Japanese Food and Cooking

Cafe Kubo's

$13 at Edomae Sushi

Photo by Robb WalshWhere: Edomae Sushi, 12225 Westheimer, 281-558-5599 What $13 gets you: Sushi Special C from the lunch special menu is $10.95 and includes a California roll rolled in bright orange flying fish roe and a Spicy Tuna roll with your choice of miso soup or salad. If you can't afford th ... More >>

A Cafe Bites Nibble

Qidong Lin, who's from a small town in China, was first exposed to a moveable sushi bar during a visit to California. "I liked the concept very much," said Qidong. "It is relatively cheap and easy for customers to see what they're getting and how much they will pay." So he opened Sushi Choo Choo (12 ... More >>

Kata Robata

Qidong Lin, who's from a small town in China, was first exposed to a moveable sushi bar during a visit to California. "I liked the concept very much," said Qidong. "It is relatively cheap and easy for customers to see what they're getting and how much they will pay." So he opened Sushi Choo Choo (12 ... More >>

A Cafe Bites Nibble

In the space that housed Café Le Jadeite on West Gray emerges a new restaurant, Café Ginger (1952 West Gray, 713-528-4288). Jack Tsai is the manager. "I used to work for Toro Japanese restaurant before coming here," says Tsai. "Toni Sha is the owner. He was one of the partners in Le Jadeite as wel ... More >>

Southern Hospitality at Ginza Japanese Restaurant

​It's far from the Heights, miles from midtown and could never double as a nightclub. Unassuming as ever, my favorite sushi in town -- Ginza Japanese Restaurant -- makes me proud to dine in a shopping center next to Jack's Carpet. The meal begins with hot towels and ends with sliced oranges ... More >>

On a Roll at Kubo's Sushi Competition

Photos by Katharine ShilcuttThe bibimbap roll at Kubo's​Rice, salmon, tuna, seaweed, wasabi, avocado, octopus, daikon radish, cucumber -- it seemed the food would never stop coming. Last night at Kubo's, we were faced with enough sushi to feed two sumo wrestlers. One brightly colored roll aft ... More >>

Flounder Fish & Chips

A new Kata Robata on Kirby offers stellar fish and lots of attitude.

Gas Station Sushi

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt​Only a few short days after Eating Our Words' body revolted violently against some inadvisedly consumed cheese enchiladas that had been on a steam table for far too long, as it turns out, we decided to show our stomach who's boss. Take back the night! And what bett ... More >>

Lunch Special: Sushi Raku

​The newly opened Sushi Raku (3201 Louisiana Street) is a swanky, modern-looking place. It is huge - you could have a large corporate function here - and well built, with interesting depth in the windows and private booths galore. We can see why the build-out of this location took some time. ... More >>

Umai Japanese Restaurant

​The newly opened Sushi Raku (3201 Louisiana Street) is a swanky, modern-looking place. It is huge - you could have a large corporate function here - and well built, with interesting depth in the windows and private booths galore. We can see why the build-out of this location took some time. ... More >>

Food Fight: Battle Discount Sushi

Houston still lacks the crucial "conveyor belt sushi" concept​It's no secret that we love sushi. However, we also love something else -- and we love it even more than we love sushi. We love money. To paraphrase Adam Sandler, we're a big fan of money. We like it, we use it, we have a little. We ... More >>

Mochi Ice Cream Balls

​I tried some chocolate mochi ice cream at Mikawaya ice cream shop in L.A.'s Japantown. The frozen dessert balls are wrapped in glutinous sweet rice -- they taste like ice cream wrapped in chewing gum until the wrapper starts to melt in your mouth. It's a curious taste sensation, but the real ... More >>

$13 at Azumi Sushi

Where: Azumi Sushi Japanese Restaurant, 1709 Dryden Road, Houston, 77030, (713) 790-9997 What $13 gets you: A chicken teriyaki bento, a spicy salmon roll, a small side of seaweed salad and edamame, and a couple of pieces of salmon sushi. Normally, we don't spend quite so much money for lunch durin ... More >>

Shogi Hibachi Express

Where: Azumi Sushi Japanese Restaurant, 1709 Dryden Road, Houston, 77030, (713) 790-9997 What $13 gets you: A chicken teriyaki bento, a spicy salmon roll, a small side of seaweed salad and edamame, and a couple of pieces of salmon sushi. Normally, we don't spend quite so much money for lunch durin ... More >>

Toku Sushi

Where: Azumi Sushi Japanese Restaurant, 1709 Dryden Road, Houston, 77030, (713) 790-9997 What $13 gets you: A chicken teriyaki bento, a spicy salmon roll, a small side of seaweed salad and edamame, and a couple of pieces of salmon sushi. Normally, we don't spend quite so much money for lunch durin ... More >>

Sushi Tora

Where: Azumi Sushi Japanese Restaurant, 1709 Dryden Road, Houston, 77030, (713) 790-9997 What $13 gets you: A chicken teriyaki bento, a spicy salmon roll, a small side of seaweed salad and edamame, and a couple of pieces of salmon sushi. Normally, we don't spend quite so much money for lunch durin ... More >>

Berryhill vs El Rey: Battle for the Best Shrimp Tempura Taco

​Call me a late bloomer, but I didn't discover the Shrimp Tempura Taco until a year or so ago. Now I am in love with them. Though I know grilled shrimp is way healthier, blah blah blah, I wholeheartedly prefer the crunchiness of the tempura battered shrimp with the freshness of the cabbage and ... More >>

Sushi Surprise

This nondescript-looking restaurant is serving the real thing.

Craving Sushi for Happy Hour

Happy Hour at Crave Sushi​ Sushi happy hours are one of the best bangs for your buck: cheap drinks, lots of specially priced appetizers and of course discounted sushi. The best part is any risk you might be taking from consuming raw seafood is minimized by the copious amount of alcohol you're ... More >>

First Look at Sushipop

The High Roller trio at Sushipop.​"Do you know how to open that?" asked a young, red-headed Sushipop employee as he approached the table with my order. A sly grin was on his face as I looked askance at the bottle of Ramuné I'd quickly chosen from the cooler near the register. "Um...no, I don ... More >>

The Volcano Roll at Blue Fish House

Justine Schmider​Paul Knight's recent post on the happy hour at Blue Fish House led me to venture there instead of Miyako recently when I was longing for cheap "American" sushi. By "American" sushi, I am specifically referring to sushi and maki rolls and nigiri, etc., etc., that are inflected ... More >>

Sushi Lunch at Raku

​It's hard to find great sushi that doesn't break the bank. You don't take chances with raw fish, and to get good fish you generally gotsta spend some coin. But if you work downtown, Raku has become a nice option for a decently priced weekday sushi lunch. Not only will you find fresh fish and ... More >>

Authentically Inauthentic

Ramen and breaded pork cutlets, not sushi, are the stars at Umai Japanese.

Umami at Umai

Photos by Troy FieldsThe clean and modern interior at Umai. Check out our slideshow for more photos.​Umai Japanese Restaurant (8400 Bellaire) may be located along Bellaire Boulevard, but the restaurant is mostly removed from the hurly-burly tumble and flow of Chinatown, being closer to Sharpst ... More >>

Openings & Closings

Photo by Craig HlavatySo long, Agora...for now.​Filed under "O" for obvious is the closing this week of Agora (1712 Westheimer) after last weekend's devastating fire on the eve of Halloween. For those of you just tuning in, Agora's next door neighbor -- Antique Warehaus -- caught fire and the ... More >>

First Look at Toyama

Too-cool fish is made up for with superb sushi rice.​You may have noticed that the shuttered Chicken 'N Egg Roll that haunted 2802 S. Shepherd is no more, a sleek and modern building in its place. It's Toyama, the newest Japanese restaurant from the same family that owns Osaka, further down on ... More >>

Lunch at Go Fish

​Last Thursday, I finally made it over to Go Fish (1709 Dryden Rd.), which opened in the spot that had been Azumi Sushi. A coworker and I split a couple of dishes so we could try more things. According to the menu, they had both Vietnamese and Japanese food, which seemed fresh and inventive in ... More >>

Escolar and Uni at Aka Sushi

Photos by Katharine ShilcuttSea snail up front, uni in the back.​Every time I mention enjoying a particular sushi restaurant, a commenter or two will chime in to tell me that I'm a blithering idiot for not enjoying Aka Sushi more. (Sometimes that's an exaggeration, but not usually.) This also ... More >>

Raw Fun

Zake Sushi Lounge hosts hot weekend parties.

First Look at Convey

Above-average nigiri at Convey, but it doesn't come out on a conveyor belt...yet.​Conveyor belt sushi is not a new concept to most of America, yet here -- in downtown Houston -- it's somewhat of a novelty. In an odd twist, a couple of Outer Loop restaurants were the first to bring the conveyor ... More >>

Sneak Peek at Blue Fish (No, the Other Blue Fish)

​I have to wonder if, when Dallas-based Blue Fish set its sights on Houston, they realized that there was already two restaurants here with the same name. Not just any restaurants, but fellow sushi restaurants -- and fairly popular ones at that. Confusion is bound to play out for the rest of t ... More >>

Top 5 Sushi Restaurants

Soma.​With sushi being one of my favorite go-to meals, naming favorites is not an easy task. There are so many things to take into consideration. Are you looking mainly at the freshness of the fish? What about the selection of makizushi? And what about the rice? I tried to take all of thes ... More >>

Comment of the Day

​This morning, Geri Maria Harris listed her Top 5 sushi restaurants in Houston and -- as with any Top 5 or Top 10 list -- everyone weighed in with their own "left out" restaurants. But one reader, angrybaker, took issue with the name of the post itself, not necessarily the contents: While I ... More >>

Off the Wall: Awesomeness at Oishii

​Last week's Off the Wall proved to be disastrous. Looking to get back on track, I turned Geri Maria Harris's Top 5 Sushi Restaurants piece, which drew plenty of opinions on places that should have, but didn't, crack the list. This comment from Scarwars caught my attention, "Agree on Kata and ... More >>

Eating Good in the Neighborhood at Sakura Japanese Steakhouse

esthereggy​When a trusted friend from the Inner Loop of Houston recommends a restaurant in Pearland to me, I listen. As such, I found myself heading down FM 518 to sample Sakura Japanese Steakhouse. My friend had advised me to try some of the sushi rolls, which he likened to those being off ... More >>

The Shaggy Dog Roll at Nippon Japanese Restaurant

Joanna O'LearyShaggy Dog Roll at Nippon​I grimace when the canine species is at all associated with Asian cuisine, but that didn't stop me from ordering the Shaggy Dog Roll at Nippon. The components (shrimp tempura, mayo, crabmeat, etc.) seemed familiar and innocuous, and, besides, as I told ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Jerry Jan of RA Sushi in City Centre

​This week, we catch up with Chef Jerry Jan of RA Sushi in the beautiful CityCentre on all things sushi. EOW: How long have you been with RA Sushi? JJ: Almost six years now. EOW: What are some characteristics of a good sushi chef? JJ: You definitely have to be consistent, while making su ... More >>

Discount Dining - Zushi Sushi

Zushi Sushi Happy Hour Nigiri​My first visit to Zushi was a few years ago when it first opened. With so many choices for sushi in Houston, Zushi then fell off my radar. Last week CBS Local Offers featured a $30 for $15 voucher to Zushi, and I used it as an opportunity to refresh my memory. Wit ... More >>

Yoga Fuel, Lazy Yogi Edition: H-E-B Sushi and Spring Rolls

​Don't let my piece about fried zucchini blossoms fool you--I'm really a pretty lazy cook. My husband does most of the cooking and food shopping at our house, so when he's out of town on business I tend to do more "assembling" than "cooking" for my meals. It only takes a couple of days before ... More >>

Live Lobster Sashimi and New Menu Items Wow at Azuma Kirby

Photos by Mai PhamYou get lobster claw soup at the end of your meal if you order the Live Lobster Sashimi at Azuma Kirby​It's been at least ten years since I've been to Azuma Kirby for anything, let alone sushi. Located in the upscale strip mall that also houses Crave Cupcakes, Azuma Kirby ha ... More >>

Slurp Heaven

For a fast-food place, Cafe Kubo's knows how to produce one good bowl of ramen.

Handmade Ramen! Get Your Handmade Ramen!

Photos by Troy FieldsTonkotsu ramen at Cafe Kubo's. See more photos in our slideshow.​In the course of writing this week's cafe review of Cafe Kubo's, I asked the question: Does any place in Houston hand-make their ramen noodles? As it turns out, at least two places do. At least for tonight. ... More >>

The Fish That Got Away

The Gulf of Mexico produces some of the world's most delicious seafood, but we're not processing it for sushi. What gives?

Tunnel Explorer: How Do You Roll?

Mmmmm, Tunnel Sushi.​Tunnel Sushi. Just the sound of it makes me shudder a little bit. Even more so than tunnel filet, this just sounds like a recipe for disaster. When I first learned about How Do You Roll?, I was less than enthusiastic. Of course, I take my job as Tunnel Explorer seriously. ... More >>

Fast Times: Sushi Counter at Disco Kroger

​Sure, drive-thru windows are fast, but the fastest fast food in town is pre-made anything from the grocery store. Enter: the sushi counter at the new and improved Disco Kroger on Montrose. I haven't had time to explore the store beyond the produce section (so much better!), cheese shop, and s ... More >>

Kata Robata's Autumn Festival, "Aki no Matsuri!"

Photos by Mai PhamSuckling pig with buns and sauce, one of the many dishes from Kata Robata's izakaya​Twice a year, Kata Robata transforms its patio into an izakaya, a casual after-work drinking place with Japanese bar food. Izakaya-type food is not fancy. They are the Japanese equivalent to S ... More >>

Fast Times: Montrose H-E-B a la Carte Sushi Bar

​My grocery store of choice is H-E-B, and my go-to store since moving to Houston has been the Buffalo Speedway location -- a little out of the way, considering my Museum District home base, but makes sense when you factor in my Saturday-morning shopping trifecta: Urban Harvest Farmers' Market, ... More >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Sushi

My own personal version of heaven, served up at our No. 1 pick.​For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner ha ... More >>

Sushi 101: RA Sushi Head Chef Jerry Jan Shares What Quality Sushi Is All About

​ "Panda Express ain't no sushi," remarks Jerry Jan, head chef at RA Sushi, with candor. "Do not get sushi from there." Unsurprisingly, Jan says what elevates sushi is the freshness of the fish. Most quality sushi restaurants pick their catch right out of the water, put it on ice and have it ... More >>