When I first went to Sushiro, I was very impressed by the signature Bara Chirashi Don ($12.80), considering how generous they were with the fresh sashimi. Now, they’re offering donburi as well at their old outlet, rebranded as Ryori by Sushiro, while their new shop serves the old menu. For those unfamiliar with the term, donburi are rice bowls that are served with cooked ingredients atop the rice.
Since I had such a good experience with Sushiro, I came with similar expectations, and Ryori by Sushiro did not disappoint. One of the most impressive things from my last visit was that the food came within three minutes and surprisingly, they managed to get everything cooked and served to my table within the same time-frame.
Starting off with the signature Tokyo Gyuniku Don ($12), I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of beef that was piled on top of the rice. The onsen egg was soft and cooked perfectly, with the yolk oozing out. The slices of beef were tender while being sweetened by the sauteed onions.
I was informed that Ryori has specials that change frequently, and one of the available dishes I tried was the Salmon Teriyaki Don ($12). The salmon was flaky and the teriyaki glaze was sweet, but I thought that there should have been more sauce for the rice, as it got a little dry near the bottom of bowl.
The other special was the Salmon Mentaiko Don ($13), and I was astounded by the amount of mentaiko slathered onto the piece of salmon. While it was nice and tangy with a good char on top, I didn’t particularly enjoy this as a rice bowl.
The rice was too dry because there was no other sauce to go with it. Granted, it’s hard to pair mentaiko with an additional sauce, I think this would have been better as a side dish without the rice.
The last of the four bowls I tried was the Una-tama Don ($15), a slab of eel seated on an egg mixture that’s cooked with onions atop rice. The eel was tender and savoury, but I felt that the egg mixture was too overpoweringly sweet due to the onions.
There was more sauce under the egg mixture to ensure that the rice wasn’t too dry and the spring onions gave a nice crunch against the soft textures of egg and eel.
If you’re looking for a place to have a good rice bowl at an affordable price, Ryori by Sushiro is definitely a place to check out, along with their Tokyo Gyuniku Don. $12 for a generous serving of tasty beef on rice? Totally worth it.
Expected damage: $12 – $20 per pax
