Yuraku: THE Place for Sushi in Maryland

If there is one thing I really like, it's sushi.  Not just any sushi, really really good sushi.  I am very picky person as well as a purist when it comes to this topic.  I only go for places that serve a variety of nigiri sushi since that is the traditional form and I try to go to places that are owned by Japanese.  But since I have to go to DC to do that a Korean owned place would suit me well.  Yuraku is one of those places where the unassuming person would never find it as it is tucked away in a far corner of a strip mall.  But despite that, it attracts large crowds for lunch and dinner nearly every day that I'm there, making it seem to me at least the worst kept secret in the Montgomery County food scene.

Yuraku offers a buffet lunch costing $12.95, which is very reasonable considering the offerings.  There is a menu available if one so chooses.  There is table and bar seating available.  I prefer the bar since it gives you a more authentic experience and allows you to interact with the chefs.  The chef-diner relationship is something that's very unique and rarely seen elsewhere.  They might even give you free samples.  But more on that in a bit.

When you first line up to the buffet, the first thing you see are the modest variety of appetizers and cooked items.  Steamed egg in broth, vermicelli or rice noodles, the house salad, 2 kinds of kimchi (of course), nori salad, shrimp cocktail, and orange slices to the right and spicy mussels, chicken wings, fried rice, spicy tofu, fried bananas, and bulgogi to the left.

Next to that are some shrimp, sweet potato, and green bean tempura.

There is of course sushi, a reasonable offering of Americanized and traditional sushi.  The type of rolls they have may vary and they do make some wild combinations.  In the past, I have seen burrito rolls, strawberry banana, and even turkey rolls.  Now, turkey is not something that I would want anyone to make sushi out of.

But as a sushi purist, I'm all about the nigiri that they offer, even though it's not served in the most proper conditions.  The fish they typically use include salmon, tuna, flounder, mackerel, and red snapper.  They also have eel, shrimp, and squid.  The one type of sushi that intrigues me the most is one that contains salad with either tuna belly or octopus and gochujang (Korean chili paste).

So as I'm eating at the bar, my sister sitting next to me asks what kind of fish the chef is preparing.  As I guessing out loud that it might be fatty tuna, the chef says that it was regular tuna belly.  And next thing I know, without asking, he gives me and my sister a few pieces to sample.  Wow, just exceptional service and a great experience.  On top of that, by the time I was finishing my last plate, I was given a hand roll of what I guess is masago.  Nevertheless, bar seating is something that must be done.

Now let me make it clear.  As much as I like sushi, getting it from a buffet is not the most ideal way of serving.  The dinner serving is better, which will be the subject of a future post.  But nevertheless, Yuraku is still the best sushi place the state.  Till next time...

Yuraku Japanese Restaurant
19773 Frederick Road
Germantown, MD 20876