This upcoming Valentine’s Day, I will be celebrating it solo, as I pretty much do every year since I am in love with myself. Some years ago, I got together with a gaggle of girlfriends, but it’s tricky every year as friends travel, have families in or out of town, some get sick, and who knows what else gets in the way of a good Galentine’s Day feast. Yet, for those who wish to spend the holiday with their friends, I highly recommend a Galentine’s Day Izakaya dinner at Sushi Roku in downtown Austin.
Photo: Fluke Kumquat
Izakaya in Japanese means a type of Japanese bar in which a variety of small bites, typically inexpensive dishes, are served together with alcoholic drinks. I went in to experience the Galentine’s Day Feast, and to my surprise, my cup was overflowing. First, I had a four oz. pour of Hampton Water Róse wine. Light and airy, refreshing and slightly orangy, this paired well with all the sushi, cooked, and sashimi dishes that followed.
Usually, this feast is a 4-person minimum at a reasonable price of $75 each. Everyone gets two pieces of small-ish bites. The starters are included in this order. 1) Gulf shrimp in a crispy wonton with avocado mash, which tasted less like the shrimp and more like the wonton noodles of yore. You know, the kind you used to add to your egg drop soup? 2) A spicy tuna hanabi[1] with the restaurant’s signature crispy rice, 3) Brussels sprouts chips; I could’ve done without these as they are not Japanese, and I am a purist, although open to any new combinations and menus utilizing either Japanese cooking methods, techniques or ingredients. 4) Fluke Kumquat in yuzu vinaigrette was my favorite of these starters, and lastly, 5) Hamachi Serrano in a yuzu ponzu sauce (delectable), which had an uneven pinch of smashed garlic on each of the four pieces.
Entreé, Nigiri Course & Rolls
One could choose between the Scallop special (I chose it) consisting of seared scallops topped with the same spicy tuna tasted in the Starter pack, sauteed shrimp (also the same as in the starter), and crispy sweet potato, baked cod in sweet miso or a 4 oz. ribeye. The crispy sweet potato was not served as a potato, which I expected. It was spun, and while it looked pretty, it had little taste. After the main, I was given one piece of seabream, salmon, and yellowtail (hamachi). I liked the salmon most as I’m partial to fresh over frozen, but the portion of sushi was too small for my ravenous appetite, and the seabream was cut thicker than the other two fish.
Photo: Baked Crab Handroll
Katana Roll was served before dessert (which I couldn’t eat anyway as I stayed away from any chocolate; in this case, chocolate-covered strawberries for health reasons). The Katana contained all of our favorite stars of the show: spicy tuna and yellowtail, shrimp tempura. The Baked Crab Handroll was the star of the show and the best dish of the entire evening. Wrapped in soy skin and tempered were delicate snow crab pieces that needed no sauce or condiments to bring out the sweet flavor.
The host and servers were courteous with any questions I had about the menu, polite, and knowledgeable, as is common amongst Japanese. And I got to show off what little Japanese language skills I still retain, having lived in Japan for five years many moons ago 😀
To celebrate the first anniversary of Sushi Roku, the restaurant will be offering 50% off** of the entire menu from February 18th to 21st. In addition, Sushi Roku’s parent company, Innovative Dining Group, will also continue to give back to the Austin community by donating to the Andy Roddick Foundation. This organization allows underserved kids in East Austin to discover their scholastic, creative, and athletic passions.
**The 50% off cannot be combined with the Roses & Rosé Galentine’s Day Feast
Book your table now at https://www.sushiroku.com/locations/austin
[1] Hanabi means flower in Japanese