YOYOGI Sushi :D

328 Main Street
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
*Closed on Tuesdays*

Starting From the Back: Tuna Avocado,
 California Roll, Eel Roll

*I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos, we were sitting outside in which the sun casted a glare on my phone and so couldn't catch the shadow I was casting onto the food...*

Let's start of with a little random fact about me. I DID NOT ALWAYS LOVE SUSHI. In fact, in middle school, I hated it. I couldn't stand the taste of the seaweed, I hated the idea of eating RAW fish, I hated that it was served cold, I hated that it...

Crispy Rainbow Roll-10 pc. cooked

 tuna, salmon, yellowtail

A lot of reasons to which this day I find the younger version of me, ridiculous of. SUSHI IS FUCKING GREAT. And now I am a snob. Since the nori and the raw fish was the most important aspect of the dislike for sushi, my first roll was the California Roll. I liked that there wasn't anything raw about it and that the nori was on the inside of the roll. This meant that the "sea water" taste wasn't the first thing to touch my palate. Through time, I just evolved into this sushi-monster-fiend.

California Rolls, are for noobs. Here comes the sushi snob...

My very good friend, Vinh, introduced this little hole in the wall sushi place to me and our group of friends a while back. First, we complained why it was so far away. Second, I asked, "How the hell did you find it?" Third,  "Let's just go to HINODE in Rockville for sushi..." But no, he was adamant about this particular place. So we went and this time around, it was my idea to revisit this little place :D

So along came Vinh, Linh Roy (broda), and Jennifer. Too bad Phuong, you missed out :p After a side mission we were on our way!

Futo Maki Roll-10 pc. roll w/crab,
shrimp, egg, tofu

Upon entering Yoyogi:
Broda: So lets order two spider rolls, two shrimp tempuras, two...
Me: Wait, why don't we decide between the all of us what to get, so we don't pick the same thing. (I'm thinking family style eating like our last visit)
Jen: Lets get the crispy combo, beef and chicken teriyaki and share it...
Vinh: No, I want my own entree...I'm so hungry...
Broda: Everyone just order whatever they want...

And that's what we did -.-  This just lead to us ordering this:

Me

Spicy Tuna Crunch Roll- $4.00

Shrimp Tempura Roll- $3.50

Spider Roll- $4.00

Futo Maki Roll (ordered with the intention of sharing)-$12.00        

Shrimp Tempura, Spider Roll,
 and Spicy Crunchy Tuna

Jen

Tuna Avocado Roll- $4.00

Crispy Rainbow Roll (ordered with the intention of sharing)-$12.00

Crispy Combo (ordered with the intention of sharing)-$8.00

Crispy Combo- Crispy Beef
and Chicken Teriyaki

Vinh

Crispy Beef-$7.00

Salmon Avocado Roll-$4.00

Eel Roll-$3.50

California Roll- $3.50

Shrimp Tempura-$3.50

Broda

2x Shrimp Tempura Roll-$3.50

2x Spider Roll-$4.00

Shrimp Tempura and Salmon
Avocado Roll

As you can see, there were items that were gluttonously over ordered and in the end we were struggling to finish. The owner, who happened to be bringing us the food to our table, was smiling so big and said we ordered a lot of food! Our plates of food were touching plate to plate ^.^

Now, I need to explain the difference between sushi, and GOOD sushi. This is where the snobbishness kicks in. This sushi as Vinh said today, has the "Two Layer Grains of Rice," meaning our sushi WAS NOT packed on with rice and rolled with very little filling. At UMBC, our sushi on campus makes rolls with a thick layer of rice packed onto the nori before rolling...I was so mad that day I spent $6.75 on an eel roll and realized I was getting more rice than actual pieces of the eel.Also at these prices, NO ONE is going to pass up quality sushi dirt cheap...WHERE CAN YOU FIND A SPIDER ROLL FOR FOUR BUCKS?!?!?! So when you hunt for sushi, price is also a factor that is considered. Personally, if I do see rolls for 5-7 bucks, I'll just go ahead and get one of the Chef Specialty rolls, wherever I am at. I most likely would not come back to a sushi restaurant JUST FOR a their "California roll."

Jennifer, a happy camper!

Haha...I'm coming back to Yoyogi  just for their SPIDER ROLL, FUTO MAKI ROLL, and Crispy Beef. Oh, and for their prices! After strolling around the Market Square, I already knew before we left that I wanted to bring back a spider roll for mom...SO SHE CAN BASK IN THE GLORIOUS EPICNESS OF DELICIOUS SUSHI and never buy Costco sushi again...lawls.


HAPPY NOM-ING!

Now I'm Not a Gardner...

...but it doesn't exactly take a genius to grow a few plants in his or her backyard. I went to the Home Depot with mom at the start of the summer and bought an assortment of seeds for salad mixes. Arugula, spinach, and this "mesculine"  mix (more arugula, spinach, chikory, escarole, etc.) of seeds were all planted in this 24in deck planter. I just kept watering it every so often and a month later...VOILA...beautiful greens!!!!

All you have to do once your lettuces start sprouting is to cut the leaves when they are small. Arugula for example, known for its spicy bite, will get even "spicier" as the leaves are allowed to grow bigger. I seriously did have enough for two bowls full of salad that day ^.^

Not only do my mom and I grow salad mix in our back yard, but we have tried our hand in squashes, zucchini, pumpkin, corn, peas, green beans, and tomatoes. Oh, and what garden isn't complete with out HERBS? We have thyme, chives, parsley, dill, sage, and rosemary!

So why wait a month for your own salad to grow and wait even longer for your zucchinis when you could just go to the grocery store? By all means, while these little guys are growing, I do head down to the grocery store, ha ha. But these plants are so special because I've planted,watered, and picked them myself. They provide me with so much inspiration that I MUST CREATE a dish involving them...lol, not that my creations come out great all the time...but you learn :) Also regarding the herbs, there's a certain sense of accomplishment in which I am able to go out into my back yard and snip whatever I need during the summer. In the winter however, I must go back to buying my herbs in quantities that will eventually spoil :(

Theres still time left before the cold sets in...you can even try to grow some herbs indoors ^.^

Happy Nom-ing!

test..1,2,3...

SOOOOOO I've mainly posted pictures on my Facebook account of places I have eaten at, FOOD, and food shared with family, friends, and LE BOYFRIEND (haha). OH and pictures of my family :D
I've been told by a few to start a blog, so here I go. I will try and do my best and review food I eat, where I go to find cheap eats, creations that I have made, and every now and then just simply blog about my everyday life. I would like to thank Chris Sayo hehe for helping me pick out a user name ^.^ Check out his blog, found under my followers!

To all my future fans, heres hoping I receive alot, HAPPY EATING! om nom nom nom nom nom nom :D