Koi Sushi now moving!

Somehow these restaurants are all moving... From my last post of iL Gatto and now Koi Sushi, names and locations are all constantly changing. Is it because of the bad economy or, the opposite of a bad economy in which people are acquiring higher taste of food and thus an increase demand in locational convenience? Either way, I'm ready for Koi to move out of Downtown. Because those Downtown "No Parking/ Will Tow at 10 pm" signs really suck.

I'm a big big big sushi lover. Ever since my first trip to Japan at 14, I became the slave of good sushi. I even part time waitressed at a sushi restaurant during high school. Not only for the free sushi at the end of the shift deal, but also the love and passion with each piece of fish...

The sushi scene is definitely different in the US. Just like there's no orange chicken in Chinese cuisine, nor was there a General last name Tso with some fried chicken... There's no California roll in Japan. There's no dragon roll, no crunchy roll, no one even put avocados in sushi. I took a Japanese co worker to sushi one time, and man, poor guy was so shocked...
"What's that green smoochy stuff in the middle?"
"oh, that's avocado! I love it!"
"And what's that red smoochy stuff?"
"oh, that's spicy tuna! It's my favorite roll! :) "
"Ok... and why are the rolls inside-out?"
"huh? o.O"
"Like... why are the rice on the outside, and the seaweed is in the inside?"
"Hmm... Maybe the Californians thought that's how Japanese does it?..... Can we eat now?"

So, let's eat (and yes, I know I need a new camera):
Koi Sushi's special roll: Problem Solver
Crunchy shrimp tempura roll with cucumbers, topped with salmon sashimi and masago (small salmon eggs) and spicy mayo sauce. The toppings are slightly burnt with a torch for that seared touch. Amazing concept, and the salmon wasn't bad. This is definitely a show stopper.

Shawty fire burning on the "sushi" floor!!! Whoa!

Dragon Roll: Unagi (Eel) and Avocado topping on, yea, Californian roll
One note on the Californian roll base, the imitation crab meat needs a little more salty flavor in them. It tasted kind of, if we don't already know, Fake.

My favorite American sushi: Spicy Tuna Roll
I feel so lame when my friend asked me what to pick and I had to pick the simplest spicy tuna roll... Love the bean sprouts though.

Baked Scallops with Spicy Cream Sauce
Those sea scallops were fat and delicious! Squeezed plenty of lemon juice to mellow out the overdosed spicy mayo sauce... Too much mayo, quite frankly, I mean, where're the scallops? Photo hunt time. 4 pieces of fat scallops for the hot appetizer, with some bonus mushrooms. Not bad.

Baked Mussels 

My friend's favorite. She orders it everywhere she goes. Should we call her the baked mussels expert? Mussels are of decent size and quality. Top with spicy mayo sauce again. I guess nothing can go wrong with spicy mayo.

My fruity little drink: Pomegranate Cocktail
Cute! Haven't had one of those in a while.

Portions are huge. That problem solver was one big roll... The pieces were big, too big and better not try to eat it in one bite. I'm not responsible for your dislocated jaw. We were packed full with those 3 giant rolls and two spicy mayo dishes. Not to mention the thousands of calories that came with the mayo... But hey, I'd rather walking out with a happy tummy and a full wallet, then some places like Seven, where I'd walk out with a sick tummy and an empty wallet... partially because of the night club and lounge scene...

So Koi will be moving to a new location, and there'll be plenty of parking. But I feel like I'll miss it in the downtown location still. How could anyone not miss a fun night with plenty of good sushi, good friends and a good night out?!