Rama Thai Kitchen – The Edible Art of Sushi

I recently returned on a trip from La Jolla, California where I satisfied my craving for the freshest sushi I could get my chopsticks on. Rappungi Sushi Bar, centrally located in the heart of downtown La Jolla, was the place of choice.

 

Reminiscent of the days years ago that I spent working in the great food city of San Francisco and being spoiled by the delights of this new-to-me cuisine, my earthy Midwestern food roots were instantly replaced by tiny raw-fish I could shove into my mouth in one bite. Who would’ve thought?

 

Fast forward to last month’s return home to Chicago after a few days of California dreamin’ and I was ready for more. But where? When you eat sushi, it has to be good. It has to be fresh. And only experienced chefs can deliver both.

 

A friend recommended I try Rama Thai Kitchen, located in Glenview, just north of Des Plaines on Milwaukee Road (see full details below).

 

I welcomed my friend’s idea because she’s not only a fellow food-lover, she’s a great companion at the table (I say the two go hand in hand).  Besides, she knows sushi.

 

She’d been there before and knew just where to sit and what to order. Thank goodness, because I was simply overwhelmed by the numerous choices of special sushi rolls, all of which came with enticing pictures resembling edible art.

 

I couldn’t decide between the Caterpillar (eel and cucumber topped with avocado), the Ichibun (spicy tuna with crab, wrapped in cucumber paper), or the Double Sake Punch (spicy salmon cucumber inside with salmon and avocado on top), mainly because I liked the names of these dishes so much I just wanted to say them.

 

Much to our waitress’ delight, I finally decided on the Tiger Roll, (a crab and shrimp tempura inside with avocado on top); my friend ordered the Volcano Roll, deep fried spicy salmon, avocado, asparagus and oba leaf. We were definitely going to be sharing!

 

While we waited, our waitress served up a Japanese style kettle of a warm, red flower tea, the most delicious I’ve ever had. It was sweet, with a slight tang to it and went really well with our sushi once it came. Free refills of the tea allowed us to pair it with our meal and enough for afterwards, too. I kept asking the name of this tea, but the only response I got was, ‘red flower tea’. It’s o.k. I’ll take it.

 

The Tiger Roll was superb. It had a crunchy texture that made it fun to eat and gave it some weight, or substance not often found in light sushi rolls . The freshness of the crab, shrimp and the avocado were easily detectable, foods that if aren’t served fresh really can ruin the reputation of a dish, or a restaurant.

 

The Volcano Roll was delectable, unique. I think it was the oba leaf, which I’d never tried before, but it gave a flavor that I couldn’t replicate at home because I would never think to buy it, let alone wrap it around fish. The asparagus combined with the fried and spicy salmon was a creative combination for the two. I’m not sure what types of spices they used in this roll to flavor the salmon, but whatever it was, I was too busy enjoying the rolls to even think of asking.

 

I wish I could try every roll on this list, but I would have to go out for lunch at least two and a half weeks before I even got somewhat through tasting all the different sushi rolls. And I didn’t even get a chance to look at the salads, soups and appetizers!

 

Needless to say, I will be going back.

 

A friend’s recommendation can go a long way, but when it becomes a lunch date with that special person, one who actually knows what to order from a particular restaurant, I think your chances of a great lunch are pretty darn good.

 

For great pics of the sushi rolls at Rama Thai Kitchen and Japanese Cuisine, go to their website: http://ramathaikitchen.com/menu.aspx

Rama Thai Kitchen

1320 Waukegan Road

Glenview, IL

847-657-THAI, or 847-657-8424

Note:  If you have a recent business card of theirs, the phone number is incorrect.

Comments

[Pursuit]

Sounds good, and I'll have to try it. I must say though, I never fully respect a sushi viewpoint from a person who eats nothing but rolls. In the strictest sense, this is not sushi, but usually an over done concoction that takes away from the fish and makes it but one ingredient. Sure, I'll eat rolls (the Ecuador roll at Sushi Wabi is a personal fave), but at a great sushi restaurant, in the hands of a great sushi chef, I see people eating rolls and wonder, why they need all that rice?

[Josh]

I hear you Pursuit... I can't resist salmon or yellowtail. That said I don't usually find myself able to differentiate between restaurants. It seems that they're all getting similar product (if not the same) and the issue becomes more how quickly the fish turnsover, and how it's stored and handled.

That said if you do stick with rolls you can end up saving some dough. Then again I did end up dropping about $40 on a lobster roll at Go Fish in Napa.

[Yvonne]

In response to the person who says he/she doesn't "respect the viewpoint from a person who eats nothing but rolls", perhaps we are caught up in the technicality of the terms 'sushi' and 'roll'. I was there, and I ate sushi- fresh raw fish- yes with some rice, but a whole lot of fish, too.

In my article, I talk about the importance of fresh fish, which is why I suggested this restaurant- I could taste the freshness of the fish itself. Despite the fact that the additional ingredients like avocado or asparagus were also nice and fresh and added to the taste, I would not have recommended it had the fish not been the highlight of these dishes.

I must say it was wrong of you to assume that the writer/customer 'eats nothing but rolls' because I have definitely had a lot of sushi (fresh raw fish) and know quality and freshness when I taste it. Rama Thai was good quality in my personal experience and that was the message I was trying to convey in my article.

[pursuit]

Josh, I understand brother. Still, there are differences. The quality of the rice, the size of the fish, a dab of wasabi tucked under the fish, perhaps a sprinkle of roe or a few julienne's jalapeno. My favorite place in Chicago exemplifies these differences: Sushi Wabi. I'm sure there are other, but the Wab is my fave.

Yvonne! Baby! Didn't mean to offend. I didn't so much intend to communicate a lack of respect as just to suggest that if you're gonna write about sushi, right about the fish. Which reminds me of a Swiss boss I once had. He ate nothing but Sushimi - you think i"m a fish snob! -half the meal the guy would spend asking me in a thick Swiss accent, "Why do you need all that rice?"

[Josh]

Sure there are differences. Some of the reasons I loved Torajiro when Peter owned it: nicely toasted sesame, great rice and for some reason the wakame tasted better there. (Tampopo might be my new spot)

And I'd repeat that if you're going for special fish you should be hitting places like Katsu on Peterson where, while you pay for it, you are getting a unique 'fish' experience. 99% of the sushi places in Chicago source fish from a couple of spots meaning that to a large extent the quality of the fish is more or less identical.

You're better off asking the sushi chef what's fresh. The variables are as you said size (big time!), the timeliness of the fish, storage and accoutrement- rice/sesame/seaweed/etc. I love getting sushi with extra wasabi because I confess, I'm a wasabi/soy mixer.

Sashimi is the way to go- especially as it's low carb. I replace the rice with cold beer!

Cheers!

[LexA]

Yes my favorite place to go, Order the pad thai, pineapple fried rice, Suki roll, and your set for the worlds yummest meal

[jordan france]

All for one, one for all.*

[Air Max 1]

Green Leaf is excellent, imo.

[James McAvoy]

I talk about the importance of fresh fish, which is why I suggested this restaurant- I could taste the freshness of the fish itself. Despite the fact that the additional ingredients like avocado or asparagus were also nice and fresh and added to the taste, I would not have recommended it had the fish not been the highlight of these dishes.