Doraku

By Hannah Griffin, Staff Contributor

Grade: A-

I have a sushi itch that it seems only Doraku can scratch. With its intimate décor, great lunch deals and amazingly satisfying sushi, Doraku without a doubt beats out its sushi competitors.
Doraku is located at 1579 Dresden Row. Despite the distinctive anime-style cat hanging below the sign, the entrance to the restaurant is surprisingly difficult to find. It is worth traversing a narrow, somewhat sketchy alley for the sushi experience inside.
The small restaurant has three different seating options: standard tables, booths or comfy cushions behind a partition. If you can, go for the cozy booths, but all three are suited to the intimate and quiet atmosphere of Doraku, making it a great date place.
I began with miso soup. My friend ordered a salad. The miso soup was the perfect amount of saltiness, with generous helpings of seaweed and tofu. The salad was topped with corn, various sliced veggies and savoury ginger dressing. It was an inventive departure from the standard house salad most sushi restaurants serve.
Next we ordered our entrees. The sweet potato tempura roll was crispy and delicious. The shrimp tempura roll, despite being fresh, kept falling apart, so the majority of the rice fell into the soy sauce dish.
The highlight of the meal was the unagi (eel roll). It was slightly grilled and had a sweet aftertaste. The salmon and tuna rolls at Doraku are good, but are extremely tiny (about the size of a quarter). All of the rolls were served on slightly warm rice, making everything taste extra fresh.
The lunch deals at Doraku make it an affordable place to eat. Specials run at about $10 for two rolls and a soup or salad, but even if you order outside of the deals you can still have a hearty lunch for about $13 dollars.
Our server was attentive and polite, but be warned: Doraku runs a significant take-out business, so if you go at night, be prepared to wait a while for your food.
I left Doraku full of rice, fish and satisfaction. I hope you do, too