Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Taking a chance on Fletcher Hills sushi

It was all going well until that last piece of "fish"

Half the fish were really good, half pretty good, and then the krab really went and screwed everything up.
Half the fish were really good, half pretty good, and then the krab really went and screwed everything up.

I've eaten sushi in Montana. So, intellectually, I understand that you don't need to be coastal to get fresh-enough fish. But, for some reason, I get as far as East County and I get dubious. For no good reason. It's less than 18 miles from fishable ocean. If Sushi Ota moved to Julian, Chef Ota would put a lot more miles on his car, but the quality would stay the same.

Place

Ahi Sushi & Grill

2872 Fletcher Parkway, El Cajon

Ahi Sushi is in a shopping center next to a freeway in El Cajon

It probably didn't help to spot a sign touting "50% Off!" in the window of Ahi Sushi & Grill. That's in Fletcher Hills, which I've learned is a neighborhood on both sides of the border of La Mesa and El Cajon. I'm not above jumping on a half-price sushi deal, but it feels like gambling — hoping to win, expecting to lose. I didn't have high hopes.

Sponsored
Sponsored
A large goldfish cracker looking sculpture. Kinda fun.

But, seeing as my family showed up to discover a trusted nearby spot closed on Sundays, we wound up at Ahi. It was bigger than I expected, and moderately busy. There was also some to-be-expected Maneki Neko "beckoning cat" décor, but I did not anticipate the large flat sculpture on the ceiling in the shape of a giant goldfish cracker.

Here's my beef with this particular 50% deal — it makes you do math. For example, a two-piece order of escolar nigiri sushi lists at $7.50, yet the menu reminds you the price is 50% off. Those nigiri actually cost $3.75. And they cost that much whether you order them day or night, any day of the week. This sushi is only 50% off an imaginary price.

That said, the nine-piece nigiri combo lists at $19.99 — which means in reality it costs $9.99 and half a cent. That's a buck-eleven per piece of fish, and if the fish turned out to be better than decent that's an excellent deal. Even if one of the pieces turned out to just have a piece of avocado strapped to it, or that sweetened omelet tomago, I'd be cool.

It wound up including the usual suspects: yellowtail, salmon, ahi tuna, and albacore, plus cooked eel and some red snapper. I would have loved to see a little of that escolar. But no. Instead the last piece was a piece of krab. Not crab. Krab.

Hamachi belly usually costs a little more because its better quality. Here it's affordably satisfying, but not mindblowing.

I actually enjoyed the fish. I also ordered two long-cut pieces of very enjoyable hamachi belly that actually wasn't half price at $4.25. But a fake crab stick served on a pressed ball of rice isn't something anybody should be expected to eat. I understand its place in a California roll, where the vague resemblance to crab is abetted by other ingredients. On its own, krab is a gross reminder you're missing out on the real thing.

It's still a great deal at eight pieces and a waste of good rice, so I'll probably go back for the $10 combo when I hanker for Sunday sushi. But next time I'm going to send that krap back.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

NORTH COUNTY’S BEST PERSONAL TRAINER: NICOLE HANSULT HELPING YOU FEEL STRONG, CONFIDENT, AND VIBRANT AT ANY AGE

Next Article

Escondido planners nix office building switch to apartments

Not enough open space, not enough closets for Hickory Street plans
Half the fish were really good, half pretty good, and then the krab really went and screwed everything up.
Half the fish were really good, half pretty good, and then the krab really went and screwed everything up.

I've eaten sushi in Montana. So, intellectually, I understand that you don't need to be coastal to get fresh-enough fish. But, for some reason, I get as far as East County and I get dubious. For no good reason. It's less than 18 miles from fishable ocean. If Sushi Ota moved to Julian, Chef Ota would put a lot more miles on his car, but the quality would stay the same.

Place

Ahi Sushi & Grill

2872 Fletcher Parkway, El Cajon

Ahi Sushi is in a shopping center next to a freeway in El Cajon

It probably didn't help to spot a sign touting "50% Off!" in the window of Ahi Sushi & Grill. That's in Fletcher Hills, which I've learned is a neighborhood on both sides of the border of La Mesa and El Cajon. I'm not above jumping on a half-price sushi deal, but it feels like gambling — hoping to win, expecting to lose. I didn't have high hopes.

Sponsored
Sponsored
A large goldfish cracker looking sculpture. Kinda fun.

But, seeing as my family showed up to discover a trusted nearby spot closed on Sundays, we wound up at Ahi. It was bigger than I expected, and moderately busy. There was also some to-be-expected Maneki Neko "beckoning cat" décor, but I did not anticipate the large flat sculpture on the ceiling in the shape of a giant goldfish cracker.

Here's my beef with this particular 50% deal — it makes you do math. For example, a two-piece order of escolar nigiri sushi lists at $7.50, yet the menu reminds you the price is 50% off. Those nigiri actually cost $3.75. And they cost that much whether you order them day or night, any day of the week. This sushi is only 50% off an imaginary price.

That said, the nine-piece nigiri combo lists at $19.99 — which means in reality it costs $9.99 and half a cent. That's a buck-eleven per piece of fish, and if the fish turned out to be better than decent that's an excellent deal. Even if one of the pieces turned out to just have a piece of avocado strapped to it, or that sweetened omelet tomago, I'd be cool.

It wound up including the usual suspects: yellowtail, salmon, ahi tuna, and albacore, plus cooked eel and some red snapper. I would have loved to see a little of that escolar. But no. Instead the last piece was a piece of krab. Not crab. Krab.

Hamachi belly usually costs a little more because its better quality. Here it's affordably satisfying, but not mindblowing.

I actually enjoyed the fish. I also ordered two long-cut pieces of very enjoyable hamachi belly that actually wasn't half price at $4.25. But a fake crab stick served on a pressed ball of rice isn't something anybody should be expected to eat. I understand its place in a California roll, where the vague resemblance to crab is abetted by other ingredients. On its own, krab is a gross reminder you're missing out on the real thing.

It's still a great deal at eight pieces and a waste of good rice, so I'll probably go back for the $10 combo when I hanker for Sunday sushi. But next time I'm going to send that krap back.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Southern California Asks: 'What Is Vinivia?' Meet the New Creator-First Livestreaming App

Next Article

NORTH COUNTY’S BEST PERSONAL TRAINER: NICOLE HANSULT HELPING YOU FEEL STRONG, CONFIDENT, AND VIBRANT AT ANY AGE

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader