Truly, this match should have happened a long, long time ago. There’s no excuse, other than a personal failure to notice that Sushi Ting offers both a King Kong and a Godzilla roll on its menu. The joint has been in business for over five years, but better late to the table then never.
The King Kong roll ($12) is centered with crispy shrimp tempura with wasabi mayo and a swirl of seaweed paper that adds flavor to its rice walls. Outside, there’s a whisper-thin layer of rich avocado hugged up against the roll and crowned with shards of seared tuna.
Meanwhile, the Godzilla roll ($14) weighs in with that same warrior core: shrimp tempura, plus there’s also crab meat and asparagus in there, with a bright green soy paper holding the rice walls together.
You might think that the two champions would be difficult to distinguish. After all, they’re both sushi rolls with lots of rice and a freakishly fresh, firm shrimp tempura core. In reality, the two are as different as day and night. Courtesy its tuna and seaweed elements, King Kong has an undeniable oceanic fishy accent. This is somewhat ironic, as everyone knows that Godzilla is the one that comes from the ocean; King Kong lives on an island. Contrarily, Godzilla comes through with a one-two punch that is pure, primal umami. It’s savory and starchy and unthinkingly delicious. King Kong is an academic study of levels of flavor, Godzilla is binge food.
That is to say, Godzilla wins this round. This judge is notoriously biased towards the primitive and primal.
As it turns out, there is a world of deathmatches available to sushi fans. The rolls at any joint have great names such as Crazy Monkey, Monster-In-Law… the possibilities are endless. You can create this particular match with the menu at Sushi Ting at 2875 Olentangy River Road.