A casual observer/tourist walking through Miami would notice that Asian and Asian fusion restaurants are quite popular. One of the newer entrants to this category is SushiClub. Imported from Argentina, this two-month old restaurant is fitted in a spacious, dark, sexy place that evokes a nightclub but it does serve pretty solid food and drinks.
We started off with the Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut Champagne and passion fruit caipiroska and the kitchen sent out an amuse bouche of stewed black beans topped with avocado puree and a side of plantain chips. The Champagne was delightful and the caipiroska was fruity and not too sweet. The beans were fine but we didn’t want to fill up on it to make room for food later on.
The staff recommended to start off with the Shellfish on Fire, a flashy dish of having a small scallop shell filled with salt saturated in alcohol and lit on fire. The flame is more enticing than the dish, unfortunately. The butter sauce was too rich and its flavor took over the flavors of the octopus, scallops, and shrimp.
I will say this upfront that I am a sushi traditionalist so I was trying to avoid most of the creative maki rolls and sushi that was offered. The typical nigiri sushis offered – salmon, tuna and shrimp – were solid. The fish and seafood were fresh and the texture of the rice wasn’t too wet or mushy. What I didn’t care for was the candied ginger served on the side of these sushi because the cloying sweetness left on my palate rather than refreshed and ready for the next bite that traditional pickled ginger would provide.
The restaurant’s creative take on salmon nigiri is the Niguiri Anticuchero. This version I liked because of the sweet-mildly spicy flavors of the anticuchero sauce worked with the salmon and it wasn’t overcooked.
The vegetarian maki roll topped with fried vegetable and covered in a spicy sauce was sent out by the kitchen. While the overall flavors were fine, my biggest issue was the very wet rice.
When it comes to the simpler, cooked food items that are non-sushi, they were delicious. The grilled octopus was perfectly cooked and tender. While it’s very good, I was slightly surprised it tasted slightly sweet like there’s a thin coating of sugar added prior to the grill treatment giving it a caramelized sugar flavor.
As for the grilled New York strip steak, it’s an excellent steak that I haven’t eaten in a while. The steak had a perfect amount of fat marbled into the meat, the right amount of salt, and it’s cooked to a perfect rare-medium. I highly suggest you to get this if you love steak.
There were sides to go with this meal. The red quinoa salad with avocado and tomato was a healthy side and it’s tasty. The mashed potatoes and tempura broccoli were fine but not too intriguing to write home about.
Overall, there is potential in this restaurant. The staff is friendly and accommodating. The traditional sushi was good though uneven cooking on the rice. The simpler cooked food were generally perfect. The kitchen does need some time to work out its kinks like every new restaurant needs time and it will be a solid place to have sushi and Western style dishes here.
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Information:
SushiClub
Website
127 Miracle Mile
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Phone: (786) 864-1212
