Koh Grill is the fast food equivalent of a sushi bar: rolls of its famed Shiok Maki ($16.80/ eight pieces) are pre-prepped, cling-wrapped and then stowed beneath the counter for easy access – because orders for it come faster than the chefs can move. Aburi salmon sashimi is propped atop unagi and avocado, drenched in a Kewpie mayo-based sauce that’s blowtorched to deliver charred hits of flavour, then loaded with capelin roe. We do mean loaded. This may be too rich for some – it’s quite liberal with the latter two ingredients – so offset it with some nigiri.
Go for the hotate ($6-$8/piece), a generous portion that’s delicate and sweet. The uni ($12/piece), with its pungent, brinier flavour, is just a pinch short of Tomi Sushi’s version – as is the salmon nigiri ($2.80/two pieces). Still, they’re pretty decent for the price. And come during off-peak hours: waiting times stretch for up to 80 minutes otherwise.