I’ll happily admit that I’m addicted to sushi. O-Ku will be my third sushi restaurant I’ve reviewed on my blog, but by no means will it be my last. For my birthday lunch, I decided to try out O-Ku’s lunch menu because I’d only ever been for lunch and dinner (and a few cocktails).
And also for this reason.
Syd and I decided that since it was my birthday lunch (see: gif above) we would order a smorgasbord of sushi. We started with the Panko Fried Shrimp Bento Box (which includes Spring Mix Salad with Ginger-Carrot Vinaigrette, Crab Salad and Avocado Sushi Roll, Steamed Glass Noodles with sautéed mushroom, onion & carrot with sweet ginger garlic soy sauces, $13) because I’ve never actually had a bento box before.
And look how cute the little box is!
It was huge and very filling. The shrimp were perfectly fried and the panko gave them a nice crispiness without being too heavy for lunch. The tangy dipping sauce they came with gave a nice sweetness and rounded out the flavor. I really enjoyed the lightness of the ginger-carrot vinaigrette salad dressing and appreciated that they used real greens instead of limp iceberg lettuce in their salad. The sushi came in 4 pieces, and was your standard crab and avocado roll. The steamed glass noodles were an interesting addition (and fun little puzzle to try and eat with chopsticks). All in all, the bento box alone would be a very filling meal for lunchtime for a normal human.
Bento box unboxed.
But I am not a normal human, I am part sushi monster, so we ordered 3 more rolls of sushi to split between the 2 of us.
And without even a hint of shame.
First, we tried the Tuna Wrapped Roll (Spicy tuna, cucumber, tuna, spicy aioli, eel sauce, $13.50), which was very delicious. I absolutely love tuna, so I was a huge fan of the extra piece of tuna on top of the roll. The fish is very high quality and the ingredients were really well balanced.
Although, I’d avoid this roll if you’re not into spicy mayo. Or tuna.
Our second roll was the Black Dragon Roll (Spicy seafood mix, cucumber, avocado, eel, eel sauce, spicy aioli, $15). I also really like eel, although I am a little hesitant to order it sometimes, as it can be chewy. Not so at O-Ku. The eel practically melted in your mouth, and I loved the slight kick from the spicy seafood mix.
Although, I was disappointed that it didn’t come out looking like a dragon.
Our final roll (and my favorite of the 3) was the Potato Roll (Shrimp tempura, avocado, shoe-string potatoes, eel sauce, sweet chili mango, $12.50). When one thinks of sushi, “potato” doesn’t usually come to mind, but O-Ku really makes it work. The outside of the roll is nice and crispy and maintains the distinct taste of potato chips, even with the sweetness of the eel sauce and sweet chili mango. Inside, you get the saltiness from the shrimp tempura, and creaminess from the avocado. It really is like an adventure for your tastebuds.
Why don’t we wrap more foods in potato?
All in all, I had an outstanding (albeit expensive) lunch at O-Ku for my birthday. Assuming you only order food for 1 person, instead of 5, O-Ku is actually a pretty affordable option for a sushi-lovers lunch. Also be sure to stop by for their Happy Hour on Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 5:00 – 7:00 PM and get half off sushi rolls and great drink specials.
And to eat 2 rolls for the price of one. #SushiMonster
O-Ku
463 King Street
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 737-0112
