Sushispotting is a multipart series to review all 15 sushi restaurants in Downtown Bellevue. See the whole Sushispotting series here.
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#6 Sushispotting: Flo Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar
So I’ve had a lot of a comments on my Sushispotting posts, telling me I must go to Flo. Well, today I did. (note that this is not the first time I’ve been here- I’ve been to Flo many times over the last few years.) And let me say that I get why this place engenders such swooning devotion; the sushi is truly delectable. But I am the kind of person who feels as if there are diminishing returns in a restaurant’s deliciousness the higher its prices go. So while Flo is amazingly delicious, with a proper sushi ambience (including attentive tea-bearing servers, skilled sushi masters behind the bar, and even Japanese tinkling fountains), it is also quite punishing on my wallet.
I ordered the bento box, which included one of the best tempuras I’ve ever had, miso soup, salad, rice, a crunchy hamachi roll (also yummy), and nigiri so buttery it made me want to lick the box clean. But my lunch tab was nearly $20, which rather puts this joint out of reach for everyday, go-to sushi. Now, many of you are willing to pay $20 a pop for a delectable sushi lunch; I applaud you! I, however, am rather a cheapskate…though I would be happy to have YOU buy ME lunch at Flo any day of the week. And dinner, too.
Freshness: 5 fishies
Roll/Menu Variety: 5 fishies
Value/Cost: 2 fishies
Downtown Bellevue Core Walking Distance: 4 fishies
Proper Sushi Ambience: 5 fishies
Overall Deliciousness: 5 fishies
TOTAL: 26 fishies
Flo Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar
1150 106th Ave NE
(425) 453-4005
http://www.florestaurant.com/
Monday-Thursday 11am-2pm, 5:30pm-9:30pm
Friday 11:30am-2pm, 5:30pm-10pm
Saturday 4:30pm-5pm, 5:30pm-10pm
Sunday 5pm-9pm
#7 Sushispotting: Safeway’s sushi bar
Now, what would be the complete, polar opposite of Flo Sushi? Well, as I was walking down Bellevue Way, I saw Safeway’s reader board advertising freshly made sushi. I figured hey, I’m committed to this Sushispotting idea, bring on the raw fish.
Needless to say, as a sushi snob, I wasn’t expecting much. But I was actually pleasantly surprised. I would normally avoid pre-made, grocery store sushi like the plague because it’s not fresh, and the cold rice makes my happiness die a bit inside. But lo and behold, Safeway has a real sushi bar. With real people rolling sushi to order, if you don’t want to grab one of the pre-made boxes (and I didn’t).
For about $5, I got a surprisingly good, fresh spicy tuna roll box, with 12 small rolls. And as any sushi lover knows, 12 rolls is plenty for anyone’s lunchtime appetite (even mine). And as for a value-cost ratio, $5 is amazing for sushi. So if your sushi-jonesing bar is low, or it’s 3am and nothing but sushi will do, Safeway, like Motel 6, will always have the light on for you.
Freshness: 3 fishies
Roll/Menu Variety: 2 fishies
Value/Cost: 4 fishies
Downtown Bellevue Core Walking Distance: 5 fishies
Proper Sushi Ambience: 0 fishies
Overall Deliciousness: 3 fishies
TOTAL: 17 fishies
Safeway
300 Bellevue Way NE
It’s always open. ‘Nuff said.
