We had dinner at Judoku Sushi last March of this year. I told myself that I will write about this place after our second visit. Since I was craving sushi last Saturday, I remembered Joduku and suggested to Mr Sweetie that we come here again for date night. He pretty much follows wherever I want to go so that part was easy.
Whenever we eat sushi, Mr Sweetie just rattles whatever he wants to order and I do the same. Sometimes I have to watch him because he will order the entire menu if I do not stop him. It is fine to order whatever he wants but sushi is not something that can be taken home and be eaten as leftovers. He is better now. He just orders the exact amount of sushi that hits the spot.
These photos are a combination of our two visits — one in March and another one just last Saturday, November 16. Last Saturday was chilly. Being in the tiny restaurant felt cozy. The place is dimmed and felt like we were inside an aquarium. The lighting and minimalist decor were soothing.
I honestly do not remember exactly what we had between those two visits. During our first dinner I ordered a Kakiage Tempura which was deep-fried fritter of shrimp, burdock root and sweet potatoes. It was good but I always regret eating anything deep-fried as I always feel sick afterwards.
For our second visit last Saturday, Mr Sweetie ordered Shrimp Pop as our appetizers. The dish came with four deep-fried battered shrimp drizzled with savory sauce. Pretty good, actually.
I also ordered a Sushi Combo since I did not want to think too much about what to order. I just wanted fresh raw fish. No fried or cooked sushi for me. And definitely no sushi rolls with mayo! I was not paying attention that the combo came with California Roll. I usually do not order California Roll since I feel like it is for the sushi novice. I have been eating sashimi (raw fish) since I was 7 years old. My foodie dad introduced me to Japanese food — tempura, raw fish and Japanese bbq when I was a little girl. The CA rolls at Joduku were made with fresh crab meat. I also got 5 kinds of raw fish sushi with my order. I do not even know what Mr Sweetie ordered. I was happy with mine. Since it was a cold evening, I ordered hot sake. Our server filled it to the brim that I could not finish it.
It was a delicious evening. There are two Joduku locations but that one in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland is the more popular one and has a better rating on Yelp which is 4 1/2 stars. Reservation is necessary if dining during peak evening hours. We went in pretty late that we only had to wait 15 minutes.
I also mentioned that it was a chilly evening, right? Well, that did not prevent us for going for ice cream afterwards at Smitten down the street. That will be for another post! It was a fun date night!
11.16.19
Leah's Cozy Notebook 