Relish: Blue Fish House hooks quality sushi at low price

By Tim Pawul and Mimi Arnold     10/29/09 7:00pm

Sushi: the delicacy that satisfies the stomach and breaks the bank. Couples looking to dine in a qualitysushi restaurant will usually pay $50 for the experience. On the other hand, a venture to a cheaper sushi restaurant will likely result in decreased food quality, a fact thatis not only undesirable but also risky. These realizations about sushi restaurants leave thrifty students with one burning question: Why can't there be a sushi restaurant that combines high-quality sushi with affordable prices? Finally, an answer. After searching long and hard, your intrepid food-reporting duo would like to present the Blue Fish House, a restaurant thatoffers savory sushi at manageable prices and is conveniently located 10 minutes from Rice. We visited the Richmond Avenue location, between Shepherd Drive and Kirby Drive, but there are actually two other locations in Sugar Land and Conroe.Blue Fish House is a small and comfortable eatery sure to quench your sushi cravings without emptying yourwallet.

Ambiance:Exhibitingan eclectic mix of Thai, Japanese and American cultures, Blue Fish House is an amalgamation of many different stylesto ease newcomers into the sushi scene. American music plays in the background, modern artwork decorates the walls and hints of Asian culturedot therestaurant's interior. On our Saturday lunch visit, the clientele consisted of mostly young and trendy types.

Service: The service was pleasant, with an affable waiter willing to recommend house favorites in order to make our selection process easier. We ordered three rolls and two appetizers, and as we finished each dish, the next was promptly delivered, creating a quick yet enjoyable flow to the meal.

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Food: The dishes we selected, with the waiter's generous help, were tofu pockets and salmon sashimi, the crispy roll, the crazy ocean roll and the mango roll. The tofu pocket, a clump of rice sandwiched between two slabs of fried tofu, was not our favorite, but the sashimi was high quality and all three rolls were delectable, each representing unique tastes and culinary presentation. The most notable difference between these rolls and ones at other, more expensive restaurants were the size and the artistic presentations, with tempura crunchies and such - frankly, they don't add much to the overall flavor. The rolls are relatively small and simple, mixing unique ingredients without attempting extravagance in the rest of the dish.

Price:As mentioned before, one of the main issues with sushi is always price. We have been to several other sushi restaurants in Houston including Kubo's, Osaka and Bonzai sushi, and while they all servequality food, each can quickly empty a college wallet. Blue Fish House, on the other hand, maintains a distinctly high level of food quality at very manageable prices. Yes, the rolls are a bit smaller than those at other restaurants, but they are also nearly $4 cheaper.With tip, you will probably spend close to $15 per person - a fantastic buy, no matter the budget.

Tim's Recommended Dish: I recommend ordering the crispy roll, which is served warm and completely deep-fried. If you tend to prefer fried foods like I do, this is certainly something you want to try. However, I would be wary of the Thai iced tea; the combination of spices was overwhelming and struggled to mesh with the flavor of the tea.

Mimi's Recommended Dish: The crazy ocean roll was delicious and somewhat different than crazy rolls at other sushi places, primarily because they added a bit of jalapeño. The subtle Tex-Mex-esque fieriness uniquely enhanced the flavor of the spicy tuna, while the tempura shrimp and rice prevented the spiciness from becoming overwhelming.

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