Sushi Hut- a local (3 store) ch-ch-chain

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog and Kirk is on vacation.  Here is another post of what Cathy ate one day.

Hi. I'm back with a short post.  The Mister and I went to one of the locations of Sushi Hut (in Mission Valley) around March of this year and were not overly impressed.  I even deleted those photos from my camera, planning to not talk about it, primarily because I didn't want to bother going back to try different dishes. Not bad food, not great food, just...food.

We were on Clairmont Mesa Boulevard the other day and saw a couple of places inside the parking lot Kitty Corner from the Rockler Store (and Cheetahs..the men reading this know where I am now, right?) and Lo and Behold, another Sushi Hut.  A chain- who knew?

Well, we were hungry; there is a Mexican place and a Boba place a few doors down, but we thought we could try Sushi Hut one more time, just to see if it was still...meh...just food, or something better.  We were pleasantly surprised.

The paper menu says that all photos and slogans are copy written, so I won't post a photo of the menu here, but you can look at it on the Sushi Hut website,

Basically the menu has sushi, rolls, Bento Plates, Bowls and wraps, along with some Combinations thereof.   They also make some beautiful looking Party Trays.

I decided to let another wrap come into my life- second one ever - I don't know where have been, but I wanted to try this version.  Teriyaki chicken, steamed vegetables and sweet rice.  ($4.59)It was a Teriyaki Bowl in a tortilla, and pretty good.   The chicken was all white meat, the Teriyaki sauce was not overwhelming (and I added some 'spicy teriyaki' from the condiment area after my first few bites), the vegetables were crispy/fresh steamed/not soggy and the rice was a good sticky rice.   The serving was quite large for me.

The Mister tried the Bento #2 Platter ($5.29) pretty much katsu chicken cutlets, rice, two fried shrimp and seaweed salad.   We recalled that on our first visit at the other location, they told us they were out of seaweed salad, which has become one of my cravings this year for some reason- I have to try the seaweed salad whenever I see it on a menu or for sale in a market.  This seaweed salad was good with a few different types of seaweed and a light sesame dressing and good, fresh crunch.  The chicken cutlet was lightly breaded and fried and topped with a Ponzu sauce and sesame seeds and the fried shrimp were  lightly breaded with breadcrumbs and light fried so that you could taste the sweetness of  the shrimp. 

All in all, Sushi Hut has a good fast service and fresh food.  The rolls are numerous and made fresh to order and some selections come in two sizes if maybe you just want to try a few. We were not impressed with the rolls the first time we got them at the Mission Valley location and did not want to try them on this visit.  If you are in the area, stop and try a bite. (This is my subtle way of saying don't go out of your way to try it).

Sushi Hut 8058 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego 92111 (858) 874-5803

5624 Mission Center Road San Diego 92108 (619) 6889214

8240 Mira Mesa Blvd San Diego 92126 (858)689-2475

Website -Click here

Comments

[Jim Gottlieb]

I tried the one in Mission Valley recently and was very underwhelmed. I ordered a roll, and it came with only microscopic pieces of fish and the nori was soggy. I vowed not to return.

[Cathy]

Hi, Jim- I understand why. We only got 4 pieces of a roll back in February and it did not impress either of us, as I recall. This time, we were looking for food and it was not badly cooked nor a small serving. I am going to add a sentence to the blog now. Thanks for taking the time to comment and jog my memory.

[poppy]

Hey Cathy, that sushi place is right next to my hairstylist's salon. Kim's a really sweet lady. You should try her sometime. Back to Sushi Hut, I tested the waters with a california roll once but wasn't that impressed so I haven't gone back since.

[Cathy]

How do you know about my hair, Poppy? (It does happen to have some "Chilled Plum" color in in it right now...and is a running joke with some people).
I know, Sushi Hut's sushi is not great...they should not have named it so that people would not try the sushi and be disappointed. The other stuff is OK though.

[Don Juan]

I eat Sushi Hut in Clairemont Mesa and Mira Mesa several times a week. I usually get the LAVA ROLL, Crunchy soft shell crab inside and soft seafood mix on top with their special sauce. I believe The Mission Valley Store and the others have different owners/management. So I have had no complaints the past 3 years from eating in the Sushi Hut in Clairemont Mesa Blvd and Mira Mesa Blvd. Best value for my money.

[Cathy]

Hello and welcome, DJ. I appreciate your recommendation and now realize that all the complaints about SH, including my own, are based on the Mission Valley location. The food at the Clairmont Mesa location was good and better than we remembered compared to MV. Thanks.