Rishi Sushi offers guests front row seats on Downtown’s bustling Third Street. Thanks to a great wall of windows, the kinetic view of cars and people whizzing by is perpetually on display.
There is just as much hustle and energy inside the new spot with its two floors and modern lines. It serves from a menu filled with items that are edgy in a way that local eaters seems to appreciate.
Consider a starter such as Sushi Panini ($8.95). It’s got edge. The little offerings looks something like a set of sandwich quarters, breaded in panko and fried. Instead, the element that is usually bread in a sandwich is replaced by densely packed rice. Between the rice patties is a combo you might find in a sushi roll: strings of crab (or crab-like stuff) in a spicy sauce and avocado with a layer of seaweed. It’s Sushi Meets Ohio State Fair, and as much as fair food can be freakish, Rishi Sushi’s combo is pretty darn inspired. Sushi purists might not get excited, but food experimenters have reason to rejoice.
There is always the option to do more traditional sushi: the Salmon Nigiri ($2.50) showcases very firm and fresh fish flesh. It’s available from a fully developed sushi menu that also features several versions of sushi rolls. The fish phobic can even play along with something on the lines of an Avocado Roll ($4) – with rich slices of avocado tucked inside its rice walls.
Back on the edgy side, there is the Bimbimbop Burger ($13.95). It is startlingly beautiful with an exquisitely perfect sunny side up egg perched on top. The egg’s white is starkly white, and the yolk is a deep, intensely golden yellow. This egg sits on a nest of julienned carrots, bean sprouts and spinach covering a big, beefy burger with mozzarella.
Although the Bimbimbop Burger is gorgeous, the Quiet Morning ($14.95) burger scored more flavor points at the table. It teams a chicken patty with bacon, spinach, shiitake and bleu cheese. Those flavors merge in a way that is briny, homogenous and completely addictive.
There’s also an extensive Ramen menu, with lots of of flavorful brews to host a nest of the squiggly noodles. Lazy Summer Day ($12.95) is a veggie offering. Based in vegetable broth with a curiously beefy taste, the bites of ramen tangle with spinach, baby bok choy, sprouts, little chunks of corn and big pieces of shiitake.
A soup called It’s Gonna Be Amazing is busier yet, with fishy additions to those vegetables: scallops, shrimp, calamari and fish cake. The ramen soups have lots of affirming names on the menu: there’s also “Live for the Moment” (with pork and egg) and “There’s Always Tomorrow” (with steak and kimchi).
Rishi Sushi even has a kid menu, and little booster seats for the really teeny tots. It’s making a big play for the downtown dining scene.
The new restaurant can be found at 114 N. Third St. It’s open Mondays throught Thursdays from 11am until 10pm. It’s open Fridays from 11am until 11pm, and Saturdays from 4pm until 11pm.* The business is closed on Sundays.
For more info, visit www.rishiskb.com.
Photos by Mollie Lyman of www.fornixphotography.com.
