Sushi Oyama

3 Photos

by Stephanie Sherrill
on Monday, April 13, 2009 12:00 AM

Oyama is not your typical Shanghai sushi restaurant. Inside the small, yet quaint dining room is a true slice of Japan. A beautiful Japanese lady, dressed in a kimono showed us our table and our hand-printed menus. She explained that the food is flown in fresh daily. For this reason there is only one dining option which is the set menu (680 RMB) and it is never the same from day to day. The dinner this evening would consist of four courses and approximately a dozen sushi dishes.

Our meal began with a "first shot" of Japanese soup, a small salad of crispy greens and sashimi of a fatty yellowtail. The next item, the Cherry Blossom Octopus cooked with red beans was unexpectedly tender and delicious.

Next began the sushi courses. The sushi at Oyama is very traditional, extremely high quality Japanese sushi. The raw meat, usually fish, is served upon a finger size of amazingly delicious rice. Occasionally a small portion of wasabi underneath the meat accents the flavors. The sushi is classically eaten with your hands and not dunked in soy sauce.

While all of the various sushi servings were enchanting my favorite were the non-fish sushi offerings. Although cliché, I can think of no better words to describe the Kobe beef than melts-in-your-mouth. I have never tasted beef so delicate. The rice offered more resistance to my tongue than the beef. Each time I think I've reached the pinnacle of flavor, another dish is served which outshines yet again. The Monk Fish Liver sushi, Japan's answer to Fois Gras, tasted like dessert.

Before you make plans for an enchanting evening at Oyama please note that you need to call well in advance for reservations; a few weeks in advance if you want a weekend evening. Give them a try, you won't be disappointed.

The Bottom Line:
Oyama serves upscale classically prepared high-quality Japanese sushi in an intimate dining room.