?An invitation to the features desk for lunch at More Sushi Izakaya Bistro in Woodbrook sent most of my colleagues digging in their bag of tricks for a reason why they could not accept. Sushi? No way. However, a few "monkey faces" later, we all agreed that we should go. In the end, we were glad that we did. More Vino–which houses the restaurant–originally known for its fine selection of wine, now has a fantastic, unconventional sushi menu that can make the most sceptical fall in love with sea food. Having never tasted Sushi before, I had such a wrong concept of what it was and how it would taste. Nonetheless, after being served by Malaysian born Ju-Jin, the restaurant's executive chef who created the Sushi menu, we were chomping down sushi roll after sushi roll, delighting and satisfying our taste buds. First, it was the sushi pizza, topped with salmon, crab salad, octopus and tuna. I never thought I'd say it but it was delicious. Then it was on to the Transformer Roll, the first of its kind.
It was made of chicken and barbecued eel, dipped in unagi sauce. This was followed by one of Ju-Jin's signature rolls–the T&T Plantain Roll, served with sweet chilli sauce. Just when we thought our tummies couldn't accommodate anything else, we were tempted by the Strictly Shrimp Roll, which we all gave in to helplessly. We were also treated to the Asian-influenced Chicken Satay–chicken glazed with spicy peanut sauce. We also enjoyed the Lobster Roll and, to finish, a riceless roll–crab salad, fried soft shell crab, cucumber, barbecue eel and avocado all wrapped in rice paper and served with eel sauce. After those amazing tongue teasers, my idea of sushi is no longer what I thought–raw, fresh unappetising fish. It's completely the opposite. As chef Ju-Jin explained, many people think sushi is raw fish. This could not be more wrong as sushi is not raw fish but rather rice. Premium short grain sushi rice, imported from Japan, is the main ingredient. ?Wine and sushi?
It took a while for More Vino, initially a retail wine store, to began having on-site consumption of wine. According to co-founder and managing director David Stone, though they began small, in February, 2005, as time passed they became a full wine bar, later developing a kitchen, serving light dishes. Demand by customers to have a lunch menu led Stone, along with his brother and partner in business, Christian Stone, to add a sushi menu. This was launched in May last year. Today, with its attractive sushi menu, More Vino/More Sushi has among its patrons the "who's who" of society. As a matter of fact, having lunch on the day we visited were Minister of Health Jerry Narrace, Andrew Gabriel, CEO of Norman Gabriel Insurance Brokerage and chairman of the National Carnival Committee, Howard Chin-Lee–regular customers.
Original
Stone proudly said the sushi menu found at More Vino is original. He also mentioned two of Ju-Jin's signature sushi rolls–Ju Ju and Dikemoto. "They are really named after us, so we play a game where we bet which one would sell the most," he joked. Added to their already exciting menu, customers can also enjoy for lunch, the authentic Japanese Bento box. This is a compartmentalised platter with shrimp, vegetables, tempura, a house salad, California roll, misco soup, pickled ginger, wasabi (Japanese pepper) and desert. They also have a special vegetarian menu, as well as the Donburi, another authentic Japanese lunch pleaser. So forget everything you've ever heard about sushi. Don't knock it till you've tried it because it might just be the best thing you have ever tasted. Bon appetit!
ABOVE: ?More Sushi's authentic Japanese Bento lunch box.
