Ebi Sushi Restaurant, 59 Abbey Street, Derby

It's Lads n Dads night, and now no.1 son is nearly 20, we're no longer forced to endure McDonalds or crap pubs with "family" rooms. It's time to take him to one of Derby's best kept secrets Ebi Sushi Restaurant on Abbey Street. "A Sushi restaurant on Abbey Street!?" I hear you saying. Honestly I was as surprised as you, when I first found out.
Named after owner and master of the knife Ebi, this brightly lit café style venue, was allegedly opened to cater for the increasing amount of homesick employees at Toyota in Burnaston.
Most nights getting a table can be difficult, but tonight wasn't a problem. Two cold glasses of Japanese Asahi beer were ceremonially ordered while I deciphered the menu.
I thought I'd go easy on the lad seeing as it was his first time. Six ornate salmon rolls to kick-off with (£4.00), raw salmon coated in sticky rice, neatly wrapped in dried seaweed, and with just a hint of the powerful wasabi (Japanese horseradish). Three pieces each, so far it's neck and neck. Next it was a large bowl of udon noodles with king prawn tempura (£7.80) to share. The clear, salty miso broth came with plenty of large slippery noodles to chase around the bowl, and topped with two large lightly battered king prawns. One a piece, so it's still neck and neck. I didn't want to hit no.1 with wave after wave of raw fish (most people think that's Japanese food in a nutshell, not at all), subsequently it was a plate of Tontatsu (£6.50), pork fillet thinly sliced, bread crumbed and deep fried, and a plate of sizzling Beef Teriyaki (£11.00), fillet steak marinated in the finger lickin Teriyaki sauce, and brought to the table spitting and sizzling. Our chopsticks clashed like swordsmen as we fought to get the slivers of sweet & savoury fillet Teriyaki into our gobs. Divine. Still neck and neck, this could be going to the wire.
No.1 pipes up "Dad, I thought we were going to have more sushi & try some raw fish?". OK, I'll show him, I order 4 pieces of sushi (£2.00 each). Consequently 2 large pieces of raw salmon and 2 plump raw scallop's turned up, each perched on a neat bundle of sticky sushi rice. They were larger than I'd expected. I darted for a salmon piece, no.1 opted for the scallop. The taste is subtle and the fish is extremely fresh, but the texture can be difficult, especially if you think about it too much. To be honest I struggled. No.1 attacks his second piece, loving it! There's one piece of scallop left, I can't face it. No.1 doesn't need to be asked twice. Drat, he piped me at the post!
A neat ceramic bottle of warm Saki rice wine (£6.40), suitable amuses no.1 and washes away any remaining fish tastes for me.
This is a great place, very authentic, but probably a bit expensive for a Thursday night bit of snap, £61.49 is more Saturday night with the missus price. Worth it though, for lovers of probably the healthiest cuisine on the planet.
Food 7/10
Service 7/10
Venue 4/10
Tel: 01332 265656

"I think I'm turning Japanese, I really think so" (Turning Japanese, The Vapours, 1980)

Martin, Thursday, 14th June 2007