761 S MacArthur Blvd Ste 121
Coppell, TX 75019
(972) 745-3377

Mua Sushi is a cozy little sushi shop off Beltline and MacArthur in Coppell. I’ve only been in a couple times during lunch hours, but both visits gave me a favorable impression of the place.

On my first visit I sampled their grilled mackerel bento and side dish of seaweed salad. The opener, miso soup, pleased me as it wasn’t as grainy or coarse as some other versions. The seaweed salad was perhaps a little too wet, but tasted typical of the dish. The star of my lunch hour was the bento box however, and what a beauty it was. A perfectly prepared slab of fish came surrounded by compartments of vegetables and sides, ala korean-style banchan–which I devoured with gusto. The fried dumpling and the California rolls also were also quite appetizing. Accompanied by ponzu (?) the grilled mackerel tasted fresh and delicious, the soft and supple meat hadn’t seen the insides of a freezer for long, if any. And to drive that notion home, the hostess dropped a hint on how fresh their fish was.

On my second visit, I decided to tame a sore throat with some soup. Sadly the only other soup entry on their menu was a Korean soup, a beef-vegetable dumpling variety, which I ordered along with their double-roll lunch special: the Casa and Eel rolls. My hostess emerged from the kitchen about 10 minutes later with a small bowl, medium-sized dumplings floating in a mild egg-flower broth and my rolls. The beef dumplings were excellent, though I wish there had been more than just 3 of them. The eel roll tasted average and I remain undecided about the Casa, a fried roll that came topped with a spicy cream sauce reminiscent of tabasco sauce. I didn’t think the fish content in both rolls merited more than a passing grade however.

Both lunches left me 15 to 20 dollars poorer per visit. I also have to fault them for their $1.95 charge on canned soda as well. However, the food is above-average, especially notable for their Korean elements, and the staff are friendly and accommodating. I look forward to more lunches here in the future.

2625 Old Denton Rd Ste. 400
Carrollton, TX 75007
(972) 242-5200

Something about Nari Sushi makes me inherently suspicious.

Maybe it’s the freebies. On both visits, we were treated to two unexpected courses of appetizers, ranging from tempura to cold, spicy fish. But after a glance at their printed menu and at some of the prices, I’m not complaining at getting some of my food comped.

Maybe it’s the uncanny way they remembered us, by reciting our order from our previous visit. Butterfly kisses? Yes! Grilled mackerel? Yes!

Maybe it’s because they were too darned friendly? They checked up on us every time they passed by us from the kitchen. Was the freebie snack to our liking? How was our sushi tonight? Our hostess was always smiling and our sushi chef too accommodating. I suppose that wasn’t a bad thing…our glasses were always refilled promptly.

Maybe it’s the way Nari was tucked away behind a strip mall, far from the main road (by my reckoning) and that the entrance seemed oddly angled from the street. As if they were making sure they were hidden away from sight.

Don’t get me wrong; Nari has been a pleasant experience both times I’ve visited. But I have a feeling that they’re trying too hard…the food here speaks for itself. I’d come back for the sushi alone.

It’s been several years or more since I dined at Jinbeh (the Las Colinas branch) and thought it was time to sample its satellite spinoffs. For a Friday evening, I took the fiance out for some sushi at the Lewisville location. Tucked away in a strip mall, this location isn’t as upscale as the original, but it is still nicely decorated and spacious. Guests walk past two hibachi rooms before arriving at the sushi bar in the rear, an excellent setup, since we were nearly convinced to partake in the grilled foods.

But I had my heart set on sushi tonight. For a starter, we ordered the fried soft shell crabs, which were nicely crunchy but needed the flavor of the lemon and ponzu to perk it up. The seaweed salad didn’t fail to disappoint. For the main courses, we order nigiri-style mackerel (my old standby) then 3 of the house rolls. The first was a delightful roll that was sweetened by the mango inside…I couldn’t get enough of it! The 2nd was a spicy salmon and crab roll, decorated with two sauces, one of which was a zingy wasabi dressing. This one paired well with our mango roll, forcing me to jump from one plate to the next with each bite. The finale was a tempura fried stuffed jalapeno roll, piled high on a plate decorated in fire–ok it wasn’t really fire, but the sushi chef made it look like it was, using sriracha and mayo sauce. While the jalapeno wasn’t close to the heat in our other dishes, we nevertheless enjoyed the crunchy contrast it provided, and liberally sopped up the sauce from the plate.

We warned our waitress that we’d be using a coupon for tonight’s dinner, which she obliged without a fuss, so our $60 dinner only cost us $50 and tip. I felt this was a great price for a goodly and tasty amount of food. I can’t wait to come back to try their other Super-Mario-themed sushi.