It was a grueling week filled with battles. I had been living on little food and even less sleep, spending every precious second trying to catch up on several weeks’ worth of material for a number of classes. On Monday, the first shots were fired at the Skirmish of Physiology, followed by even more intense fighting during the Battles of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Chemistry. It was a fight filled with innumerable casualties, but alas, I have not yet been kicked out of
The restaurant seemed rather innocuous, even inviting with the full sized artificial maple tree adorning the front room. The sushi chefs behind the counter smiled and bowed as we walked by the bar. Soft shakuhachi bamboo flute played over the stereo as the modest waitress politely led us to our table. Looking over the menu, it seemed as if this would be a typical Kiki-like Japanese restaurant experience. There was a variety of reasonably priced sushi-vegetable ($2.50) or sushi maki ($2.75 to $4.95). Even the nigiri was afforadable, running from $2.95 to $3.95 for most. But we had come to celebrate surviving our first tour of duty. We decided to indulge ourselves and get some special rolls. I decided on the spider rainbow roll (soft shell crab topped with eel, yellowtail, tuna, snapper, shrimp and avocado for $5.95) and the double hamachi roll (yellowtail and scallions topped with yellowtail and avocado for $10.95). Lucky went for a little more variety, ordering the chirashi sushi- assorted raw fish (including but not limited to tuna, salmon, unagi, shrimp, octopus, tamago, halibut) over sushi rice. It also included miso soup, sunomono (a simple Japanese cucumber salad), and ice cream for $12.45.
Soon after ordering, the miso soup and sunomono were served. I waited until the waitress was out of site before I exhibited my warlike instincts: I took no prisoners, inhaling the soup and scarfing down the cucumber. I thought to myself “I better order another roll… 2 rolls won’t be enough.” But when the waitress brought the sushi, the battle began once again. I was caught off guard, shocked-and-awed by the sheer enormity of the rolls. Open your mouth as wide as you can- that was the circumference of the roll! I decided on a frontal assault of the spider roll, attempting to put the entire piece in my mouth. Lucky decided to divide and conquer, attempting to devour them in two or three bites. But handling the unwieldy pieces proved even more of a challenge, as Lucky’s placemat was splashed with soy sauce/wasabi puddles from the rolls that would wrest free of her expert chopstick grasp. My placemat wasn’t much better, riddled with fallen rice and smeared with avocado. Lucky, who usually has the appetite of a small horse, had to call for reinforcements to defeat the overwhelming number of fish in her bowl. It was a battle to be reckoned with, but in the end, we overcame our meals. Seeing that our victory was inevitable, they raised the white flag and surrendered. As a peace offering, they included a free banana coconut pudding. We gladly accepted the terms of their surrender, enjoying every bite of the refreshing dessert.
Noriega Teriyaki House offers generous portions using quality pieces of fresh fish. In addition to the aforementioned sushi, they offer a wide variety of appetizers, (from $4.95 for imperial rolls to $9.95 for 8 pieces of albacore tataki, seared white tuna), udon ( $7.45), and a variety of dinners, all including soup, sunomono, steamed rice, and ice cream (all less than $10.00). Lunch specials are seraved daily from 11:30 to 3pm and run from $6.95 for chicken teriyaki to $8.95 for a sushi lunch. Situated on the corner of 25th and Noriega, it can easily be reached by the N-Judah if you are willing to walk a few blocks.
Noriega Teriyaki House
(415) 664-7766
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