Rishi Sushi

LEGGINGS ARE NOT PANTS!
There, now that all of that is out of the way...we may proceed.

114 North 3rd Street

(614) 914-5125

Rishi Sushi is a recently opened noodle/ sushi bar that offers a healthy selection of "Asian" inspired dishes, as well as a full bar. With that being said, I must point out how longingly I've searched for a noodle bar that is local and worth spending money at, and I may very well have found it. My main hesitation is their relative newness. Restaurants have a habit of being terrible and phenomenal during their first few months, and if they make it past that...well they still have a lot of challenges to face.

Despite knowing that they have only been open a week, my desire for a hot bowl of  real ramen got the best of me. By real ramen I mean: an over-sized bowl filled with a rich broth, delicate slices of meat, soft-boiled eggs, and none of those damn dehydrated styrofoam noodles!

Upon entering the restaurant, we were immediately greeted and obtained a seat. To traverse the field, you have to walk right pass the back of house window (The magic portal that spits out your food from the kitchen), as well as both the drink and sushi bars. Their are huge glass windows, the wall colors are comforting, and with electronic jazz playing in the background- you just feel right.

The menu doesn't take long to review, but it does have quite a few offerings. I found myself doing a double take during the appetizer sections, as the offerings towards the bottom started sounding like they could have been entrees. Their selection of ramen is pretty standard, and they have several burger options, including fish, and chicken. 

                                           

To start, Brandon and I had a yellow tail fish taco, as well as an order of the loaded fries. The taco was served wrapped in a delicate leaf of bib lettuce. A delightful take on the over replicated fried fish in a taco shell. My only complaints come from it leaking out, a bit tough to eat with much dignity. Loaded fries, not too difficult to make deliciously- however Rishi has upped the bar with theirs. a mound of still crispy, golden fries loaded throughout with their sloppy joe mix, bacon, melted cheese, loads of scallions, and topped with delightfully spicy kimchi. Delicious at every level, however, I believe the menu stated there was to be truffle in the mix- none were to be hinted at. 

Continuing at an odd pace, my bowl of ramen and Brandon's sushi came to the table. The fish in the rolls were fresh, and well executed. As for the ramen, I found what I came for in the bowl of "Live for the Moment". A hearty beef broth with sliced pork belly, pickled egg, bok-choy, and delightfully springy noodles. The entire large black bowl was hot and delicious! Although mine didn't come out as full of toppings as some other pictures that I've seen.

I was too stuffed by this point to truly consider dessert. However Brandon was interested in having some, as his meal was much lighter. Before hand, I had noticed they offered simple berries and cream, a simple refreshing offering that caught me by surprise. They had sold out of the green tea tiramisu, but the passionfruit creme brulee still spoke to us. It arrived in a much larger portion than anticipated (easy to share though). With a nice and even gold shell of rich burnt sugar, I was excited; sadly I must say it was probably the worst part of the meal. The custard was set, and fundamentally it was fine, but flavor wise...not so much. I didn't taste any of the eagerly anticipated tartness that is passionfruit. In fact it tasted of a (perhaps I'm crazy) "cakey" liqueur. My advice- add some actual puree to that custard, or drizzle some on top. 

While it may be a bit too soon to tell if Rishi will be my forever home for ramen, I can say it is most definitely worth a stop in. You will find a great atmosphere that begs for patio space to open, great food, and a very pleasing staff. They have a few menu items to work through, but these are likely just minor issues that will work themselves out.

Keep Eating,

JTFussy

Dalek soy sauce dispenser, here to exterminate tasteless food!