Ok here is more of the same (Japanese), but at least it's not in the South Bay. It's pretty much impossible to find good sushi in Portland. Every place is just "meh" and I think most people would agree. Masu just might make the cut for decent sushi by my standards.
Tsukemono
Complements of the house. The pickled vegetables were not very pickley. It was pretty toned down. I like my tsukemono to pack a little more punch. The added octopus was nice because they were quite tender, with just a touch of chew.
Fennel and Dungeness Crab Sunomono carrot and mango
The crab was too watery, like it hadn't been defrosted approrpriately. The pickled veggies were more of the same blandness. I liked the fresh bite of the fennel.
Yellowtail
I went into Masu thinking it was more of a roll place, but surprisingly, the nigiri was pretty good. The yellowtail was fresh and delicious. Unfortunately, the spanish mackerel (not pictured) was probably some of the best I've tasted as of late.
Fried Aji Bones
I'm not sure if they do this for all orders of Spanish mackerel, but it was such a nice addition. It was like eating crispy fishy chips. I ate up every morsel of bones and skin.
Black Cod yuan yaki with sauteed burdock and ginger blossm
The cod was well prepared, moist, fatty with just a light miso flavor. The accoutrements were whatever.
Nemo shrimp tempura, dungeness and avocado topped with whitefish and salmon finished with ponzu, green onions, toasted white sesame seeds and smoked bonito flakes
I was expecting the rolls to be packed with flavor from being oversauced and over-mayoed. Surprisingly, the rolls were just as described with very little additives on top of the components listed. Even though the flavors were clean and nothing was offensively fishy, the roll could have used more oomph.
Transformer softshell crab, cucumber, spicy tuna and avocado with spicy serrano dipping sauce
The roll was more of the same. Fresh, clean components, but in need of some pizazz.
From my limited sampling of the nigiri, I would come back to Masu and order more sushi and sashimi. I might skip the rolls since they were on the bland side. I would try another hot dish too. Basically, Masu served up enough decent food to keep me interested in another try. It doesn't hurt that it's just a hop skip away.
Masu Sushi
406 SW 13th Ave # 202
Portland, OR 97205-2359
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