eel. Quite the opposite, it's her least favorite.
Reflecting on her childhood, she told us an insightful story of Japan,
where it's commonplace to see butchers on every corner and places in-
between. The Japanese believe that eel holds powers, giving energy to
those who eat it. During their hottest month, August, which they call
"the month of the eel", weary souls scramble to callous butchers who
will lay the eel upon a table and chop the creature up while it is still
squirming, and is hurriedly eaten before the energy escapes the
unfortunate creature. The sight of this left Tomiiko unwilling to ever eat
eel again. Not to worry here, everything is done the American way, and
a Caterpillar Roll is a cheerful sight looking like it's name. The sushi bar
which stretches across the far wall is sparkling clean and accommodates
more than about a dozen diners. Sushi Chef Lee made the best version
of our favorite here, the Volcano Roll, a California Roll topped with
scallops, crab and mushrooms then baked with spicy mayonnaise, much
like Dynamite. The Love Roll with white fish, salmon and albacore
tempura on the inside and raw salmon on the outside was also good with
a squeeze of lemon or dipped in the spicy mayo served alongside.
We've ventured to try a few things, such as the Fire Bomb which really
wasn't as hot as the waitress led on, with chunks of raw tuna, cucumber,
onion, minced green bell pepper and spicy mayo, but was pretty good
still. The Tuna Tataki was a great choice for raw fish. If you're just not
up for all this funk, the Vegetable Tempura with broccoli, zucchini, green
beans, pumpkin and carrot was a hit with our kids, I throw 'em for a loop
and order mine with some onion rings, yum! Chase it all down with a
refreshing Plum Wine Cooler or a Japanese beer, or for you thrill seekers,
give the Sahn Soju a try. This 44-proof Korean saki is distilled from
sweet potatoes and green tea extract, and is like drinking straight
vodka! With such a beautiful remodeling job, this place could make a
name for itself. Add some candlelight in the evenings and colorful little
umbrellas to the cocktails and you could hardly ask for more!

Located at 1630 W. Redlands Blvd. in Redlands.

Telephone (909) 335-8677