Sono Sushi — Restaurant in Middletown Township

Well I finally went. And I needed time to get my thoughts in order… Ultimately, it never reached the pinnacle that, in my mind, OSHO had both in personal service, quality of fish, and simplicity of technique and sushi focus. I was first struck when we arrived by how clean and friendly it was, and how over half of the bustle was takeout… We started with an abundance of appetizers to get a sense of the atmosphere…

The Salmon Tataki was superb. Perfectly sliced and with just the right amount of sauce. This was perhaps the star of the night. We also had the Gyoza… Again very nice but just a bit more spice would have been nice. I enjoyed the umami, but missed that tiny bit of punch. Still worth it.

The edamame were good but lacked that extra saltiness I would have expected, but that is something of a personal preference. And then came the Rock Shrimp. This was on OSHO specialty and I was very disappointed at the Sono version. While the Shrimp were perfectly cooked, they had little spice and flavor of their own. And the breading was not crispy nor flavorful. The entire dish revolved around the sauce which was lacking in punch and was over dressed.

We then ordered a large amount of Sushi since we wanted to sample everything… Even though we knew there would be leftovers… And we found some dynamite rolls and some just good rolls.

To the left is the Incredible Roll, then the Crawfish Roll, and to the right the Hot Crunchy Crab. Way too match Krab and not nearly enough real crab to make the Incredible Roll incredible. It was just way over done. A little Krab goes a long way. And I would have thought the Hot Crunchy Crab would have been real crab but it too was not. It had the right amount of Krab so it wasn’t overwhelming, but it was lackluster at best. Then, with trepidation we tried the Crawfish Roll. Stunning. Wonderful spicy flavor and the crawfish was clearly able to take the starring role. Second course then arrived… Middletown Roll

This time it was real Crab and deliciously smoked eel. And it would have been perfect where it not for an overwhelming chunk of avocado which took over the flavor profile. Though when removed left a wonderful roll. And finally the third course… Soft Shell, New York, and Sono Delight Rolls.

The Sono Delight was just that, delightful with an excellent melding of flavors. Another winner. The New York was also very good with the unique flavor of Apple and Salmon. Very good but an acquired taste. And then the Soft Shell. Sigh. Once again the avocado dwarfed every other flavor out - notice the huge hunk on the one piece… Was it overall enjoyable? Yes. Will I go back? Yes but I will be more careful with what we order… And the pricing was a tad high. All in all, I will stick with the 3 roll lunch special at Kyoto. Not as fancy, and not as focused, but the fish is fresh and the bang for the buck is...

SONO is my absolute favorite sushi place in all of NJ, however… it’s very upsetting that we are 2 years into the pandemic and they still won’t open for dine in. The experience you get at SONO is like no other, so it’s very upsetting to have to take out and drive back home to eat. I recommend SONO to everyone who asks for sushi referrals but I rather them enjoy the atmosphere, the wonderful staff & company of friends and family when enjoying their food. I have had to settle for mediocre sushi at other places because you guys won’t open dine in :( my sushi dates just aren’t the same anymore. Tables could easily be closed off for 6ft apart rules or time could be limited for each table to stay in and dine. The food is still phenomenal but until dine in is reopened I rather save the $ for when I can get the whole experience.

Also- PLEASE make yourselves available...

I usually don't leave a bad review, but there is always a first. My mom and I aren't from the area and saw that there was a cute Japanese sushi restaurant. We walked in and was surprised that we couldn't dine since many restaurants have a certain capacity at this point during Covid19. The hostess (or owner) rudely asked us "Didn't you read the signs that are right outside? I posted it on Facebook as well." There was also a dog in the restaurant without a leash. We had no inclination to order any food to go as we were rudely spoken to. A simple and kind response would...