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

Suddenly Sushi Uno

Grab the leash, pup, we're out looking for sushi

Dollops of masago and sriracha advertise this Megusta roll.
Dollops of masago and sriracha advertise this Megusta roll.

All I had planned to do was walk the dog before it got dark. There are a few bars and restaurants we normally walk past, but tonight I thought it would be better to cruise past the park on the residential side of the neighborhood. I couldn’t have known there would be sushi.

Deep fried sushi rice give crispy nigiris their crunch.

But there was the Sushi Uno food truck, sidled up to 28th Street Park like it had never been anywhere else. And what I learned about myself that night was that, yes, if you put sushi in my path, I will eat it.

Sponsored
Sponsored

On a couple previous occasions I had wanted to try Sushi Uno: once outside a brewery, later on at the Balboa Park Food Truck Fridays event. But both times the line was super long. Here on 28th Street, there were only a couple customers ahead of me. They hadn’t planned on finding sushi at the park, either. We were all having a real seize-the-day kind of moment here.

A sushi truck appears at a neighborhood park.

Photographs of several specialty rolls were pinned on the side of the truck, and before finding out what it was made of, I had a hunch I wanted to try the Megusta roll. It probably had something to do with the glistening yellowtail draped over the top of it, or the dollop of sriracha atop each cut piece of that, dressed with masago roe and green onion. It almost didn’t matter that inside the roll packed avocado, cucumber, ahi tuna, and cilantro. Almost. But every bit of this $15 roll worked for me: clean, tasty fish, nice textures, just the right amount of spice. The unexpected perk of taking it home from a dog walk definitely added bonus points to an otherwise humdrum day.

It’s not all I grabbed. There was no accompanying photo, but the words “crispy nigiris” on the menu stood out to me as if someone had taken a highlighter to them. Turns out the crispy refers to the fact the pads of sushi rice were deep fried before a spicy tuna mix was added to them. Dressed with eel sauce, jalapeno, and cilantro, these crispy snacks reminded me of eating jalapeno poppers (which Sushi Uno serves) in the sense they provided this complex mouthful of different textures and robust flavors. Honestly, a bowlful of these and a beer, and I’m set for happy hour. At three for 6 dollars, next time I’m ordering two servings.

I take it there will be a next time. The Sushi Uno team told me they started parking by 28th Street Park a couple weeks ago, and people in the neighborhood have been receptive enough they hope to keep at it, every Friday night. They were kind enough to assure me they would thoroughly sanitize the prep area and utensils before making my food, to accommodate concerns about a shellfish allergy. That’s a strong effort for a mobile kitchen.

The latest copy of the Reader

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

Mary Catherine Swanson wants every San Diego student going to college

Where busing from Southeast San Diego to University City has led
Next Article

Operatic Gender Wars

Are there any operas with all-female choruses?
Dollops of masago and sriracha advertise this Megusta roll.
Dollops of masago and sriracha advertise this Megusta roll.

All I had planned to do was walk the dog before it got dark. There are a few bars and restaurants we normally walk past, but tonight I thought it would be better to cruise past the park on the residential side of the neighborhood. I couldn’t have known there would be sushi.

Deep fried sushi rice give crispy nigiris their crunch.

But there was the Sushi Uno food truck, sidled up to 28th Street Park like it had never been anywhere else. And what I learned about myself that night was that, yes, if you put sushi in my path, I will eat it.

Sponsored
Sponsored

On a couple previous occasions I had wanted to try Sushi Uno: once outside a brewery, later on at the Balboa Park Food Truck Fridays event. But both times the line was super long. Here on 28th Street, there were only a couple customers ahead of me. They hadn’t planned on finding sushi at the park, either. We were all having a real seize-the-day kind of moment here.

A sushi truck appears at a neighborhood park.

Photographs of several specialty rolls were pinned on the side of the truck, and before finding out what it was made of, I had a hunch I wanted to try the Megusta roll. It probably had something to do with the glistening yellowtail draped over the top of it, or the dollop of sriracha atop each cut piece of that, dressed with masago roe and green onion. It almost didn’t matter that inside the roll packed avocado, cucumber, ahi tuna, and cilantro. Almost. But every bit of this $15 roll worked for me: clean, tasty fish, nice textures, just the right amount of spice. The unexpected perk of taking it home from a dog walk definitely added bonus points to an otherwise humdrum day.

It’s not all I grabbed. There was no accompanying photo, but the words “crispy nigiris” on the menu stood out to me as if someone had taken a highlighter to them. Turns out the crispy refers to the fact the pads of sushi rice were deep fried before a spicy tuna mix was added to them. Dressed with eel sauce, jalapeno, and cilantro, these crispy snacks reminded me of eating jalapeno poppers (which Sushi Uno serves) in the sense they provided this complex mouthful of different textures and robust flavors. Honestly, a bowlful of these and a beer, and I’m set for happy hour. At three for 6 dollars, next time I’m ordering two servings.

I take it there will be a next time. The Sushi Uno team told me they started parking by 28th Street Park a couple weeks ago, and people in the neighborhood have been receptive enough they hope to keep at it, every Friday night. They were kind enough to assure me they would thoroughly sanitize the prep area and utensils before making my food, to accommodate concerns about a shellfish allergy. That’s a strong effort for a mobile kitchen.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

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

3 Tips for Creating a Cozy and Inviting Living Room in San Diego

Next Article

Too $hort & DJ Symphony, Peppermint Beach Club, Holidays at the Zoo

Events December 19-December 21, 2024
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