While visiting San Diego and touring the Gaslamp Quarter we happened upon Sushi Lounge on Market.
The swords that greet you on the ceiling are beautiful. The paintings and artwork displayed across all the walls inside are also quite stunning. Cherry blossoms, life-size sake bottle, murals, and TV’s playing local sports and channels.
Serving Japanese fusion, we stuck with sushi classics.
Miso soup was our starter — a version without tofu. This doesn’t bother me. Flavorful, salty, and hot.
We also tried three of the specialty rolls at Sushi Lounge on Market. The Kumite Roll — including salmon, avocado, garlic aioli, asparagus, albacore, habanero sauce, cilantro, and garlic chips. The Kaiju Roll — including tempura shrimp, avocado, cream cheese, spicy tuna, marinated jalapeno, spicy aioli, eel sauce and torched seared. And the Nunchuck Roll — including tuna, yellowtail, salmon, tobiko, chives, miso aioli, green leaf lettuce, and kaiware sprouts.
The restaurant was closing thirty minutes after we were seated, but the waitstaff still served us without issue. All friendly and cooperative.
Sushi Lounge on Market is tasty.
The plates tasted wonderful. Prepared after ordering, tasted fresh from the San Diego coast, and dashed with micro-greens and flavors pulled from the local abundance growing. The sushi felt like old meeting new. Classic techniques meeting fast-forward flavors. There was a certain zest to the flavors I don’t always get at all sushi locations.
I also tried the O Ren Ishi cocktail — including You & Yours Sunday Gin, lime, simple syrup, and cranberry bitters. This drink was to-the-point, sweet, bitter, and refreshing. Do you see the theme in my drink choices?
If I return to Sushi Lounge on Market any time in the future, I’m going to have to try and 92101 specialty roll. This roll has scallops, tuna, avocado, truffle aioli, and tempura green onion, topped with yellowtail, microgreens, yuzu juice, truffle shoyu oil, and red clay sea salt.
Now, doesn’t that sound impressive and delicious?
