New Sushi

New to us, that is. We needed a new place to satisfy our sushi jones, since the last time we tried to visit the usual place, it seemed to be out of business. That evening, we ate at a Thai/Sushi joint in Cockeysville, and were pretty disappointed. We tried a Thai appetizer platter on which everything was greasy and/or tasteless. (Nothing has come close to our dear departed Bangkok Place yet.) The sushi was over-the-top huge, big honking rolls full of too much stuff and topped with too much spicy mayo. It all seemed fresh, yet it was all pretty much tasteless. A big strikeout.

Yesterday, we ventured into Yamato Sushi, in the Fairgrounds Plaza shopping center, in Timonium. Even at 5:45, several tables were taken, which was a good sign. They had a number of the fancy rolls that DH and I like, as well as a good selection of more standard sushi. A cursory glance at the rest of the menu showed a melange of Asian dishes, Thai, Japanese, and other. But we were there for sushi.

The nigiri sushi we ordered - tuna, salmon, white tuna - was impeccably fresh, with nice large slices of fish and rather small fingers of rice. The five rolls we tried were modestly sized, all fitting in the mouth nicely. Two had a spicy mayo on them. Now, I like the concept of spicy mayo, but in most places, it's a bit too heavy on the spice, with a tart, harsh, hot sauce quality that overwhelms the delicate fish. Yamato uses a very lightly spiced thin mayo sauce that seemed far more appropriate. They also used crunchy elements in many of their rolls, either tempura shrimp or merely crisp tempura batter scraps. And, all of the rolls were inside-out, meaning more rice and less nori, ideal for someone like me whose least-favorite part of sushi is the nori.

We enjoyed everything. The decor was pleasant, the staff friendly, and the sushi delicious. I think it's my new favorite, and I hope that doesn't mean the kiss of death for Yamato Sushi.

Yamato Sushi
51 W Aylesbury Rd
Timonium, MD 21093
(410) 560-0024