Senro Sushi: A modern twist on Japanese cuisine

by Farah Hosseini, Reporter

Crowds of people load the spacious and decorative restaurant as waiters bustle through the tables, serving dishes ranging from fresh fish to steaming ramen. Each table is immersed in their own conversations, and the noise overwhelmingly drowns out a fading Justin Bieber song as families and couples burst out laughing while enjoying their meals. Windows surround one wall of the restaurant, allowing the moonlight to glisten lightly on several wooden tables.

The chefs work in front of the tables where a bar surrounds their crowded workspace. They call out each other’s names, each taking knives and hastily chopping a large piece of salmon into several sections, creating a consistent noise like the tapping sounds of a chalk on a chalkboard.

Located in San Jose on the newly constructed Cottle Road plaza, Senro Sushi closes early in the afternoon and re-opens at 5 p.m., similar to most Japanese cuisine joints.

The joint’s menu holds a variety of selections, some of the most popular including juicy beef short ribs, with the pricing at $19.99 as an entree, and avocado rolls that cost either $13.50 for two rolls or $17.99 for three, depending on how many rolls you want. Typically, these meals are served with a side of salted edamame and a small bowl of miso soup and with an option for a house salad. Their other popular dishes, such as sashimi with California rolls or nigiri, range from $16.99 to $21.99.

Some of their more intricate or “special” rolls cost around the same price, such as the “Mango Tango” dish (salmon rolls with crab meat fillings and slices of fresh mango overlapping the fish on top), priced at $13.99. Another roll, the “Honey Moon Special”, costs $12.99 for two pieces, and includes oysters and quail eggs.

Senro Sushi’s dessert menu features flavors of ice cream such as mango and green tea, and they also serve mochi, a small dessert with a small ball of ice cream in the center, coated with a layer of frozen and flavored dough. The mochi is topped with delightful powder, adding just the perfect combination of sweetness and bitterness.