Is it just me or sugarfish nigiri are a bit of sloppy cuts. Why do the sushi neta shaped like this? Can someone explain the style behind this popular chain?

32 comments

1. Never tried but I always thought the same. Someone please explain!

2. It’s garbage execution. Plain and simple

3. Fish cuts are wrong, should be cut at an angle

4. Used to do this type of thing at a sushi restaurant I worked at and it was to save money

5. It’s sugarfish, they do what they want and the people will line out the door

6. Tried sugarfish in nyc for the first time and it was good. The rice temp and texture was what impressed me the most. But yes it’s ugly 😂

7. I don’t live anywhere with this chain so I’ve only seen pictures of it on this sub, and I’ve always thought it looked mediocre at best. But people line up for brands and not quality for many things

8. Cutting costs.

9. They don’t have trained sushi chefs working there. Almost certainly no Japanese people. It’s the same cheap line cooks present at any other chain restaurant, except sushi can’t be faked because it relies so heavily on minimalism and proper execution.

10. I get sushi has a reputation for being more artsy in its presentation. But as long as it’s rolled tight and quality ingredients, I’m fine with the cuts not being 100% precise.

    That’s just me tho, I know I’m prob on the wrong sub to talk anything remotely negative about sushi lol.

11. Sugarfish is amazing. The rice is incredible. Always a stop when passing through L.A.

12. About time somebody said it. I keep seeing these take out boxes posted here and it looks like the fish was cut with a chainsaw. The whole thing with sushi/ sashimi is it is about the knife cuts. The chef uses the knife to transform the raw ingredient into art using the knife skill.

13. It might be crappy nigiri but size wise it looks like temari sushi. Though most places dress up the temari a bit more.

14. It’s a chain that makes money on volume and the illusion that it’s great sushi to 75% of the population (fortunately that number is shrinking). People here seem to know better.

15. Looks like Temari to me

16. A lot of time togo sushi is for younger chefs to practice but this is sloppy on all accounts. Looks like a child made it

17. The ‘ball’ presentation is a specific style of nigiri, I can’t recall the name right now, but ‘balled’ nigiri is definitely a thing. Not saying they know that, all these other responses could be dead on. But I do know that there is a type of nigiri that is served very similar to this.

18. Fish ball

19. Sugsrfish has a very simple concept. Good rice, good fish, good sauce, poor technique.

    They have removed the theatre from you fancy sushi experience and replaced it with high volume.

    There chef use very simple techniques that are easy to train and as others have said, are just glorified line cooks.

    But the reality is if you have good fish / rice and sauce the rest is hard to fick up.

20. If I hear about the warm rice again, I may lose my mind.

    It’s mediocre chains sushi. Nothing more or less. More consistent than a random no name place (like any chain), but even a cursory yelp review can get you somewhere better.

21. They’re a bit of a machine. They rely more on the warm, sweet rice and sauces to be delectable. Most sushi customers are not discerning enough to split hairs over knife skills, no pun intended. That said, it does look intrinsically sloppy.

22. Make more profit….

23. Half the rice and half the fish… twice the profit…

24. Sugarfish isn’t good. The rice is soggy. You’re better off doing a $35-50 omakase at a lot of other places in the city.

25. That restaurant is all hype overpriced.

    People only go because celebrities go to this place. Never going

26. I see a lot of comments that it’s ok as long as it tastes good, which I agree with for the most part. I have to say though this is an exception for me because an improperly cut piece of fish more often than not doesn’t taste as good, and can actually be like inedible depending on the direction of the cut and the connective tissue of the fish.

    I have not eaten there, but I think based on other comments they are getting away with lack of technique by using high quality ingredients? Some will like that while others won’t.

27. That, and the rice is too hot.

28. SHOCKED TO SEE 4 VARIETIES OF SUGARFISH NIGIRI UNATTENDED LIKE THIS. PUT THAT SLOPPY GOODNESS INTO YOUR MOUTH. THERE IS SIMPLY NO TIME FOR PICS MY FRIEND.

29. My pictures from Sugarfish in DTLA. I really enjoyed their omakase.

    https://ibb.co/4RyCnd4

    https://ibb.co/y6FFm6n

30. The sushi chefs are pretentious assholes there too.

31. I work for this company and let me tell you. They don’t care about cuts or anything. Fun fact!! A lot of times if you go first thing in the morning, they serve you the leftover from the day before. You can obviously tell the difference…it’s better to go sugar fish later in the afternoon or the evening once they get rid of the stuff from the day before. Either way, overpriced and overrated. Another fact, Kazunori, the sister store. Takes the leftovers of sugar fish and turns it into hand roll fillings. The “toro” isn’t even real toro. It’s a mixture of albacore and tuna. The toro is brown and disgusting and they mix it with tuna to give it that “live color” don’t be fooled. Sugar fish and Kazunori are both trash. It’s meant to cater to dumb hipsters that don’t know any better. The owners can care less about what the customers consume. As long as their pockets are full. Also Lele one of the owners is a scum bag. Abuses his workers and sadly abuses his own wife. They dine in with each other at different locations from time to time and he eats really quickly and then leaves her in the restaurant by herself..while he “waits in the car” he cheats on her, mentally and physically abuses her. Weird how much of a coke head he is. A lot of management does cocaine and other drugs. It’s a weird bunch and play it off as people that are changing the game for sushi. It’s a joke, continue eating here but what I say is the truth that no one else will say..should have seen the huge protest during the pandemic. When they cut workers wages, while managers and owners continue making the same…this company makes millions a year and yet they treat front of house and back of house employees like shit. Don’t even get me started with back of the house employment >.>

32. This is called “Nozawa” style sushi which means cold fish and warm rice. Getting the desired temperature counterbalance is why they serve in a progression rather than all at once. I do not believe most sushi restaurants intend to serve in this fashion. it is one of the distinctive things about sugarfish’s model. Other restaurants that serve with the cold ingredients and warm rice must know the delicious secret that this makes for an awesome bite of sushi!