****UPDATE 6-2-18 under new ownership and it’s not the same.
When it comes to sushi I have to admit I am spoiled…….I truly was……….Back east I lived not too far from a certain China Town. My introduction to sushi came from no other than the original Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto himself………he was a working chef at that time and worked the sushi bar himself day and night…….Sorry….I really was Spoiled….I GOT USED TO THE BEST! ….. Small tight sushi…each one was stunning and each one looked like a tiny painting……. I haven’t had sushi since that was the same. ………… (wish I took food photos back then)
It was culture shock food wise and other wise when I moved to Metro Phoenix…Wow…so much lousy bread (from supermarkets), inedible ricotta sold at most supermarkets, inedible American Cheese, so much expired food, no fish cakes, no roaster chickens, limited variety of mushrooms, far less dairy items, no India relish…No Hot Cherry peppers, canned things taste more canned, soda taste poisonous here…… ….Why The Fork isn’t Cooper Sharp Cheese sold here?…and God did I have to loose sushi too?…..and there are a lot of other things …I’ll stop rambling……..for now.
Not all but the majority of sushi I tried in the North-West metro Phoenix was mostly unappetizing to me.
The above sushi came from a place in Glendale AZ. It was HORRIBLE and not fresh tasting either. It still lives here today and most people think its great!…(review-wise on a certain review site) .But The Forking Truth is that it was HORRIBLE!
This sushi was from another Glendale AZ Restaurant
Sushi from a Glendale restaurant
Often I’d get served BIG GIANT thick bands of loose not so tasty unseasoned rice with big globs of fish that were hard to chew or tasted fishy…….IT WASN”T THE SAME at all….. I note that I am only talking about casual not fancy local sushi restaurants in the North-West Valley. HORRIBLE….maybe most people are happy with the large amounts of lousy fish and rice………that are questionably edible……
I happy to say I enjoyed sushi again when I tried the Sushi Catcher on Bell Road when it was owned by KC and his Lovely Wife Sue.
It was not at all like Morimoto’s…..NOBODY’S IS…..hear it again….NOBODY’s is……….NOBODY’s is………….NOT ANYTHING like Morimoto’s……. but the sushi that this little casual place served was flavorful, clean tasting, easy to chew, and not fishy) and didn’t have those super fat globs of bad rice…instead their rice was thinner (like it should be) and good tasting. This was the only CASUAL sushi I enjoyed most since Morimoto’s.
I’ve been to higher end sushi restaurants that I also enjoy (I really do) that are REALLY GREAT but it’s so good to have a local casual sushi restaurant that’s good.
KC and Sue sold the Sushi Catcher a few years back and recently have opened Nagoya Sushi in Peoria AZ a few months back. Remember we are talking casual sushi……you won’t get table side tofu here……I’ve been there a few times and these some of the things we tried there.
Clean tasting sushi, Nigiri style correctly seasoned under the fish like better sushi places do. Little spicy tuna rolls…..Not all mayonnaise up like most places do…..really delicious and also spicy. More flavorful than any other spicy tuna roll I had before and it’s only around $4.00….a steal at such a tasty treat!
They call this screaming “O” roll. It’s really Tuna Tataki. Lightly seared and pounded tuna with radish strings, sprouts and greens….. The Forking Truth is that at many sushi places I can’t eat the tuna………because it doesn’t taste good to me…….too fishy……….but at Nagoya I enjoy tuna here.
A rainbow Roll of Yellowtail, Tuna and Salmon…….Spicy Tuna Roll, (delicious) a few Nigiri Style Sushi…..
Spicy Garlic Fish Roll and other sushi……
Takoyaki…..Octopus Balls…Interesting Japanese Style Fried tasty Doughnuts with a little octopus adorned with a little spicy creamy sauce and shaved bonito flakes. Doughnuts are so tasty and seem light……Very tasty treat! that you don’t find at many places……
Hoedeopbap – Korean Style Sashimi salad, spicy sauce and rice that you mix up before eating.
At the moment Nagoya Sushi is the best I know of for sushi in the West Side or Peoria area….It’s not a high end sushi place like a Morimoto’s when he was the chef……but what they serve is very much above what most neighborhood sushi restaurants serve ( at the moment on the west side).
At the time of this review KC is the only chef preparing sushi……he loves his work so much he wants to make sure your sushi is correct but this might cause a delay in receiving your food in a timely matter when they get busy.
Nagoya Sushi was Fork!
No website.
Everything is subject to change and your experience may…or may not differ.
UPDATE*********6-2-2018 Under new ownership and not the same
The Forking Truth
We LOVED Nagoya when KC and Sue owned it……..went back to get some take out and discovered restaurant was under “new management”! My husband picked up our order only to have the hot and cold sushi in same styro container, plus sushi was just not as it had been when KC was making it. We won’t go back and are seriously wondering what happened to KC and Sue – they were very customer savvy and so welcoming plus their sushi was delicious. Our WHOLE-family Is very upset that our favorite neighborhood sushi place is no longer!!
I share your thoughts Nancy. I wonder what happened to KC and Sue too….I hope they are ok.