A couple months ago, we were surprised to see television commercials in France for a sushi restaurant franchise: Sushi Shop. With the gaining popularity of sushi in France however, they just may have the right idea in going big. With over 60 locations in major French cities and several more in neighboring EU countries, diners have the choice between a trendy decor or home delivery.
In addition to the classic sushi one expects to find, a quick look at their online sushi menu revealed some very interesting fusion sushi offers with original ingredients such as mint, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, pineapple, and even foie gras! Today, we finally got a chance to try some of these out.
Sushi Fusion
While we were curious to try the pretty “tulips“, we decided to stick to their ura-maki (rice on the outside), as they are featured in a lunch set including miso soup and salad. We went for the curry cabbage salad which was pretty tasty. The first choice was naturally the “French Touch”: foie gras & fig rolled up in a maki! This actually tasted quite nice, and the rich ingredients provided an intense flavor explosion which worked well with the slight sweetness of the rice. A pleasant surprise! I would pair this with a semi-sweet wine such as a Jurançon or perhaps a ripe Chardonnay with some oak influence.
"French Touch" : foie gras & fig
The cheese & chives roll was much more refreshing, perfect for the summer I imagine, and I would serve this with a light Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire’s Quincy or Menetou-Salon appellations. This was probably one of my favorites of the bunch along with the cooked tuna & green apple, which offered a great balance of flavors and again, that wonderful freshness. A simple village Chablis would go well with this I think, though any fresh white on the fruitier side would do nicely.
Tuna & green apple
The “Malibu” roll featuring salmon & avocado in olive oil and herbs was okay, though the different flavors complemented each other without really creating much excitement. This is also a good Sauvignon Blanc match, though I would go for a fruitier version from New Zealand, whose extra weight will match the fattier salmon and avocado.
Top to bottom: cheese & chives, shrimp & cucumber "spring roll", salmon & avocado w/ fresh herbs
Finally, the last maki falls under their spring roll category, with a thin sheet of rice paper replacing the traditional nori seaweed. The shrimp & cucumber wasn’t very memorable, with the mint pretty much taking over on the palate. This calls for a Sauvignon Blanc again, though this time, the added minerality of a Sancerre might bring the shrimp to the foreground a little more.
Conclusion
Overall, we were quite pleasantly surprised by the very flavorful sushi rolls. While they are very different from the traditional Japanese sushi, they provide an original twist which is rather refreshing. To top it off, they are probably better suited to wine, though the in-house selection is practically inexistant. Next time, take-out!
