Review: Sushi Nini

A couple of friends, Jeff and Kim, and I had lunched at a new sushi restaurant that opened up in Round Rock, Texas. It's called Sushi Nini Japanese Restaurant. They just opened and we had to try them out. Kim had eaten there with his girlfriend and they loved the rolls there. With that recommendation and a sense of adventure, I decided to try them out.

We got there around 11:30 and went inside. We are greeted by a friendly host and taken to our table. The decor inside of the restaurant is modern and hip. They had big screen televisions and a projection screen television going as well. Our waitress came over and took our drink order promptly and that gave us time to look at the menu.

The menu is very extensive and had a lot of things to try. Kim and his girlfriend had the Godzilla Roll and The Rock & Roll. He said that both very tasty. Jeff ordered the Hawaiian Roll and order of Ikura (Salmon Roe). Kim ordered the Crunchy Dragon Roll. I ordered lunch special, 6 piece sashimi and California Roll. When we asked the waitress for her recommendations, she didn't know much about the menu and just tried one of the rolls. We were a little disappointed by the lack of knowledge, but we think our waitress did a good job of finding things out of us.

As part of my meal, she brought a bowl of miso soup. I have had a lot of miso soups in my day, but this one was, by far, absolute wonderful. It had a wonderful taste to it and depth. Normally, it is just a quick broth with bean curd thrown in. Not so here. It had a complex taste to it and was delicious. I would go back just for the soup.

It took a while for us to get our meal and it came in batches. We shared our meals with each other so that we could get a different perspective on the food. The sashimi was cut more like a piece that you would put on nigiri. Very thick. Don't get me wrong. If I'm hungry for fish, I would prefer it this way. But, sashimi is cut very thin. So, if you are purist, you would have sent it back. It came with salmon, tuna and white fish. Very fresh and excellent. I tried the Hawaiian roll and it was delicious. It had mango in it and a the sauces was a pineapple mixture and set itself well with the roll. Perfect combination.

It took a while for Kim to get his roll. The kitchen wasn't really backed up. Just very slow. If you are trying to get in and out quickly, forget it. It just won't happen. The Crunchy Dragon Roll was delicious. It had a spicy sauce that was wonderful. It had an ebb and flow to it. Just as the spiciness would would pass, it would creep up and hit your palate again. I really enjoyed that. Not too spicy, but had that ebb and flow and finished off nicely on the palate.

Jeff and I ordered the Godzilla roll and love it as well. It was another great example of a roll perfectly balanced with its ingredients. The one thing that Jeff and I had to use was the pepper on the roll. Even if they are marked spicy, they are very tame on the palate. Kim told us that he and his girlfriend noticed that as well.

Overall, the meal was delicious. The low marks are the service due to lack of knowledge of the items and the slowness of the kitchen. I think if they work out those two items, the place will be wonderful. Special note to those who may have a problem with the outfits. The waitresses wear Oriental mini-skirts. The original tops that are shown on their flyers and website were put back in the lockers. They were a little revealing. However, the mini-skirts stayed.

Location: 117 Louis Henna Blvd; Ste 160; Round Rock, TX 78664
Website: http://www.sushinini.com/
Cash and Credit Cards only.