I Like It Raw…and Rolled

Okay, so I am by no means a sushi expert.  I am, in fact, more of sushi embryo as far as sophistication goes, with no hope of mastering the art any time soon.  I avoid inspecting my sushi rolls too carefully, not because I am afraid of what might lie inside, but because if I don’t transfer each piece immediately from plate to mouth, it will explode into rice and fish shrapnel.

Fortunately, my friends are wiser and savvier than I.  Some time ago, after I admitted I didn’t know sushi from sashimi, my pal Jenny offered to show me the ropes at Kotobukiya, and I was sold.  Once you’ve had raw, you’ll never withdraw.

Nestled in the Porter Exchange food court among a variety of quick Asian cuisine at Lesley University, Kotobukiya is something between a classic American diner (without, you know, the snazzy booths and neon signage) and your kitchen breakfast nook.  With the faint tones of vaguely Asian Muzak on the speakers.  Oh, and fish parts.

Basically, you belly up to the counter—assuming the dozen or so seats aren’t already taken up—and grab the paper menu and a pencil to mark your selections.  I let Jenny take the lead, offering only my preference for inside-out rolls.  For an appetizer, she picked Seaweed Salad ($2.99), a briny mass of bright green noodlies.  The salad was light on the tongue, refreshing, and crisp.  (Important safety side note:  Do not attempt to talk whilst eating seaweed salad, unless you regularly dine with medical professionals.)

Our entrée soon arrived:  four separate rolls delightfully arranged.  For a seemingly glorified mall kiosk, they certainly didn’t shirk on presentation.  We soy-sauced ourselves in readiness for the feast.  First up was the Dragon Roll ($6.50), essentially a California roll overlaid with cooked eel, the slight slimy pliability of the eel offering a nice contrast to the classic Cali crunch.  Then onto the Crispy Spicy Yellowtail ($4.50), which fulfilled its advertised expectations, with a lovely taste-bud prodding kick.

Just for kicks, we opted for a roll based purely on the name:  the Cooked Gourd Strap Roll ($2.50).  Who could resist?  Not I, said the pig.  Turns out, gourd is a universal term for squash.  The faintly orange-brown gourd contents were lightly sweet, though were easily overpowered by the palate-and-sinus-clearing wasabi.  But that was probably my fault.

The only real cons about this place?  Seating is limited, and it’s not much for décor, unless you count the visible tentacle groping from the preparation deck.

We finished up with a Shrimp Tempura roll ($6.50), laid out with an awesomely decorative tail, as if a shrimp just dove into the final piece.  The cooked shrimp surprised me with its unexpected warmth—yes, it is cooked, who knew?  Other than its overwhelming size—each piece about one and a half times that of the other rolls—the tempura closed out a lovely dining experience for not too many bones.  So even my wallet was happy.  (I tried feeding it sushi, but it just made a mess and left my bag smelling fishy.)

Kotobukiya
1815 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02140
(617) 492-4655