Buffet-style sushi leaves you full and wanting more

Sushi is one of the most dividing foods among friends. Half of any group will want to go; the other half won’t even think about it. Often the cost for decent sushi will scare people away from it altogether. But Azukar, a relatively new sushi restaurant at 1516 W. El Camino Ave., offers all-you-can eat lunches and dinners for a fairly reasonable price.

Being both a huge sushi fan and a poor college student, I had to give it a shot when I found out it was opening near me.

The atmosphere of the place can be best described as modern yet simple, with furnishings that look methodical and organized. The chairs and tables are solid black with white tablemats. The walls are a simple black and white pattern, yet still gave that “new” vibe, and compliment the overhead lights near them. The sushi bar itself is in the center of the restaurant, surrounded by several televisions tuned to sports channels for patrons to enjoy with their meals.

You get a lot of variety with the food. You can order sushi by the roll or in nigiri (clump of rice with fish on top) or maki (seaweed wrapped rice with one filling, usually fish) made to order.

I decided first to try out their sunflower roll with a nicely cooked tempura shrimp, crab meat, cucumber, and avocado topped with an avocado sauce.

The roll itself looked beautiful, with the bright vibrant colors providing a nice contrast to the restaurant’s simple backdrop.

The shrimp was delicious and crunchy, which provided a good contrast to the texture of the rice and the avocado. The flavors melded well together and overall it tasted very good.

After trying several different rolls, one that stood out to me was Azukar’s “Philly roll,” which consisted of eel, cream cheese, cucumber, smoked salmon, and fish roe topped with a creamy miso sauce. The taste was different compared to the other offerings, with the smoky flavor of the salmon adding a great deal to an otherwise typical sushi roll.

I recommend Azukar, both for sushi fans and for people that want to try something new. It’s open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 4 p.m. on weekends; dinner hours start at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 4 p.m. on weekends. With a $14.95 price tag, you can get an amazing lunch of fresh, made-to-order sushi, so you get more than your money’s worth.

1516 W. El Camino Ave, Sacramento, Ca 95833
Open 11:30 am to 3 pm for lunch and 5 pm for dinner weekdays, Noon to 4 pm for lunch and 4 pm for dinner weekends
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Price range per meal: $14.95 for All You Can Eat[/stextbox]