When you're in the mood for sushi chances are you're going to venture into South Orange Village. But it is hard to decide which restaurant is the best. When looking at your options, try giving Harusame a try.
The restaurant, located on Academy Street is a quaint and welcoming space decorated with Japanese artwork. The wait staff is prompt and friendly,
The menu has an impressive selection of dishes. Harusame has many choices of appetizers, sushi rolls, hand rolls, specialty rolls and combo plates. Also, the menu is not limited to just sushi, there are vegetarian options and traditional Japanese dishes.
There is a large selection of teas and sodas and for those who are 21 there is a BYOB option.
For an appetizer, the Miso soup is worth a try. The soup was a delicious blend of tofu, seaweed and scallions in a steaming broth. It was slightly salty and surprisingly filling.
The dumplings are also tasty and worth trying. The pork flavor is complemented by a light dough.
The specialty rolls are also a good option for diners. In homage to South Orange, one can choose to order the South Orange roll. The large roll consists of salmon, asparagus, cream cheese and masago that is lightly fried in tempura batter and topped with eel sauce.
In addition to its name, the roll is also worth getting because it has a nice crunch from the chopped asparagus and tempura batter, which mix nicely with the softness of the salmon, cream cheese and eel sauce. The flavors combine for a delicious salty and sweet taste.
After dinner, try the tempura ice cream. The dessert is a scoop of vanilla ice cream coated in fried tempura. The contrast of cold ice cream and warm tempura is tasty and the perfect end to a meal.
Some restaurant goers might have issues with the prices and portions. Although there are inexpensive rolls on the menu, they are not as big as the other specialty rolls so they may not be as filling. If you are really hungry you may find that your bill could add up as you order more rolls.
In order to cut cost, you may want to order the all you can eat option or the combo sushi platters that can feed up to five. But it is possible to have a fairly inexpensive sushi dinner at Harusame regardless.
The restaurant is a short walk from campus and is located two blocks off of South Orange Avenue. When students want delicious and affordable sushi Harusame promises to be worth the trip.
Grade -
Taste: B+
Price: A
Location: A-
Laurel Barbot can be reached at laurel.barbot@student.shu.edu.
