iSushi Express

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  I stopped here on my way home from my new job in Avon--we needed some dinner and Rockville road is full of food stops, although not many healthy ones.  I was afraid when I read all the bad reviews, but I really didn't think it was so bad!  I just ordered sushi to take out and didn't try any of the entrees. I wasn't expecting Nubu quality sushi, maybe just something as good as the Marsh sushi.  The Lollipop Roll in (green) soy paper fell apart easily, but maybe because it was big and sliced fairly thin.  It was a little fishy, but has yellowtail, tuna, salmon and crabmeat in it. The Dynamite roll was a little skimpy and less spicy than I expected. The Crunchy yellowtail roll was my favorite of the 3, and the cheapest. deep fried.. and with korean chili paste--2 of my favorite food groups!  I took a look at the menu--Japanese restaurant basics--yakisobas, donburis, teriyakis, ramen and udon noodles, but also a couple korean dishes and of course the sushi. I'd stop in again on the way home to grab some sushi, especially since I saw a sign for a drive thru coming soon.

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  Posted on 08.16.12 Sunah K.

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  Lesson learned, Yelpers, always read the reviews first. My spouse and I were out tooling around after Christmas shopping and thought, "ooh, a new sushi joint, let's go!" Now, I'm not a sushi aficionado, my exposure to sushi is limited to the Mango Tango and Playboy Roll at Naked Tchopstix - and for good reason - but I have had fantastic Japanese food, so I know what's out there.
  
  We were the only couple in the restaurant (let that be your warning) and the waitress was very young and polite, a star for that, at least. We started off with Shrimp Tempura (how can you screw up fried food?) only to find the sweet potato and onions still raw, though we were so hungry we ate them anyway. The shrimp still had clumps of cornstarch inside the fried portion rendering it indelible - unless you're into eating powdered cornstarch raw, which we aren't.
  
  I ordered Yakisoba noodles with veggies, chicken and a side of fried rice - you know, in case the noodles sucked I'd at least have a fallback, right?
  
  Not only were the noodles spiced with cinnamon and cumin (not so Japanese), but they were sitting in a bed of oil, though that wasn't the worst part.
  
  Have you seen those news stories about delivery trucks with refrigeration units being stopped by police only to find the meat inside rotting? I suspect the chicken that isushi serves came from one of those trucks - it was rotten, both in taste and smell. I'm no chef, but I know what rotten chicken smells like.
  
  The rice, like a previous reviewer mentioned, was oversalted and tasted like burnt wok. Two bites in and I had to set the chopsticks aside in sheer defeat.
  
  My spouse's meal (the Volcano Roll and the Southern California Roll) was so bad I'd venture to say it was memorable. The Southern California Roll was the standard faire Cali roll with a heaping tablespoon of fish roe (way to get creative). Surely the Volcano Roll would be better, right?
  
  We stared at the beautiful roll (filled only with cream cheese) and topped with a crab cake, of sorts, melted cheese, black fish roe and a splash of a red sauce. "Just wing it," I said.
  
  The reaction that followed was so priceless that, had I not been begging for water, I would have snapped a picture. That innocent looking red sauce was likely made from the ominous 'ghost pepper', one of the hottest known to man, because this will make a grown man shed tears.
  
  In the likelihood that my spouse was being dramatic, I tried a dot of the sauce to confirm the reaction necessary. Be warned, folks, this is called a Volcano Roll because the thing is FLAMING, and not in the oh-so-delicious way that the Playboy Roll is delivered in blue flames - we are talking straight liquid edible (er, inedible) fire.
  
  I rest my case. Save your money and a potentially nauseating experience and go to Ichiban, Sakura, Sushi Club or Naked Tchopsticks where they do it right. I'm sure there are better items on the menu, but we tried five dishes on the menu and all were colossal failures.

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  Posted on 12.10.11 Lynette R.

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  We really like iSushi express when we look at it as a fast food type establishment.  The rolls are always fresh and delish.  We have also had the yakisoba which was great.  Not sure if other yelpers have gone on bad days or we have been lucky to go on great days.  We have always been very pleased with our orders.  We do dine in so that may make a difference.  Stop by and give them a try.

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  Posted on 09.06.11 Donna P.

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  I've never written this word in a food review before, but GROSS.  I mean that in the most sincere way possible.  Gross.  
  
  We have been very excited since we saw the sign for Sushi Express in Avon.  We love the other Japanese restaurants here, but there can never been enough good Japanese food.
  
  Unfortunately, there can be way too much bad Japanese food.  The good news is that you can get it all at one place.
  
  It started when we were looking at the menu online.  It seems that half of us were looking at the .pdf and half were looking at the online ordering.  There were several differences in the menus, which led to us phoning in the order vs. ordering online.
  
  A young man answered the phone and he was pleasant enough.  I explained that I was calling to place an order for take out and that we would be there to pick it up in 45 minutes, at 4:45.  He didn't understand and I repeated myself, explaining that we had to make another stop, but we would be there at 4:45.
  
  I ordered 4 different sushi rolls and then requested a Tuna Tataki Salad entree under their On The Green section (which appeared on each menu, but with different descriptions of the entree).  He said, in a very snarky tone,  "What is THAT?"  I explained to him where it was located on the menu and what it was.  
  
  I then ordered the Chicken Katsu.  Again, I was met with the same rude tone and he said,  "You want WHAT?"  I explained to him where it was located on the menu and I spelled the name of the entree I was requesting.  
  
  At this point he said,  "Hang on" and I heard the phone hit the desk.  I then heard the same young man say,  "Are you here to eat?"  Someone in the room mumbled a response and then it went quiet.
  
  I covered the phone and said to my husband,  "Let's just order from Hirosaki."  "No," he said, "we've been wanting to try this!"
  
  He came back, apologized for making me hold.  I asked him to please repeat what I had ordered, to make sure I had my list covered.  He repeated everything correctly.  
  
  I asked if he wanted my name or phone number and he said no.  I gave him my last name anyway, spelling it for him.  He said,  "What do you want?"  I explained that I had spelled my last name and he said,  "We don't  need your name."
  
  I then reiterated that we'd be there at 4:45 to pick up the order.  He said,  "Is this take out?"
  
  When my husband arrived to pick up the food, he was met by a young man.  Philip said,  "I'm here to pick up a take out order."  He said the young man looked perplexed and asked Philip to repeat himself.  Philip did and a young lady interjected, stating that they were still working on it.
  
  After packing the food, the young man handed Philip the bags and said,  "Here you go!"  Philip said,  "Well, I appreciate it, but I'd like to pay for it."
  
  "You haven't paid?" the young man said.
  
  "No," Philip said, "we called in the order."  
  
  Due to the miscommunication, Philip requested that the young woman help with the payment.  She approached him and said,  "I'll need to see your receipt."  Philip had to explain that we phoned in the order and had no receipt.  
  
  He paid and headed home.  Upon unpacking the meals, the sushi looked good.  Then he came to unpack my entree and he said (and not in a good way),  "Oh my gosh, what did you order?"  I explained that I ordered the Chicken Katsu, which is a panko coated chicken cutlet with rice and veggies.  He said,  "Well, you got an omelet."  I cannot express how putrid this food looked.  It wasn't so much that it wasn't even what I ordered, but I can't believe this is on a menu.  It was beyond awful and gross.  I'll post a picture.  There were no veggies.  I had requested a side of chicken fried rice, which might have had an okay flavor if it didn't taste burned through.  It didn't LOOK burnt, but it was as thought the wok had burned something and it wasn't cleaned off.  
  
  Philip then opened his dinner, which was the entree that had varying descriptions.  It was supposed to either be "Baby field greens on deep fried spring roll shell topped with dried cranberries, cucumber, walnuts, cherry tomato" or "Asian coleslaw with dried cranberries, cucumbers, walnuts, cherry tomatoes with spicy mango dressing.  Topped with shredded daikon and carrot."  It was neither of these.  It was actually pretty  much NOTHING.  There were a few moldy, brown and wilted greens in the bottom of the styrofoam box topped with a few pieces of tuna.  The requested ginger salad dressing was totally missing, but it didn't matter since we weren't served edible salad.  I have a picture of this as well.
  
  The sushi was okay.   The rolls were about 85% correct, but were missing crucial elements based on the menu descriptions.   The rolls weren't very tightly wrapped or well cut.  It was hard to pick them up.
  
  It was $65.  For take out, which consisted of two inedible entrees and some sushi that we didn't even want to finish.
  
  Again, I just keep thinking... gross.  It was just so gross.

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  Posted on 07.17.11 Jen F.

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