Saburos Sushi House
1667 SE Bybee Blvd
Portland, OR
There are two thoughts that most people would have when it come to the word, “Sushi.” The first thought would be, “Eww! Raw fish!” The second thought would be, “Ewww! Too expensive!”
Never mind that sushi is a term given to rice that is spiced up with rice vinegar that are usually mixed on site, and that the whole package is really called nigiri, maki, and so on forth. There is absolutely nothing that specifically defines sushi to contain raw fish. Shrimp (ebi) is usually cooked, so is freshwater eel (unagi), and other fresh water fishes (as they may contain parasites that can cause harm if the fish are not cooked). But we are not limited to raw fishes. Egg (tamago) omelet, vegetables, red meat (beef, sausage, et cetera), and more can be combined to make sushi dishes.
For more reading on sushi, check out Wiki.
To address the second fact, I present to you Saburos Sushi House.
Hidden in a narrow and overtly long shop, with a muted logo in front of an eave, and tucked down the road away from the major street of Milwaukie, this is quite difficult to spot, and can be easily buried in the noise of the shops and restaurants. Unlike Aoki of Seattle which proudly stake its claim on the major thoroughfare, this is your typical hidden breakfast diner-style of shop, taking advantage of the least ideal spot of a retail building in order to save costs.
On a quiet Sunday night, where very few cars would pass by on Milwaukie Avenue, the first thing you would notice is the line. This place does not allow for advanced reservations, preferring to follow a note board/pen format, where hungry customers would place the relevant details to stake their place in line. It was quite fortunate the night was not quite frigid, nor windy as this place provide scant seating within the establishment for those that are waiting for their spot to be called upon.
As is custom in a lot of sushi places I have been to, the sushi bar line up the front of the restaurant, manned by four sushi chefs whipping up solutions to the problem of hunger. Whipping it up, they really do, with insane amount of sushi that belittle the price tag on the menu.
While on assignment in Montreal, I frequented a sushi buffet place (Kanda) with my co-workers. One of them looked at me in awe, as I am able to pop a whole nigiri piece in my mouth, with room to spare. For the vast majority of sushi shops, nigiri pieces are bite-sized, although the ultra-polite citizens would cut them in half anyway.
Saburos is unique in the manner of requiring even me, with my cavernous mouth to accept the reality that I must take two bites for each piece. The hand rolls (temaki) are so large and so full, it requires at least six bites to eat through, compared to two for other sushi shop. Fortunately (?), they do not oversize their beer or appetizer offerings.
To understand the comparison, if you have ever visited Europe, and ordered a large soda, you would get a cup that is usually smaller than or equal to the “small” soda in many fast food restaurants here in the States. This is the oversized sushi for the masses.
There is a place in Phoenix that has a similar concept, Sakana Sushi and Grill. However, as much as I thought that place serves large pieces, Saburos is much larger. I will have to bring a camera next time, and demonstrate in person how big these pieces are.
Now, the quality of the pieces is not something that would bring awe, compared to Aoki or Yoshi. However, to satisfy the sushi fix, Saburos delivers. The rice vinegar mixture used is overtly sweet, and the fishes are standard (albeit huge) pieces that are fresh and decent.
I had 5 pairs of nigiri pieces, a hand roll, along with miso soup, warm soybeans (edamame), and tapped beer. I ended up with three nigiri pieces left, and most of the edamame untouched. For those who do not know me, this is a very rare occurrence, as I always make a point to eat everything I ordered when I go out for sushi. Unlike other restaurants who give you too much, sushi is something I can control, portion-wise. This was my second time there, and it is clear I am still adjusting downward. My first time there, I ordered almost twice the amount (my typical meal can easily compromise 20 pieces of nigiri), and I ended up donating the food to a homeless guy somewhere on the way back.
To add to this amazing size, the prices are downright low. For my meal, the price came to $24. Take out the hand roll and a piece, and I will be rounding out a Jackson with tips.
Huge pieces, reasonable prices. No wonders this place is highly popular on a quiet Sunday night.
