Sushi Zushi & Vincent

Sushi Zushi seems to be the place to eat sushi, and I can see why. Having heard many people praise it, I have to admit, the only thing that kept me from going there was its rather silly name. I mean Sushi Zushi? It sounded too mainstream and not very authentic. I guess it's better than

Not long ago my sister saw the menu of Sushi Zushi on the Glodni.pl catalog (food catering service), and decided that that's where we would be eating that night. All I have to say is, thank you Milena!

That lady in the glasses looks like a younger, prettier Sarah Jessica Parker. 

Sushi bar... YUUUUUM 

Sushi Zushi, not surprisingly, was brimming with life. Similarly to Papaya, it was filled with business men and women, foreigners and people that enjoyed good food. The decoration (interior, exterior, tables etc.) were modern Asian (if that phrasing exists). What I'm trying to say is that it's not your usual Chinese dragons, funny looking Asian ladies in sedge hats with very red faces, red signs and gold lettering. 

One really great thing I should mention about Sushi Zushi, is the fact that the food is out fast. And it's eaten just as quickly, mind you.

Sencha Sakura - Japanese Cherry tea

I didn't actually try this, but it looked pretty, so I put the picture on. My sister and mum said it was really fragrant -- like Japanese cherry blossoms. 

Duck Harumaki

This. Was. Awesome. And I know I am quite generous with my food compliments, but this was seriously really good. Reminds me of the amazing duck rolls in Lemongrass (and ex family favourite), which they annoyingly removed from the menu. That's one of the reasons we don't go there anymore.

The duck had that classic smoky, roast duck flavor, stronger than that of the spring rolls we had in Zen Jazz Bistro. I live for that flavor. Love, love, loved it. Combined with crispy, flaky pastry and sweet sauce, it was a definite win. The worst thing about this dish was that there was not enough of it. If we come back, I might not even bother with the other dishes and just order a lot of this. Not because the other were bad, on the contrary -- they were great, but because this was just so darn good. 

Bulgogi

This was Milena's main dish, which she said was "not that great". Personally, I think she was too hard on it, since it was quite good. The taste, which was slightly sour, sweet and... warm (I don't think this is a flavor, but that's what it tasted like. Slightly gingery accents of warmness), was interesting. It was great when eaten with the fresh watercress, which helped balance out the flavors with its grassy, refreshing taste. I have to say though, the texture of the meat wasn't amazing, too chewy in my opinion. 

Tai Teriyaki

Teriyaki sea bream. The simplest dish of all. No overwhelming sauces and sides that cloud the taste of the bream.  It came with an array of brightly coloured vegetables and segments of oranges, that soaked up and washed down the fish and teriyaki sauce.

Roast Duck Sushi

Firstly, the roast duck sushi. This was also one of my favourites, generally, duck is my thing. Again, there was that smoky roast duck flavor, complemented by the creamy mayo and sweet sauce. In sushi, I love the clash of different textures and tastes. It was perfectly made, and left me wanting more.

Tempura Shrimp and Eel

Next, was the tempura shrimp and eel. Another mind boggling (and oldie version of mind blowing) combination, crispy shrimp, tender eel and sweet sauce, with a few strands of cucumber and lettuce to balance out the heavier eel and shrimp. Amazing. Ah, how I love sushi.

St. Jacob's Mussel Sushi

Filled with a peculiar mix of mussel and salad, tempura'd and topped off with a funny dollop of bright orange mayonnaise, this was the strangest of them all. Nevertheless, it was good! The crispy exterior contrasted against the soft salad and mussel inside. The mussel meat was surprising sweet, and went well with the mayo.

We were given this at the very beginning of our meal, though we didn't use any of it. Two types of pickled ginger and wasabi but I thought the sushi was good enough without.

After a more than satisfying dinner, which left us all sated, we decided to head out to Nowy Swiat, which was nearby. There, after what seemed like an hour of searching, we went to Cafe Vincent. Both my sister and I, by then, were in great need of something sweet, to finish the night off with. The bakery/patisserie/cafe was dainty, very french and absolutely adorable. Crammed inside this quaint little shop were all sorts of breads, pastries, cakes and puddings. I was craving a lemon tart, while my sister wanted something with strawberries. This is what we ended up getting.

"Lemon" Pudding

Okay, here is where I will start to rant about how I feel cheated. In the little glass case, I was almost completely sure I saw a tarte au citron which was what I wanted. When I asked the shopkeeper about this, she denied it, and handed me this "lemon" pudding. Apparently the next best thing. All I can say is: this was not lemon pudding. It tasted like cold creme brulee without the crispy caramelized top. Quite nice actually, but that is not the point. I wanted to get a refund, or perhaps just an explanation, but I decided it wouldn't be quite so convincing, seeing as by then I had already eaten everything.

Tarte au Fruits

This was my my sister's. This was extremely summery and light. The crust was delicate and buttery, while the filling tart and creamy. All topped off with a sprinkling of summer fruit, in hues ranging from bright red to blue-black, it was the perfect dessert for a summer night like that one. Mmm. I couldn't help but pinch some of the fruit.

So that's a wrap of our evening. Overall, it was nice, laid-back and it made me feel like summer has really started, as I hadn't been that convinced before.

Also, photo credits to my sister, Milena! She's in the stripy shirt in the Sarah Jessica Parker photo...

I stole the contact info off the site out of laziness... it IS 2am. Cut me some slack.