Sakura

Sakura Japanese Restaurant Steakhouse & Sushi Bar
4011 E Kiehl Avenue
Sherwood, Arkansas
501-834-3546
Sakura Website



Sushi done wrong can be really bad. For instance, never eat sushi at a Chinese buffet. And though I've never tried it, I suspect you should never eat sushi from the frozen section at Sam's.

But done right, it can be a delightful experience.

We stayed with a fairly conservative menu at Sakura this evening trying several of the rolls and a couple of single pieces to round it out. The Spicy Salmon Roll was a deliciously spicy (hence the name) roll of cooked salmon and rice that needed only the tiniest dab of soy sauce to complete the flavor. Pieces of the egg omelet sushi and some bits of pickled ginger freshened the palate between bites. We tried a few pieces of the salmon sushi which was so very tender and flavorful, being a deep red and about room temperature when we ate it. The red snapper was good, but not remarkable. The spicy octopus roll was a burst of flavor with an interesting texture, but the star of the show was the spicy crunchy shrimp roll. Fabulous crisp fried shrimp, rolled with rice and drizzled with a spicy (chipotle?) sauce. It was a very pleasing texture in the mouth as well as an exciting flavor that warmed the throat for sometime afterwards.

A good fried rice and some great fried gyoza topped it off and I was too full to get around to the eel or the shrimp asparagus roll. But I intend to explore those options next time.

All in all, a good experience in a clean and friendly environment.