The Kista Sushi Crawl

Ah, Sushi. A taste that I (regretfully) only acquired later on in life. For years and years, I stubbornly adhered to the child-like sentiment of “but it’s raw fish! Ew!”

It took my friends pinning me down a couple of years back and telling me “This is going to hurt us a lot more than it’s going to hurt you” while shoving a piece of maki down my gullet for me to finally see the light. And see I did. For from that day on, a sushi-lover was born!

Ever since then, I’ve been making up for all o’ that sushi-less lost time. Maki, nigiri, sashimi, you name it:

Sometimes life deals you a pretty sweet hand- Well, about a week ago, two new sushi places opened up within walking distance from my humble abode in Kista, Stockholm. Reaching the conclusion that this was not the time for half measures, my roommate and I decided we were going to splurge on a glorious, back-to-back sushi fest.

Our first stop:

Asian House

We had the distinct pleasure of sampling their very first sushi on the day of their grand opening this Friday. Putting down something in the ball-park of 100 SEK each, we sat down to the all-you-can-eat lunch menu, featuring tasty wok food like szechuan beef. hunan grilled chicken and of course, sushi. The sushi here was alright- nothing mindblowing. Ingredient quality and consistency was slightly higher than what you’d expect from say, some mall food-court sushi place.

What we REALLY liked about the place, though, was the warm, ma’ and pa’ atmosphere that it fostered. The music selection was the perfect amalgamation of east and west, oriental covers of Disney Classics like “Beauty and the Beast,”  “The Circle of Life,” and “A Whole New World.” So enjoyable, in fact, that I approached the staff afterwards and asked them where I could get me some o’ that. The owners’ adorable toddlers came up to my friend and I while we were dining and haltingly asked us if we were enjoying our meal. Some things money can’t buy, like the beaming, ear-to-ear grins of those lil’ kids when we told them the food was wonderful, for everything else:

Selections included traditional maki, maguro, sake nigiri, and my all-time favorite: ebi nigiri. Pictures of delicious noms ensue:

Next up:

Zan Sushi, Grill, and Dim-Sum

At first glance, this place seemed WAAAY too rich for our poor, student blood, with its fancy sushi conveyor belt and its tasteful decor. Thing is though, when everything’s expensive, nothing is expensive. Zan’s all-you can eat sushi ran us a bill of around 150 SEK each, the cost of roughly two combo meals at a Stockholm McDonald’s. Indulged in every now and again, this sort of frivolousness does more good than harm:

Again, selections included traditional maki, maguro, sake nigiri, and  ebi nigiri, with additional options including blue-fin and squid. The quality here was markedly higher than Asian House.

Never much been one for sharp lines and muted colors though, and the music selection was simply too generic to actually enjoy. So to sum up, good food, just not as good an ambient atmosphere. As I jokingly told my roommate:

My curiosity and my sushi cravings both sated for the time being has me feeling simultaneously energized and super, duper content. Bring it on, life!