Sushi Cafe - Woburn

 I did have my fair share of raw fish during my one trip to Asia a few years ago.  As the honored guest at a few business dinners in Singapore, I sampled quite a few umm, shall we say, interesting preparations straight from the sea.  When we stopped in Japan on the way back, I was ready to have all my food cooked.

 

So I have perhaps come full circle to have really enjoyed sushi for the first time in the heart of Woburn, where I grew up eating meat, potatoes and pasta.  I'd heard some good things about the Sushi Cafe in Woburn's Busy Bend, so when Fel suggested we meet there for lunch I quickly seized it as a good chance to expand my food horizons.

 

We settled into a window seat at Sushi Cafe, which affords a sweeping view of Downtown Woburn.  Both novices to sushi, we conferred with the owner on our selections.  He was very helpful and friendly, and steered us in the direction of a combination of the sushi deluxe combination, which gives a sampling of 10 pieces of nigiri sushi, and then we ordered a few pieces of the maki sushi rolls a la carte. 

We started with a cup of miso soup.  A light broth with bits of scallions and seaweed, the soup had a fresh, clean taste that made for a good beginning.  We then shared an order of pork gyoza, the Japanese version of the ubiqitous dumpling appetizer.  It was flavorful with its ginger soy sauce and just a bit of crispiness on the outside.

 Then we delved into the sushi.  The nigiri sush has the slice of fish served over a bit of rice, while the maki sushi are the rolls where the fish is wrapped in rice and seaweed.  I was surprised to find that I liked the eel nigiri best, not something that sounds intuitively appealing but I thought it was very flavorful.  I also really liked the delicate fresh taste of the salmon and tuna.  And I've always loved the heat of wasabi paste, so that combined with a bit of soy and fresh ginger is a great flavor combination.

 I'm glad I ventured into the world of sushi and that there is a good option for it close to home.  Being new to sushi, I'm not in position to compare Sushi Cafe to others, but would definitely recommend giving it a try.  Oh yes, this was a weekday lunch meeting so no wine or sake pairings!

***In addition to writing about local food here on Woburnite.com, David Crowley writes a blog "Cooking Chat" at http://cookingchat.blogspot.com.  By day, he is the President of Social Capital Inc., learn more about SCI and there community building work in Woburn at http://sciwoburn.org.