Ever since I moved to Saigon I've been on a quest to find the city's best sushi joints. After experiencing the fast-foodesque quality of Sushi Bar and Tokyo deli, I knew there had to be better options out there, especially given the sizable Japanese businessman community in the city.
After lots of trial and error I have been able to identify some worthwhile sushi joints, one of which I tried last night - Nhan Quan Sushi, just across from the Bitexco Tower.The first floor of the restaurant features a ubiquitous, brightly-lit sushi bar and staff yelling typical Japanese greetings. We were led up to the second floor which offered dim lighting, good jazz music and an overall romantic atmosphere. Even with an open floor plan (no ceiling-high partitions, w00t!) it felt both open and private, not an easy atmosphere to create.
We were sat at our table upon which we found cold towels and a small bowl of complimentary grilled salmon to nosh on.
Our first dish was the potato salad with smoked mackerel (VND130,000). The potatoes were cubed and covered with a generous amount of mayo and curry powder. While it had good flavor, I found it to be a bit overstated. Thankfully it was served on a bed of lettuce which really helped to cut the saltiness.
The menu is quite extensive with the usual BBQ dishes, shabu shabu and the like, but we came for the sushi, so let's get down to business.
To get an overview of what's on offer, we ordered the sushi/sashimi platter (VND750,000) that included salmon, tuna, octopus, sanma, mackerel, shrimp, and egg).
At this price point we had high expectations and we weren't disappointed. The presentation was beautiful, the fish was fresh and the rice perfectly seasoned, all the ingredients necessary for good sushi.
VAT is included in the prices which is a nice detail as well.
If you're looking for some quality sushi in a romantic and quiet atmosphere, definitely give Nhan Quan Sushi a try. While more expensive than the sushi chains on Saigon, it's worth the additional cost, especially since sushi is one cuisine you don't want to skimp on. Plus you can easily hop over to Bitexco to catch a movie, if you’re so inclined.
Nhan Quan Sushi. 62 Ngô Đức Kế, Bến Nghé, District 1.
This review was written independently with no influence from the restaurant or third parties. Nor the reviewer nor the photographer nor Saigoneer were paid for the review which was done totally based on the personal experience of the writer.
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