More Sushi: Sasa Sushi

422 St John St
EC1V 4NJ
Tel: 020 7837 1155

Date of Last Visit: Saturday, September 15, 2007

The Victim: Me, myself, and I

The Damage: £15?

The Background: I was having one of those days. It was only 1 p.m. and I'd already been on and off more trains and buses than I've ever been on in one single day in London. Most of this was related to my stupid bankcard. (Defining moment: Me, yelling (ok, speaking harshly) at my bank about their inability to deliver my bankcard and thus my inability to obtain cash.

The customer service rep: "Well, you could just go to the nearest branch."

I was, I am, I forever will be ashamed. I live in such a paperless world that the thought hadn't even crossed my mind!)

So on my way home from Selfridges, which does accept American Express (John Lewis does not), I decided to stop into Sasa Sushi. When I first moved to Clerkenwell, there were few sushi options. There was just Pham on Whitecross Street. (Which my Japanese former-coworker explained was actually Vietnamese and not Japanese.) And I suppose there's the Yo! on Farringdon. But now there's Life. And Saki (still need to check out Saki--let me know if you're interested). And Sa Sa Sushi.

The Entrance and Service: I am greeted warmly, but I am the only one there. Two groups of people come in to place take-away orders. It's a little lonely. My server is very sweet but I have a hard time understanding her. I feel awkward. The decor is uninspired. They are trying to sell the pictures on the wall, but I think they can do it in a much more classy way. And the menu is way too disjointed and complicated...simplicity is key! I want to help them.

The Food: I order a crunchy tuna roll and it is a very generous serving. I am very happy. It's pretty good. But then I get the Katsudon (pork cutlet in rice with a fried egg) and it is not very good. It was missing pretty much everything. Really. I did not like this dish. At all. It needed some more salt. And this is even me knowing that whenever I eat at Wagamama, I need to drink a gallon of water afterwards.

The Verdict: Eh. I might order a bunch of crunchy tuna rollls as takeaway. But I'd rather go to Pham.