Azuma

Azuma.

It's a sushi and Robata bar. They have two locations.

This is some of the most delightful sushi I have ever experienced. The nigiri itself was splendid. The flesh (we had bluefin tuna, sea bass and salmon) of all three fish were firm yet meltable. Their flavours were wonderful; a true indicator that it's not just talk when it's said they fly the fish in daily.

Rolls? Oh, the rolls. There were two that tied for favourite to both P and I.

1) Azuma roll - Spicy, spicy, spicy. But all the heat is in the finish. This roll contains a blend of bluefin and yellowtail. Its wrapped in nori then rewrapped in a thin slab of daikon. There are black sesame seeds and a shake of some sort of chile spice on the top and a slight drizzle of their spicy sauce. Its flavour is delicate, initially - melty almost, and the heat is at the very, very end of the finish so you have the opportunity to melt into the roll before the heat shocks you. It's a gradual heat, sneaking up on you until you finally realise with pleasant surprise that your mouth is on fire. Most importantly, the heat does NOT take away from the flavour. This restaurant created a classic example of how heat can be enjoyed without detracting from the flavour. I am in love with this roll.
2) Sumo roll - I am also in love with this roll. It was the exact opposite from the Azuma roll. Light, delicately balanced avocado slivers, tempura shrimp, crab and asparagus wrapped in bean paper and peppered with black sesame seeds. It tastes like the essence of spring. You eat them, and you feel like you can continue to eat them indefinitely. Very light and refreshing. Delicious!!

And the other rolls we got were all delicious - just not nearly as exceptional as the aforementioned two:

3) Volcano roll - I normally detest this roll. The sauce is generally too viscous, making me feel like I've swallowed a pound of pepto and the scallops are generally mushy. Not here, though. This roll was surprisingly light. Its sauce was barely noticeable, despite the delectable flavour, it perfectly blended with the flavour of the scallops and panko without any sort of competition for supremacy in the roll. The scallops were creamy, but not mushy. They were cooked to perfection. And fortunately, the panko didn't overwhelm the rest.
4) White Angel - Crab and veggies wrapped in bean paper. The main selling feature of this roll is the extraordinary PILE of baked octopus on top, in a very mild, creamy sauce. This roll is incredibly dense and very flavourful.
5) Cucumber roll - pretty standard, no real deviation from the normal flavour.

So, there's my brief description of the restaurant. The also tastes fresher than it normally does, and the squid salad was wonderful.

I have found my sushi place here.