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Kevin Shalin
| Chef Chat |

Chef Chat, Part 3: Jerry Jan of RA Sushi in City Centre

Kevin Shalin | May 6, 2011 | 2:00pm
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This week, we caught up with Chef Jerry Jan of RA Sushi in City Centre. Check out our conversation here and here. Today, we do a little sushi sampling.

But first, I started off with a tasty cocktail. The Baby Tsunami Punch is a delicious combination of Southern Comfort, Amaretto, vodka, cold sake, pineapple and grenadine, as well as orange, pineapple and lime juice. Manly, this drink is not, but I'm not ashamed to admit it's pretty darn good. It tastes as refreshing as it looks, and would be a perfect drink to sip while relaxing on that nice patio.

Out came the sushi. First up, the Chili Ponzu Yellowtail -- a perfect starter dish. It was light, delicate, and had a wonderful assortment of textures and flavors. Thinly sliced yellowtail was topped with jalapeno, cilantro, a chili sauce and cashews. The simple ingredients blended so nicely together.

I was excited to try the Viva Las Vegas Roll, which did not disappoint. Neither did the Tropical Roll. The Vegas was a complicated concoction of several ingredients -- crab, cream cheese, seaweed, spicy tuna, eel sauce, spinach tempura bits, and sliced lotus root. I know it sounds like overkill, but it was not. The presentation was stunning, and the lightly battered tempura shell provided that warm crunchiness that works so well with the coolness of the crab.

But was it my favorite RA Sushi roll? Nope.

That award goes to the Tropical Roll. It gets an "A" for both creativity and taste. The cucumber, mango and avocado are rolled up, then topped with tempura bits, a small shrimp, and a mango salsa. One bite sends you straight to the beach. The sweet and fresh flavors were unique and comforting.

I finished up with a dessert known as the Sweet Mochi Trio. Small balls of vanilla, mango, and strawberry ice cream were wrapped in sweet rice cake. At first, the textures seemed odd. But after a few bites, I rather enjoyed the light dessert that would make an excellent ending to any sushi meal.


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