Izumi Suggestions

[billylen]

I have dined at Izumi a few times and am always at a loss as to what to order (not much of a sushi guy.) Seems there used to be a sampler selection but that appears to have changed. What I usually do is just pick something. Btw, it has always been a good experience, but would like to be a bit more deliberate. Just reaching out to see if anyone has a suggestion(s) of what to try on my cruise next month. Open to eating just about anything as long as it's not moving :)

[Clarea]

I usually get a salad and the hot rock. My wife is the sushi lover.

[Beachammo]

I usually get a salad and the hot rock. My wife is the sushi lover.

Bob...

 

I was surprised that they didn't offer the Hot Rock on Harmony. We were told that Royal has taken it off Izumi's menu for all Oasis class.

 

Reason #142 to stay away from Oasis Class.

 

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[Clarea]

Bob...

 

I was surprised that they didn't offer the Hot Rock on Harmony. We were told that Royal has taken it off Izumi's menu for all Oasis class.

 

Reason #142 to stay away from Oasis Class.

Thanks Shelton. I'm thinking they don't do the hot rock when they have the hibachi option.

[Beachammo]

Thanks Shelton. I'm thinking they don't do the hot rock when they have the hibachi option.

That was our thought...

 

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[JustinCMH]

For most sushi restaurants, if you tell the chef to prepare a selection of their choice or of whatever they recommend, they usually oblige and it is fantastic. This is called omakase in Japan (ok, just a little different, but the core concept of giving the chef free reign to determine the menu and courses still stands). You might even get 1-2 entrees that are not on the menu this way.

 

To be clear, I have never eaten at Izumi, but this style of ordering is a staple of Japanese restaurants. Therefore, my suggestion is to try asking for the chef to take free reign over the menu in this way, I hope they would do it.

 

 

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[billylen]

I have had the hot rock (Brilliance) and that was great... However I really like the idea of "chef's choice". I am open to trying almost anything once. My son is in Japan and when I visited him he ordered most items and I always enjoyed...why not do it on the ship...Thanks! (but I really did enjoy the hot rock lol)

[George C]

Hot rock is normally our favorite but was disappointed with it on Brilliance last year

[cb at sea]

I'm really not into sushi...so I simply wouldn't eat there, if that's all what they serve!

[George C]

I'm really not into sushi...so I simply wouldn't eat there, if that's all what they serve!

 

Most of it was sushi and sashimi but hot rocks is steak that you cook on hot rocks

[JustinCMH]

If you like hot rock, have you tried Korean BBQ? It sounds very similar.

 

 

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[londongal796]

Really laughing to myself here as everyone is suggesting Hot Rocks at a sushi place!

 

Okay. The sushi selection at Izumi is really fantastic and here's a big secret: nearly all of the rolls they offer are cooked! The only 'raw' fish you really come across in Izumi is if you get anything from the nigiri/sashimi part of the menu. Otherwise, nearly everything is cooked.

 

I've had a variety of the sushi rolls on offer, more than half, on a variety of ships. All of them have been really really good.

 

Signature Rolls:

Spicy Crispy Shrimp

Lovely fresh tempura-fried shrimp that has a tangy teriyaki-style sauce (unagi -- it's actually tonkatsu but it's close to teriyaki). You can ask for less spicy-ness as each roll is made to order.

 

Dragon Eel

Freshwater eel is actually cooked, and has a lovely flavour. There's nothing raw in this roll. Again, the unagi sauce is close to teriyaki. Eel tastes lovely, one of my favourites and a popular roll that you'll see around the world.

 

Crispy Spicy Tuna

I can't remember anything specific about this but again, it's been 'flash fried in panko crumbs' which means this isn't served raw, but rather cooked.

 

Crispy Philly

This is lovely and deep fried with panko crumbs so it's not only cooked but is served warm. Really delicious. One of my absolute favourites -- the creaminess of the cream cheese along with the salmon is a perfect combination. Again, nothing raw in this sushi roll.

 

Izumi Spider Roll

Always one of our favourites -- a teeny tiny soft-shell crab is tempura fried and makes up this lovely dish. You'll get both claws and the yummy middle. Masago roe is going to be fish eggs -- it sounds gross but it has very little flavour and just adds to the texture. You'll mainly taste the lovely deep fried crab, the crisp asparagus, and the lovely unagi sauce.

 

Surf and Turf

This one really stood out as the yuzu kosho chimichurri has a very strong yet fresh taste. Hard to describe (it's been a while) but this was a striking roll, the steak was just really delicious and a real stand out.

 

Chef's Signature Rolls:

Baked Snow Crab and Eel Dynamite

Like the Dragon Roll but taken to the next level. Really lovely use of snow crab. If you aren't used to chilli oil, it's a good idea to ask for LESS on this dish as it can be very overwhelming, and they are VERY liberal with adding it.

 

Truffle Creamy Lobster Tempura

This is absolutely one of my favourite dishes and one of the reasons I love to cruise on board ships with Izumi! This is super indulgent and decadent -- huge pieces of lovely tempura-fried lobster with a creamy sauce with a hint of truffle. It is just the best.

 

Izumi Ryu Futomaki

We tried this for the first time last cruise. Ours was a selection of different rolls served over a platter of deep-fried 'shredded crab meat sticks'. I have only ever had it once on one ship so I can't say if others do it, but let me just say, deep-fried shredded crab meat sticks taste AMAZING.

 

There's also loads of other delicious items on the menu -- gyoza and tempura are all lovely to have.

 

We practically lived at the Izumi on our transatlantic on Allure, we just enjoyed the food and the ambiance so much that we went almost every other day. It really is top notch and an underused restaurant.

[billylen]

Spicy Crispy Shrimp

Lovely fresh tempura-fried shrimp that has a tangy teriyaki-style sauce (unagi -- it's actually tonkatsu but it's close to teriyaki). You can ask for less spicy-ness as each roll is made to order.

 

Dragon Eel

Freshwater eel is actually cooked, and has a lovely flavour. There's nothing raw in this roll. Again, the unagi sauce is close to teriyaki. Eel tastes lovely, one of my favourites and a popular roll that you'll see around the world.

 

Crispy Spicy Tuna

I can't remember anything specific about this but again, it's been 'flash fried in panko crumbs' which means this isn't served raw, but rather cooked.

 

Crispy Philly

This is lovely and deep fried with panko crumbs so it's not only cooked but is served warm. Really delicious. One of my absolute favourites -- the creaminess of the cream cheese along with the salmon is a perfect combination. Again, nothing raw in this sushi roll.

 

Izumi Spider Roll

Always one of our favourites -- a teeny tiny soft-shell crab is tempura fried and makes up this lovely dish. You'll get both claws and the yummy middle. Masago roe is going to be fish eggs -- it sounds gross but it has very little flavour and just adds to the texture. You'll mainly taste the lovely deep fried crab, the crisp asparagus, and the lovely unagi sauce.

 

Surf and Turf

This one really stood out as the yuzu kosho chimichurri has a very strong yet fresh taste. Hard to describe (it's been a while) but this was a striking roll, the steak was just really delicious and a real stand out.

 

Chef's Signature Rolls:

Baked Snow Crab and Eel Dynamite

Like the Dragon Roll but taken to the next level. Really lovely use of snow crab. If you aren't used to chilli oil, it's a good idea to ask for LESS on this dish as it can be very overwhelming, and they are VERY liberal with adding it.

 

Truffle Creamy Lobster Tempura

This is absolutely one of my favourite dishes and one of the reasons I love to cruise on board ships with Izumi! This is super indulgent and decadent -- huge pieces of lovely tempura-fried lobster with a creamy sauce with a hint of truffle. It is just the best.

 

Izumi Ryu Futomaki

We tried this for the first time last cruise. Ours was a selection of different rolls served over a platter of deep-fried 'shredded crab meat sticks'. I have only ever had it once on one ship so I can't say if others do it, but let me just say, deep-fried shredded crab meat sticks taste AMAZING.

 

Wow, what a comprehensive response! You have my curiosity running wild! Thanks for these suggestions...in fact thanks to everyone! :)

[DRW2]

londongal

 

Nice review of the sushi! Thank you for providing some insight. My kids and I love sushi but wasn't sure how it would be on the ship. Now I think it might be a place we have to visit. :D

[londongal796]

My biggest 'tip' is that I think nearly all of the 'Signature Rolls' (except for the Rainbow and Salmon Lovers Roll) feature COOKED food -- nothing raw.

 

Actually -- also the one with roe -- the Spider Roll -- which you could easily ask for no roe if people are worried about it, but hey, roe is the same thing as caviar and that's 'fancy food' right? :)

 

A lot of people come to Izumi and are 'scared' to eat the raw fish. If you avoid the above rolls and the nigiri/sashimi (which is lovely, for the record!) then you won't be coming across anything raw! (Though it's worth mentioning that Tamago and Ebi nigiri is delicious -- Tamago is a lovely sweet egg omelette and Ebi is a butterflied cooked shrimp! And the Freshwater Eel / Unagi is also a cooked one which is very delicious.)

 

Difference between nigiri and sashimi: Nigiri comes with a pad of rice, sashimi is just the 'meat' all on its own. I strongly recommend NIGIRI. The rice makes a big difference for the texture factor.

 

Anyway -- I do hope more people will visit Izumi and try their fabulous selection of signature rolls. They really are delicious and, again, nearly all of them are served without anything raw, so there's nothing to be worried about! Enjoy!!

[lucymorgan]

For most sushi restaurants, if you tell the chef to prepare a selection of their choice or of whatever they recommend, they usually oblige and it is fantastic. This is called omakase in Japan (ok, just a little different, but the core concept of giving the chef free reign to determine the menu and courses still stands). You might even get 1-2 entrees that are not on the menu this way.

 

To be clear, I have never eaten at Izumi, but this style of ordering is a staple of Japanese restaurants. Therefore, my suggestion is to try asking for the chef to take free reign over the menu in this way, I hope they would do it.

 

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We did this on Voyager a couple of weeks ago - just went with the chef's suggestions (which were given by the server). We loved it.

[billylen]

Anyway -- I do hope more people will visit Izumi and try their fabulous selection of signature rolls. They really are delicious and, again, nearly all of them are served without anything raw, so there's nothing to be worried about! Enjoy!!

 

Thanks for more suggestions! Although when I started this post I admitted that I'm not much of a sushi guy, I do appreciate the addition of Izumi on RC Ships, it has really helped me expand my taste pallet 'cause at the end of the day I am an nondiscriminatory foodie! :D

[ARCruisinNana]

 

Izumi Ryu Futomaki

 

My favorite.

 

 

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