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    Restaurant Review: Jonys Sushi

    You don’t necessarily think of German Village as being a Columbus hub for good sushi. Good German food: that seems like a decent bet. Coffee shops and sweet treats: yep. And the neighborhood hosts plenty of traditional dining from downscale Thurman’s to upscale Lindey’s. 

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    And now, German Village has sushi too. This fall, it welcomed newcomer Jonys Sushi (no apostrophe). With sparse seating, it’s more of a take-out spot than a sit-n-stay operation, but sushi itself seems uniquely well-suited for such adventures. It’s not like dinner is gonna get cold. 

    So start simple, because that’s a good way to get your bearings at any joint.  Perhaps some familiar, ubiquitous dish, such as salmon? An order of straight Salmon Sushi with starchy clumped rice ($5), offers its pure and silky flesh, worth appreciating, un-fussed in its own rights. 

    Salmon Sushi

    From there? Well, Jonys has the requisite California and Vegetable Rolls. They’ve always been a good gateway drug for those who are tentative about the sushi scene. Easy for beginners, but still offering plenty of street credibility, those sorts of rolls provide the beauty and contrasting colors and textures, without the spectre of uncooked flesh. The house Veggie Roll ($8) is defined by the fresh, crispy crunch of its veggie center, banded in starchy rice, plus an additional sprinkle of sesame seeds for a little three-dimensional nuttiness.

    Veggie Roll

    Or better yet, go all-in with something like the Shrimp Tempura Roll ($14). It stars crackling, fried shrimp that are partnered with rich cream cheese which helps anchor down a little spirited spike from its jalapeño element. There are sesame seeds, cucumber, and more depth from a one-two combo of spicy mayo teamed with eel sauce (more savory than fishy).

    Shrimp Tempura Roll

    Heat, it turns out, is something that Jonys does exceptionally well. There’s a Hot Jony Roll ($21) that makes a bigger commitment to the burn, enhancing both tuna-in-the-raw as well a crown of tuna seared with garlic butter. Paired with cream cheese and asparagus, a different sort of spike kicks in with the accompanying aromatic sting of a wasabi aioli and kimchee sauce. 

    Hot Jony Roll

    Beyond the sushi scene, there are some nice salads that are worth adding to an order. The Avocado Salad ($7) teams the perennially velvety avocado with crabstick. Normally, crabstick is an offensive affront to shellfish…but that’s because purveyors try to pass a starchy, processed, pollack-based substitute off as crab. Here, Jonys owns the stick-ness in the menu description. Given that the crabstick isn’t trying to impersonate anything, it can be enjoyed for its own vaguely sweet contributions to the salad highlighted by avocado and masago and tied together with spicy mayo sauce.  

    Avocado Salad

    The grass-green Seaweed Salad ($9) is nicely executed too, with its likable, watery crunch spiked with sweet chili ponzu sauce. The two salads play off of each other, in terms of both texture and flavor: so get both.

    Seaweed Salad

    Jonys Sushi opens daily at noon, and stays open until 10 p.m. (except Sundays, when it closes at 9 p.m.).  You can find it at 195 Thurman Ave.

    Post Script: Jonys is partnered with (and was incubated by) South Village Grille. Fans of the dine-in experience can now order lunch from Jonys while seated inside the Grille. 

    For more information, visit jonyssushi.com.

    All photos by Susan Post

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    Miriam Bowers Abbott
    Miriam Bowers Abbotthttps://columbusunderground.com
    Miriam Bowers Abbott is a freelancer contributor to Columbus Underground who reviews restaurants, writes food-centric featurettes and occasionally pens other community journalism pieces.
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