Linds and I hit up SushiSamba last night, and here’s my breakdown…
First things first…SushiSamba is truly a fusion restaurant. They pair Japanese basics with Brazilian and Peruvian ingredients.
Drinks:
SushiSamba is following the new Dallas trend of serving $10+ “signature drinks” that are to way too small but still potent. I know they aren’t skimping on the booze, but damn…let me have something that I can have more than 3 sips of. Linds had a Mora Negra (Bacardi Gold rum, muddled blackberry, sugar, fresh lime & mango juices), which was very tasty and little to no alcohol flavor. I started off with an plain ‘ol Caipirinha…nice and limey, just the way I like it. For my second drink I told the waitress to “surprise me”…bad idea. The Lemon Samurai (Stoli Citros vodka, muddled lemon, sugar, apple liqueur, peach & guava juices) was gross. It was girly and tasted like a bad trashcan punch. We learned as the meal went on that Lakiesha, our waitress, was not only bad at recommending drinks, but also though our appetizer was “weird,” she didn’t like sushi, and her favorite thing on the menu was the hamburger. Did I mention this was a Japanese, Brazilian, and Peruvian restaurant???
Appetizer:
Linds and I have never been ones to stray from trying new things, so we opted for Sawagani (flash fried Japanese river crabs) as a starter. I know what you’re thinking…oh cool, sounds like soft shell crab. Well not really. This ap is literally 5 whole baby crab (probably 1-inch by 1-inch) thrown into a fryer for a couple of seconds and then tossed on your plate with a little sea salt. We’re talking no batter, no nothing…they look exactly like they just washed up on shore, except now they are rosey red. Eating them is kinda like being in an episode of Survivorman. You pick’em up, toss’em in you mouth, and chew…shell, legs, claws, and all. Yes, you can taste the shell, but they were really good. Definitely worth ordering, if anything, just to gross out the people sitting next to you.
Entrée:
The menu is big and has a little of everything from each region, but we decided that the signature sushi rolls captured the true fusion idea best. The Samba Dallas Roll (spicy king crab, tobiko, roasted corn & mango barbeque sauce) & Yamato (tuna, foie gras, osetra caviar & gold leaf) were both about $20 but so unique we had to get them. The Samba Dallas roll definitely wins the award for best presentation…5 triangular pads of rice that are placed in the shape of a star, with the crab, corn, and mango sauce piled high in the middle. The sweetness of the Peruvian corn, which is kind of a cross between Hominy and yellow corn, really works well with the crab and the mango bbq sauce is off the hook. I would definitely get this again. The Yamoto roll is simply amazing. It’s 3 pads of rice wrapped in seaweed, with a generous slice of Fois Gras on top, sprinked with caviar, and dusted with gold leaf. Did I mention it had Foie Gras??? I could try and describe what it tasted like, but I wouldn’t do it justice. I mean come on it’s Foie Gras, caviar, and gold! I love GOLD! When was the last time you ate gold?
Dessert:
We kept our adventurous streak alive by diving into the Fresh Fruit Tiraditos assortment (Mango with yogurt gelée, ginger crumble & mint pearl, Papaya with crema fresca, micro shiso & chicha morada pearl, Pineapple with coconut gelatin, coconut crisp & coffee pearl, Kiwi yuzu yogurt, mint & raspberry pearl).
