Sushi, Sushi, Sushi

Asian Gourmet

Sushi En versus Asian Gourmet in a sushi and experience breakdown. Atmosphere wise, Asian Gourmet takes the cake (or the fortune cookie, if you will). The serene and welcoming foyer invites you in, while dividers that are styled with frosted glass and designs allow for a more intimate dining experience as it separates the bar area and entrance from the rest of the tables. It has an authentic feel which provides a unique dining experience. Their service alone will allow you to sit back, relax, and enjoy your time without a single complaint. They are quick to get the items that you ask for and they always seem to have a smile on their face, which is a rare thing to come by in restaurant service these days ergo it is worth mentioning.

Sushi En had a completely different vibe... and it wasn't a positive one. Walking in, I felt claustrophobic as we practically walked into the hostess stand and directly to the left of us were small table settings (and on a cold day I had my fingers crossed to not be sat there, near the door). The tables were extremely close to each other and with no music going in the background it made for a slightly awkward experience since I knew the four tables around us could hear our entire conversation. Definitely lacking intimacy. Unfortunately, there were two doors to the restaurant and the table we ended up at was actually blocking the second entrance, meaning a chilling draft was consistently hitting me. Warm sake couldn't heat me up enough. The service was subpar, the server got straight to the point and did not seem to want to smile that day as he asked in a monotone voice what we would like to order, etc. Overall, a chilling experience from the draft to the staff.

Sushi En, Lobster Roll

To the important subject: SUSHI! Asian Gourmet has a great deal of variety in their rolls (and other food) while Sushi En was slightly limited and I couldn't quite find the right roll for me. At Asian Gourmet, I ordered Tuna Nigiri and the Firecrunch roll (that has tuna in it)- so if you couldn't already tell, I have a thing for tuna- I devoured both of my choices and wasn't going to leave any on the plate (how wasteful would that be?) Great sushi should never be left to be discarded. BUT, the sushi that is not so tasteful, well that can be left behind. At Sushi En, we were left with no choice but to leave some of our lobster roll on the plate, which was extremely disappointing since they were awarded four stars by Columbus Dispatch and had raving reviews. The roll was enormous, so getting the taste of everything that makes the roll was impossible, unless you didn't mind looking like a cow chewing their food. It left an unbalanced taste in my mouth and had an overwhelming seafood-y taste which is normally equalled out by the cucumber or avocado- but they simply had too much lobster stuffed into it- in my opinion, they should have split it into more rolls instead of just six and it would have been the perfect amount in each. Sadly enough, it just didn't sit right on the palate. In the case of the tuna nigiri we ordered, those were demolished and almost fought over. I even ordered another one once we finished the four we ordered. The blue fin tuna was not bad, but not to my liking either, so that was just based on preference. (But you can't really mess up any nigiri, raw sushi atop rice and its ready to go). We tried the red snapper nigiri and I was unaware that the fish would be so tough and so different from the tuna (how naive) but if that is a texture that works for you then you may find yourself rather enjoying it. If you are someone who prefers sushi rolls, I would avoid Sushi En.

Sushi En

As far as price was concerned, they were both pretty equal, with Sushi En being only slightly more expensive. I know for a fact, we won't be heading back to Polaris for Sushi En anytime soon, my preference will always lie with Asian Gourmet until I am able to find a place that has the same reasonable pricing but can provide a thriller of a dining experience to top their's.