Making Katie Happy at Zenko Sushi

Zenko Sushi

28892 Marguerite Pkwy.

Mission Viejo, CA 92692

So Katie came home on a Friday night and told me that she wanted sushi for dinner. Not that I dislike sushi, but I was really in the mood for a big meal. Something with a lot of substance behind it. That is when inspiration struck, and I looked up all-you-can-eat sushi places around us. One that sounded promising was this place, Zenko Sushi.

We live in Mission Viejo, but this is a part of MV that we rarely go to, just because it is out of the way and because we have had no reason to come down this far on Marguerite Parkway until now. This sushi restaurant looks like it has been around for a long time. It is really off the beaten track, sitting below Capistrano Valley High School and alongside the rushing traffic, depending on the time of day, of the northbound lanes of the 5 Freeway.

Many people must know about this secluded spot because plenty of people were here at six on a Friday night. We quickly got a table, but by the time we left at 7:30, there was a long wait. The restaurant is not big by any means. They have about fifteen to twenty tables, with a sushi bar accommodating about eight customers. The tables were placed together snugly, but we did not feel too cramped. After being seated, we are presented with a menu and a pencil, and you mark what you would like. Appetizers, Sushi, and Rolls are included in the All You Can Eat Option ($24.95). That, of course, is the option we went with, and this is how it turned out for us.

For round one, we ordered three different specialty rolls. Lobster Roll, Crunch Roll, and a Mexican Roll. The lobster roll was very rich tasting. The lobster was placed on top of four California Rolls. Good, but very decadent. The crunch roll had a lot of items that I liked, shrimp tempura, crab, avocado, and cucumber, but it really steered me wrong. I think there was just too much going on here to enjoy this. The best of this bunch for me was the simply prepared Mexican Roll. This is just a California roll with maybe Siracha added. These really had a good kick to them. I could have eaten another round of these, but there was more to try. On to round two!

In round two, we went with all appetizers. With this quartet, I liked the Teriyaki Chicken the best. The chicken was not overdone, and the teriyaki sauce had a nice sweetness. The Baked Green Mussels were good, but I have had better. They seemed to be missing something. The Edamame was pretty basic and needed to be seasoned a little more than they were. The Calamari came out of the kitchen sizzling hot, but the taste was boring to my taste buds. All of the appetizers we had here were good, but nothing to get all that excited about. We went back to the sushi menu for round three.

This was our big round of the night when we ordered four different rolls. They were the Jalapeno Roll, a Philly Crunch Roll, a Fire Cracker Roll, and a Spider Roll. The Jalapeno Roll was one of the hottest things I have had in a long while. They stuff a jalapeno with spicy tuna and cream cheese, then deep fry it. The jalapeno turned Katie's face bright red. We must have gotten a really spicy jalapeno. The cream cheese cut the heat a little, but this thing was scorching! I really enjoyed it, though. The spider roll was an excellent counterpart to the heat of the jalapeno roll. The crab, avocado, and cucumber put the fire in our mouths. Very rich, but oh so good. I did not get a good shot of the firecracker roll, which had spicy tuna and scallops on a California roll. This one was very fresh tasting. The last of our rolls was the Philly crunch roll, filled with cream cheese, salmon, avocado, and cucumber, then deep fried. Another very rich roll. All of these basically had the same ingredients but in different combinations. Not a bad one in the bunch.

 
By this time, I was full, but Katie wanted to do one more round. So I went with something that would only get me two pieces, the Spicy Scallops. These were just okay. Not something I would get again, but they did have a nice little kick to them, but the texture of these was a little off for me. Katie made the mistake of ordering a California Roll with 8 pieces. By this point, my stomach was nearing total capacity, so I could only help her with two pieces of this. She was a trooper, though, and finished the other five. I liked this very basic piece of sushi. Very light and fresh, this was a subtle end to our dining adventure at Zenko Sushi.

I must admit that I left Zenko very full and completely satisfied. I know that many people turn their noses up at all-you-can-eat sushi places, but this is the way to go for me. I do not enjoy sushi as much as I should. I know what good fresh sushi is, but I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it. At Zenko, you get fresh sushi and large rolls with pops of flavors for one fixed price. I added up all of the stuff we ate on this night based on the prices on the sushi sheets, and it came to just under $40 per person without the four appetizers we ate. That is a savings of at least $30 between us. Not too bad. I got a meal that made me very full, and Katie fulfilled her sushi craving, at least for another week.

Out of five Olympians (because the city of Mission Viejo's Nadadores swimming and diving teams have produced many Olympians throughout the years), five being best to zero being worst, Zenko Sushi gets 3 Olympians.

For more information about Zenko Sushi, click here: http://www.zenkosushi.com/images/allyoucaneat.pdf