Kat's 9 Lives

Sushi Zone keeps popping up with rave reviews in the Mission Viejo area and I never realized where it was located. Here is a secret... Ironically... My parents used to own the restaurant here a long long long time ago. The decor has definitely changed a lot and every restaurant in this location has not survived for long. My friend had unfortunately lost his job and we were trying to find a place nearby that's good and not expensive. Originally I was going to take him to Santora's but happened to see the Sushi Zone sign and gave him another option. They are open all day and there was only one other person inside when we walked in. As soon as I opened the menu I saw all the rolls and realized.... hmmm... this is not what I had hoped for.
I refuse to pay for expensive rolls because it is just not worth the money and calories. The simplest way to pass time is to order the combination meals. I decided to get a 3 item combo because it will be much cheaper than trying to fill up on rolls that aren't worth my time. They have your normal selection but there are a lot of supplemental charges.... so I chose Teriyaki Beef, Teriyaki Salmon, and Sashimi. I detest Maguro, Tuna, so I asked if I could get only Salmon Sashimi and they said it would cost $1.50 extra... which is fine. The sashimi was fresh but nothing special. For the same price, I could go to Mitsuwa and get a ton of fresh fish and slice it up myself. Each piece was thick, which is good in value but bad in that you will lose a lot of texture on the palette.The Teriyaki Salmon was riddled with fish bones! I spent most of the meal picking out bones from my mouth. It really upset me that they would serve something like this because it can be dangerous if people are unaware that there may be a choking hazard or chance of being stabbed inside the mouth! The fish was also slightly overcooked and dry. My friend ordered only one thing different from me, the Spicy Chicken. The flavor was intense and it was actually pretty spicy. It's a sweet glaze reminiscent to the Korean flavor and the chicken was dry.
All in all this place was not too bad for your regular Korean owned Japanese joint that is filled with Americanized dishes. I would not come here to satisfy or delay my sushi/sashimi hunger. The staff here is nice, but you can tell who is the owner as she orders her employees around. Maybe one day I will go back to sit at the sushi bar to give them a try, but after my last meal here... I don't think I would be that inclined to go. With all the other choices around and many of the all you can eat places... I'd rather go there for the same price.

Sushi Zone