Yama is Japanese for “mountain,” and since opening on Perkins Road in the fall of 2006, Sushi Yama has certainly climbed near the top of the local Asian food chain.
Owned by Agnes and Eddie Yeung, Sushi Yama is the size of a typical New York City sushi bar, but with less emphasis on the sushi bar itself, and just enough room for a more airy, family-style atmosphere.
The tables and decor are light and airy, and the wall-hugging bench seats cozy. Go early for lunch because suits pour in from the Essen Lane and Bluebonnet Boulevard corridors and pack the restaurant by noon.
At this suburban sushi outpost, the experience is about very fresh seafood served in delightfully artistic and refreshing presentations.
The Afishionado
I’ve eaten raw fish from here to Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market.
I’d recommend:
The six-three roll ($12.95). A tasty melding of pepper tuna, snowcrab, avocado and green onion.
Unagi ($2.15). It’s grilled—not raw—and it’s great. Basically, aquatic barbeque. Just forget it was once a slimy, slithering eel.
Ordering off the menu. Design your own roll, pairing your favorite flavors, and the sushi chefs will accommodate—however odd (albacore, mango and cream cheese, battered in tempura and fried; fin-tastic).
I’d avoid:
“Spicy” rolls (various prices). On principle. Nothing against Sushi Yama, but in general these are made from sushi remnants chopped together with a spicy sauce. Stick to full cuts of fish.
Hotategai (scallop, $2.45). Much too gamey.
The bottom line:
This is the real deal. Other purveyors might promise a better view of the Mississippi, but Sushi Yama dishes up Baton Rouge’s best fish—bar none.
The Sushi Conservative
If I’m not sitting at the hibachi, I’m nervous.
I’d recommend:
Edamame ($3.50). A good-sized portion tossed with plenty of salt is pretty much all you can ask for from this hard-to-ruin appetizer of hot, boiled soybeans. Edamame is the perfect starter for someone who doesn’t like raw fish and doesn’t like to forget he’s in the South.
Gyoza shrimp steamed dumplings ($4.25). These were pretty fantastic, tender and moist with a slight green onion flavor that really popped when dipped in the accompanying tangy sauce.
Yakitori ($5.25). A thick soy and teriyaki sauce glazes three long skewers of pan-fried chicken nuggets. The glaze had a great teriyaki flavor, but mine was slightly overcooked. It could have been a little more tender, but the sauce really saves it.
I’d avoid:
The rock and roll ($12.95). This and the shrimp tempura roll are usually my go-to orders at sushi bars. But this one overdoses on crabmeat, which gave me a queasy feeling after eating three or four. Tons of crab may excite you if you just want to gorge, but it upsets the subtle balance of shrimp tempura, avocado slices, smelt roe and eel sauce found in a truly tasty rock-n-roll sushi roll. No wonder Sushi Yama’s comes wrapped in rice paper—to tame all that crabmeat.
The bottom line:
There are other area Japanese restaurants with menus friendlier to sushi conservatives like myself. Sushi Yama is best reserved for hard-core albacore addicts.
The Schnozzle
I love raw fish, but am cursed with an ultra-sensitive olfactory unit.
I’d recommend:
Escolar ($2.35). This is a simple, clean lump of buttery, fresh fish served on a lump of sushi rice, and it just melts in your mouth. An interesting departure from the safe salmon sashimi I usually stick with.
Albacore ($2.15). Another delight from the sashimi menu, you’ll want more than one of these decadent white tuna morsels.
Hawaiian salad ($15.95). Like some dreamy alchemy of ceviche, sushi and tropical fruit, this decadent treat is a feast of flavor and texture. Succulent chunks of fresh tuna, salmon and other morsels from the sea are tossed with sweet tropical fruit and savory red onion slivers in a satisfying citrus dressing. Can it get better? Yes it can. It includes creamy avocado slices!
I’d avoid:
The amaebi ($2.45). The only item that didn’t bowl me over, this sweet shrimp sashimi was anything but sweet, and in fact, it seemed not quite right.
Tempura cheesecake ($3.95). After such exquisite delicacies, this desert seems ham-handed. (It’s not on the menu, but Sushi Yama has been known to prepare perfect limejuice on honeydew melon, a more fitting finish to your feast.)
The bottom line:
Impeccable courtesy, the freshest of fish and delicate artistry of the sushi chefs puts Sushi Yama at or near the top of Baton Rouge’s sushi class.
