Sushi Diner-Japanese food in Linda Vista- Very Very Good (but we didn't order much sushi...)

mmm-yoso!!! , the blog, is not on vacation.  Neither is Kirk...he is merely indisposed and Cathy is a-bloggin away, in between cleaning, changing air filters, dusting and more cleaning after the fires...

Hi.  The location of this place should be fairly familiar to you, if you read this blog.  It is right next door to Mein Trung, and worth a visit when you are in this area/parking lot and not craving other Vietnamese meals or sandwiches.

Sushi Diner is on and facing Mesa College Drive, just a bit from the corner of Linda Vista Road.  If you park in the K-Sandwiches parking lot, you can walk over.

The menu (you can click and enlarge) is fairly simple, a good sign, and there are some lunch Bentos that are excellent and less than $7.  This is a dinner we had not too long ago.

We started out with some hot tea (no charge)  which was brought out in thermoses, a very nice touch.

We also ordered a "small plate" of edamame ($2.00) which were freshly boiled and had kosher salt sprinkled on the exterior pods and so the interior soybeans had a very pure and fresh flavor, enhanced by your salty fingertips.  A very nice way to eat these. 

We did get one order of yellow tail nigiri sushi($1.80) and one order of albacore ($1.60).  Both cut larger than I expected and both fresh and with a good clean taste and the ability to almost melt in your mouth.

The Special Fried Tofu Roll ($4.50) was tofu pockets filled with crab and topped with fried crunchies.  I was very good an fresh.  The tofu pocket had that sweet taste and I needed to dip the pocket in soy to make the sweetness even out. Different and good.

The miso soup that came with our combination meal was excellent.  Not instant, made with yellow miso paste and deeply richly flavorful.   The soft tofu bits were very tasty also.

The combination plate also came with a choice of sushi rolls, and I opted for the spicy tuna roll- very, very nice soft, buttery tuna with a spicy sauce that complimented the flavor of the tuna and did not overwhelm it.  The rice and seaweed were very fresh tasting.

The fried calamari combo plate ($6.50) (which came with the above noted miso soup and spicy tuna rolls).  The calamari was in a cornmeal batter, and the seafood within was not too tender-a little chewy. Still it was good, but when the owner/chef came out and asked us what we liked, we told him about this and he said he would try to make the calamari in a tempura batter, or for us to just ask that the calamari be made with tempura batter next time. The side of tartar sauce seemed to be house made, or was just a very good brand and the side salad , which was topped with a rice noodle salad that was made with cucumbers, carrots, ginger, garlic and mayonnaise was addictive. 

I also ordered a small dish of two vegetable croquettes ($2.75) which were light crusted and the only vegetables were soy beans, carrots and corn...in a mashed potato base...and the flavor was really good.  These were served with a "Bulldog" (thick, sweet, on the edge of BBQ) sauce.

Finally, we also had ordered the mixed tempura small plate ($5.50) which included two shrimp, a calamari ring, broccoli, squash, mushroom...all really good, very flavorful in a very light crispy tempura batter.  The calamari ring really did melt in your mouth and this is the way I have requested calamari be made when I have gone on a return visit. The side of teriyaki sauce was warmed and good.

All in all, the price to food quality ratio is excellent here.  You should try it.

Sushi Diner 7530 Mesa College Drive San Diego 92111 (858)565-1179  Lunch:Mon-Fri 11-3, Dinner: Mon-Th 5-9, Fri 5-10 Sat 4-10

Comments

[PGS]

Oh, great--now I want sushi. Can you write a bad review of something I'm craving? My budget and wardrobe will both thank you.

I'll have to check them out.

[Carol]

Mmm, sushi and tempura...dang and it's not even 9 am yet. I just can't seem to get enough sushi lately so thanks for giving me another one to add to the list!

[Cathy]

I'm so sorry, PGS...the calamari was chewy... I do try to blog about everything I eat and have just been lucky lately. If you look at about the middle of February this year, I had a series of crappy meals that I blogged about...
Hi, Carol. This is the small place that used to be La Basil Thai and the owner is very ambitious. I like going here just to see how he is doing. You'll like it.

[toisan]

I drive past this place four times a week, on the way to the teaching gig. Another place I'll have to try, based on what you've written. I actually tried the Pilipino place around the corner. I'll have to kick my students out of class early so I can make it to Sushi Diner before they close! ( I hope my dean doesn't read your site!) I could make it to La Basil Thai, they closed later. BTW, was that a $100 chip on top of the dessert at Valley View? I love VV!

[Cathy]

I liked that place around the corner, Toisan, and the market up the road about a mile, too. Yes, you need to stop in either before or after teaching. You never know who reads this blog with over 1500 hits a day from all over the world...just go and eat here. It is good.
Yes, that was a $100 white chocolate gaming chip on the dessert brownie sundae...good eyes for such a bad photo! It was about 5 inches in diameter...I didn't want to use a flash in the restaurant. The quality of food at Valley View is rarely surpassed.

[mizducky]

Interesting! I tried that Sushi Diner place a couple of months ago, when I wanted to go to Mien Trung but found them closed. I got one of their bento boxes, and liked it okay, but it didn't bowl me over. But maybe I need to give them another shot.

[Cathy]

I really think Mien Trung should just write either "varies" or "when w feel like it" on the sign that lists their hours, Miz D.
I have only had the lunch Bento twice and both times it was good and not bad. You did notice most of all we got at this meal was fried and that may be part of why I liked it so. It was done right. I did like that the miso was richer and not the instant stuff..and that salad just made me want more. I just am happy it is not bad food lately.

[Jessica H]

I ate here a couple days ago with my dad and was pleasantly surprised! I had the hamburg with a spicy tuna roll and it was all very delicious. Afterwards my dad told me that the nigiri he had was some of the best he's had in a long time (for cheaper sushi). We'd definitely be back.

[Cathy]

Hello and welcome, Jessica! I am so glad you tried it -and liked it-Sushi Deli isn't fancy by any means and not 'high end' sushi, but fresh and good...that's what I try to write about...but, trust me, if food someplace isn't good, I will write it here, too.

[Renters Insurance California]

Thanks for the great review. How are the rest of the sushi rolls? Do they give you good portions?

[Cathy]

Hi, Renters Insurance guy...Thanks for taking the time to comment. I didn't emphasize it in this post, but Sushi Diner is *very* small- 12 tables and 3 of them are outside- (It used to be La Basil Thai and you can see photo of it if you put that name in the "search" box at the top left of the page) The food is quite good with good portion sizes-not huge, but not miniscule- and always very fresh. They do use imitation crab, which is still very good, and I do sometimes crave it. I just don't eat any of the rolls made with cream cheese; it is wrong. The tuna has always been fresh in the rolls and the sashimi seems to be cut in quite a large portions. I liked the "Crunch Roll" (#21) made with 2 tempura'd shrimp and krab and topped with more crunchies, cut into 8 pieces for only $6.25, as well as any of the rolls that start out as a California roll and then are topped with something else (The "Sunset" roll is a California roll topped with smoked salmon; the "Hawaiian" is a California roll topped with spicy tuna) The rice is a good quality sushi rice. You can see from the photos the portions are nice. Thanks so much for stopping to comment.

[i_love_maiko]

I have not been to a place with fish this fresh or an atmosphere like this since I was in Japan... made me miss being there!

The prices are very good, and the food is amazing! The best thing about this place is the fish, it is sooooooo fresh! Everything else is good too, very good, but the fish is always the big test. It tasted like they just pulled it out of the ocean!

[cathy]

Thanks for the reminder about this place, I love Maiko. The Mister and I have not been here in a while and need to go. Kirk is doing some 'revist' posts, and I can, too...oh and welcome to or blog!

[jorge]

guys just get the deluxe sushi combo. its got like 16 pieces of sushi. and its only like 10-12 bucks. if you have the cash go for the specialty rolls. smokin jamaica ($9) and stamina ($6) rolls really hit the spot.

[Cathy]

Thanks for the reminder about this place, jorge. Welcome to our blog. I think I'll go back soon.