Village Sushi

Neighborhood: U-District
Address: 4741 12th Ave NE Seattle (map)
Phone: 206-985-6870
Web: N/A
Parking: Street

Overall Rating: 8.4 / 10pts

ATMOSPHERE:
Village Sushi just opened in University District, just a couple of blocks away from the Ave. Considering that there aren't any decent sushi place in the U-District, it's a great news to the local sushi lovers. Located on the quiet 12th Ave in between 47th and 50th St, this place looks like a big shared housing from the outside. Inside is nice and clean with a decent counter space. Due to owner's preference, there are some jazz albums decorated on the walls. Tables are put together quite closely to one another, so if you are a larger person, you might feel a little crowded, but compared to other tiny places such as Musashi, it feels a bit more spacious, probably for the taller ceiling.

SUSHI:
Overall, they serve fairly fresh and decent tasting sushi, but definitely not the freshest fish in town. They have some seasonal seafood specials (such as raw oysters), but when comes to sushi, they stick to their menu, and if you ask them, "what's fresh today?" they simply respond, "everything is fresh" and offer no recommendations. The main chef is Indonesian, but have worked for a long time in numerous local sushi restaurants, so he knows his stuff. The price is reasonable for decent level sushi. Their sushi regular comes with 6 pieces of nigiri plus 6 pieces of rolls (3 California and 3 spicy tuna) for $12.50 (you can also get Sushi Deluxe for 8 piece nigiril plus rolls for $15.50). Their uni was surprisingly good for $6 for 2 pieces, but everything else just tasted above average, and not that memorable.

OTHER DISHES:
Look for their seasonal specials posted at the entrance. When I went, they had rockfish usuzuke (just means ultra thin sliced sashimi flavored with ponzu-like citrusly sauce) which was quite tasty for about $7. Their chirashi is listed at $19, which sounds pricey, but it comes with more than enough load of various sashimi on top, so if you are in mood of lots of sashimi, or want to share with someone, it's great to try. They have very small sake menu, so if that's your thing, you may be disappointed by the selection.

SERVICE:
Service is usually pretty good. Some of the waitresses are more knowledgeable about the menu than others, but overall, they are all attentive and try to make your dining pleasurable.