Cheap Sushi Isn't Always Bad
Written: Mar 30 '07 (Updated Apr 19 '07)
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Pros: Nanayiro is a good 'n cheap Japanese restaurant on Shattuck.
Cons: Nanayiro - Not the best Japanese, especially in the Bay Area, but not bad either.
The Bottom Line: Nanayiro is a good place if La Note is too crowded.
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| megugrrrl's Full Review: Nanayiro |
On the corner of Shattuck and Channing, a few doors down from La Note, is Nanayiro - a passable Japanese restaurant (at least passable for this section of Berkeley.) It used to be Manga Sushi years ago, but with new owners, a much-needed face lift, and of course a new name, Nanayiro seems to be happily cranking out sushi.
inside
Unlike many of its neighbors, the interior is clean, modern and simple, and the sides that face the street, which are wall-sized windows, emphasize the open feel. They give you a view of any Berkeley characters outside, but also give them a view of you eating. Everyone who passes by, college kid or enchanting homeless person, will not be able to resist looking at you eat. Such is the fishbowl effect. If you're self-conscious, try the curvy sushi bar that seats 8-10 in the back.
food
Pretty much straightforward California-style Japanese food - it's not bad, but not really the kind of place you'd be excited to share with friends (especially since Kirala is down the street.) At Nanayiro, they have bento-box options galore (a bento box is a Japanese combo plate served in a big plastic Japanese rectangular container that looks a lot like a box) and they also have lots of invented rolls with lots of sauces, just the kind of place that attracts college kids that like to eat.
They carry a full menu, from little appetizers to grilled entrees, and of course, sushi, but after spending a few meals here, the bento boxen dominate; diners get a choice of either two or three of the following:
(a) protein (some teriyaki'd or breaded cutlet, or grilled fish like saba/mackerel or salmon, or sashimi (fat slices of raw fish)
(b) some type of appetizer like deep fried gyoza (potstickers), or deep fried tempura
(c) sushi, just California or spicy tuna roll
Each box comes with a tiny side salad with a Japanese-Thousand Island dressing, bowl of robust miso soup, and a slice of orange. Everything's plated nicely is their compartments, with garnish even. The bento boxes are great for the undecided and the undecidedly big eaters ($12 for the three way at dinner), and a great way to sample what they offer, but probably not the best thing they offer.
Every meat item I've ever had, beef and chicken teriyaki, plus the tonkatsu (breaded pork) has been overwhelmingly unexciting, a little difficult to eat (too fatty or chewy) and probably not worthy or re-ordering. If you must bento box it, opt for a grilled fish option. The tempura is merely OK - the appetizer portion has a nice eclectic mix of veggies and shrimp. It's good, but it's a little heavy, (but when it's hidden in a roll, the grease isn't as noticable.) Note:If I can't tell right away, tempura and gyoza are my way of figuring out if restaurant is Japanese-run - the tempura here doesn't have the tiny mound of grated radish and ginger for your tempura sauce, but you can actually tell a lot sooner that there's no Japanese cook in the back.
They also have noodles - my favorite is the cold zaru soba (buckwheat) - the dipping sauce for the noodles is done right, but then again, zaru soba is difficult to botch. The rice bowls are also pretty good (even the katsu donburis are ok.) Noodles and donburis (rice bowls) are all under $10. There are other menu items like the $7 hamachi kama (grilled hamachi collar) or hiyayakko tofu (cold tofu in ponzu sauce), $4 that are better than the katsus, so if you're adventurous, pick out a few appetizers and entrees and make your own bento. (Appetizers range from $4-$10)
Oh, then there's the sushi - which is probably one of the better things here. This is the first place I tried white tuna - not albacore, but "super white tuna," as the sushi chef called it, I've heard it called "Hawaiian White" as well. It's like maguro (tuna) but ever-so-slightly oiler so it leaves this creamy impression and is white, like chalk. Their albacore is good here too. I've had a few pieces of fish here, and it's all been quite tasty - fresh-tasting and delicious, and the prices are decent - most nigiri are just under $4.
The rolls are OK - a little too tight, and the crab is imitation, but again, cheap - maybe averaging $5. The specialty rolls, that have been Sriracha'd, baked and mayonnaised are probably good if you like them that way, but tempura roll is about as wacky as I'll get. (Although, the Nanayiro roll, with amaebi (raw sweet shrimp) has caught my attention...)
service
Friendly servers, fast with the green tea, and friendly sushi chef (although once there was one guy there who couldn't understand basic English or Japanese requests, nor make any eye contact... but he hasn't been seen since.)
etc.
Nanayiro is casual. There's never a wait, and is usually half full (or half empty, depending on how you look at things.) There are always a few Cal students, people who work nearby, and local residents.
The bathroom is shared by the entire building, so expect to wander through a maze of office hallways to find it.
Street parking. Maybe a 15-minute walk from downtown BART.
My boy who works close by ordered takeout from here once and complained that they used waaaay too many styrofoam clam boxes. For his one bento lunch, he claims they used seven. He likes to exaggerate, but this time I believe him.
Would eat here again only if my original choice (Kirala or Uzen) was too crowded.
Recommended:
Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
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Epinions.com ID:
megugrrrl
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Location: Oakland
Reviews written: 147
Trusted by: 317 members
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