NINJA SHUSHI
715 1ST ST . GILROY , CA 95020 ( 408 ) 847-8855 GILROYNINJASUSHI . COM wine-alcohol made from fermented rice ). It was just right . We went over the menu while catching up on life and happenings with Lisa and Ernie . We all do our best to regularly connect , but life gets busy , and we are all going in different directions at times . Soon enough , we started ordering . Oh man , did we order .
For appetizers we ordered deep fried Gyoza ( deep fried pork and vegetable dumplings with ‘ gyoza ’ sesame sauce ). They were great — nice crunchy-yet-soft outer layer , bursting with favor on the inside . My ‘ spice girl ’ Deb ordered spicy garlic edamame ( steamed young soybeans with house made spicy garlic sauce ). She loves edamame . Add spice and its a home run . Lisa and Ernie also enjoyed the heat . I abstained from the little green spice sticks out of principle . I ’ ve had them in the past and would not hesitate to have them at my table . I ’ m just not an edamame fan . I ordered my go-to appetizers — the combination tempura ( prawns , assorted vegetables , deep fried in a light and airy batter ). I ’ ve had lots of tempura in my day . Ninja Sushi makes the best tempura , bar none — its always light and crispy . Never greasy or heavy . The vegetables are always fresh and crisp , and the prawns are huge ! We all shared the tempura . I had to . It was a unanimous hit .
About that time , we saw the clock and it was wine-thirty . We considered drinks from the full bar Kyong and Kim added in 2006 . However , we opted to try the ‘ 10 Span ’ Pinot Noir ( Central Coast ) Ashley suggested . It was a nice compliment to the flavors we were knocking down and would eventually work with our main courses . Pinots are a flavorful , lighter red . A good Pinot will pair well with meat , poultry , seafood — or if you live at Casa Sanchez , with nothing at all .
The menu at Ninja Sushi is a visual treat . As we looked over the representations , I was getting hungrier by the minute . It doesn ’ t help that the representations look 3D . I . Just . Couldn ’ t . Eat . Them .
For the mains , Ernie went with a Chicken Teriyaki Combo Bento box . ( A STACK of tender , tasty chicken teriyaki , tossed salad , steamed rice and a California roll ). He was kind enough to share . The chicken melted in my mouth . It was amazing . It also worked well with the Pinot . For the table , we ordered wide and deep . We chose the Ashley ’ s Roll , the Wonderful Roll , the Jalapeno Bomb , the Kitchen Sink , the Rainbow Roll , a backup bowl of white steamed rice , and fresh wasabi — yes FRESH wasabi !
The Ashley ’ s — avocado , cucumber , ebi ( butterflied shrimp ), crawfish salad inside . On top awaits spicy tuna , hamachi ( young yellowtail ), escolar ( aka :‘ Walu ’ fish and worth researching ), salmon , baked mussel , tobiko ( roe , or fish eggs . I love them !), green onions w / crunch , sweet sauce , and spicy mayo . This has been my go-to roll for some time . It is baked magic and has everything you need in a feel-good roll .
The Wonderful Roll — Baked creamy crab and avocado on the inside . On top lay the scallops , green onion , tobiko w / sweet sauce and spicy mayo . Delectable ! ( Continued ...)
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