Restaurant Spotlight: Kumo Sushi At Rochester MN

“Kumo Sushi”, says a modest sign leading to this Japanese restaurant on a strip mall. What really caught my attention was what it says below the name, “All You Can Eat”. Is it buffet-style sushi? Regardless, this famished foodie longs for a quick meal and a taste of delectable Japanese fare hoping to find new good eats in the city of Rochester MN.

Typically, sushi or any Japanese fare sitting on a buffet line is not even close to ideal. To my astonishment, the restaurant looks like a typical a la carte Japanese restaurant. No buffet line, whatsoever. I was promptly greeted by the host with a pleasant smile. She probably noticed my baffled demeanor and had to explain how their all you can eat menu works.

For a set price ($15.99 on a weekday lunch, $19.99 on weekends), you can order anything you want off their all you can eat menu. The menu is modest, but does contain some enticing Japanese food favorites. Nigiri sushi, vibrant sushi rolls, Temaki (hand roll), Maki rolls, Tempura, Teriyaki, Teppanyaki, Noodle dishes (udon or ramen), Rice dishes, and of course, desserts.

Since everything is made fresh to order, what’s breaded and fried stayed deliciously crunchy. The jumbo shrimp tempura was my personal favorite. Nicely seasoned, shrimp had a great texture and tempura exterior fried to a beautiful golden-brown crisp. Fried scallops tasted a bit under-seasoned but nothing a bit of Japanese mayo won’t fix. Beef Ramen was good but the broth screams for more depth in flavor. Definitely calling for more “beefiness” for some much needed umami. Beef was tender, and that’s a plus. Fish on the sushi tasted okay but the rice came out a bit dry (Edit: Rice was a lot better on my second visit). BBQ Eel Teppanyaki was quite simple but tasted pretty good. The meat was nice and fatty, and cooked beautifully. The sweet and savory soy based sauce is a such a perfect topping for the rice. Seafood fried rice was fragrant, and definitely tasted better than it looked.

What we tried:

Conclusion:

Kumo Sushi may not be your go-to destination for exquisite high end Japanese fare, but for the price it is well worth every penny. Understandably, they have to cut cost somehow to offer such great value to their customers.

Classic Japanese favorites made fresh to order, giving you the best bang for your buck. If you just want to try out different menu items or maybe it is your first time in a Japanese restaurant, you can succumb to your adventurous side and order whatever looks good and try it. If you don’t particularly enjoy it, you can order something else. Definitely a no-pressure dining experience best suited for the more conservative Midwestern palate with a desire to venture outside the Midwestern staple of meat and potatoes.