Musashi Sushi Lounge

FOOD

The djos are a good place to understand Musashi’s take on sushi. The restaurant’s djo family combines salmon, rice and cream cheese, then makes room for toppings that range from coconut and passion fruit to strawberry. Those fruit-topped versions are central to the Brazilian-influenced personality here. Mango joins the AYCE selection too, while garlic, kale and seaweed salad take the little pieces in a more savory direction.

Doritos gets an impressively thorough welcome: a djo, a cut roll and a temaki. Yes, those Doritos. The djo puts the familiar chip into Musashi’s salmon, rice and cream cheese family; the other two carry the idea into rolls. It’s the sort of detail that makes the menu memorable before dinner even starts. A snack cupboard and a sushi kitchen have found common ground.

Passion fruit earns another look among the cold appetizers, where salmon comes with passion fruit sauce. It’s a separate dish from the djo, with the fish and sauce taking the lead. Salmon carpaccio and salmon tartar broaden the cold selection, and salmon or tuna tataki provides a seared-fish choice. Salmon gets quite a few roles in this meal; ceviche and mini poke bring further variety.

Salmon, tuna and white fish are offered as both nigiri and sashimi, keeping straightforward fish orders close to the more elaborate creations. The hossomaki section takes a similarly focused approach: Tekka for tuna, Shake for salmon, Kappa for cucumber and Kani for krabmeat. There’s pleasure in a compact roll with a clear purpose, especially on a menu this fond of embellishment.

The familiar Philadelphia and spicy tuna rolls share their section with Pipa, Tomori, Corumbau and Rainbow. Hot Harumaki brings the spring-roll form into the sushi selection, joining Hot Philadelphia and Hot Shrimp Tempura in the fried-roll trio. The latter is separate from the conventional shrimp-tempura cut roll. Grilled salmon and fried salmon have their own rolls too, giving cooked fish several ways into the sushi order.

Salmon and tuna temaki come plain or spicy, with tuna and cream cheese offered too. Shrimp tempura and Volcano with shrimp give the hand-roll selection two shrimp choices. Noronha and Sta Pete invite a question to the server—a little help with the house names can be welcome here.

Among the cooked dishes, shimeji with pineapple carries the same willingness to put fruit somewhere unexpected. Mushrooms and pineapple: the sushi isn’t having all the fun. Cheese, vegetable and shrimp harumaki offer savory spring rolls, while tempura mix, calamari and yakitori add further range. Chicken katsu comes with fries, an emphatically cooked meal in the middle of all this sushi. Yakisoba and fried rice complete the hot-plate selection.

Dessert keeps that personality intact. Banana harumaki with Nutella pairs a fruit-filled spring roll with the familiar chocolate-hazelnut spread; guava harumaki gives the tropical fruit its own finish. Vanilla ice cream completes the included dessert selection. The two sweet harumaki are the more restaurant-specific ending, particularly if the savory spring rolls caught your attention earlier. Guava gets the final word, if you let it.