Oishii

I think the days when I can get away with claiming to be something of a reluctant sushi participant are now long behind me, as this makes it three sushi places I’ve visited in the last month. I’ve clearly caught the bug, in much the same way as Edinburgh, as a whole, seems to have.

For today’s sushi lunch, I was joined at Oishii on Rose Street, by Nadine, who had previously quested to the excellent Hernandez & Co.

Oishii is classically appointed, with sushi bar seats, and a few tables for more relaxed dining. We were happy to sit at the bar, and be led in our choices by the chef and owner.

Nadine had visited previously, so quickly ordered a favourite soup, their chicken miso. We decided to share a sashimi set, which the chef tailored to Nadine’s requirements to avoid scallop and crab. I opted for one of their lunchtime set menus, which comprised miso soup, a five-piece nigiri set, and a six-piece hosomaki set, split across salmon and cucumber varieties.

Miso appeared straight away, while chef got to work on the fresh preparation of our other items. The sashimi was soon with us, looking suitably tempting. Nigiri and maki then joined, looking neat and tidy.

The soup was good, without being memorably outstanding. It radiated good health and vitality, though, so did the job very nicely.

The nigiri selection, one each topped with mackerel, tamago, salmon, prawn and ebi, was neat, without being outstandingly pretty. The maki was similarly smart. Each item was of very pleasing quality, with particularly the freshly crisp cucumber offering nice textual variety.

Everything was executed with good precision, and full of relaxed confidence. It didn’t have the fireworks or extravagantly pretty presentation of some other places, but everything was still really enjoyable, in a understatedly charming way.

So overall, I’d be happy to go back to Oishii for another visit. Their lunchtime menu offers very good value, and each item we sampled was of a quietly impressive quality. The bursting forth of new and shiny sushi places, at regular intervals, can only serve to drive up quality, so it’s pleasing to see some of the more established places maintaining good standards.

Scores
Blythe scores Oishii
3.5/5 for food
3.5/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for setting
3.5/5 for service
giving an overall 14/20

Today’s quester were: Nadine, Blythe

We ate: sashimi set; chicken miso soup; miso soup; nigiri set; hosomaki set

We drank: green tea

We wore: informal sushi-eating apparel

Total bill: £21.65