Under Wraps Sushi — Restaurant in Pleasant Grove

Short version: Under Wraps is fun, the fish is fresh, and the wagyu is lovely, but the rolls are messier than they ought to be.

Longer version: Overall, I really enjoyed the experience. The staff were very friendly, helpful, and generally pleasant. Our server even brought out little trainer clamp thingies (see picture) to help our kids with the chopsticks. First restaurant I've ever seen that did that. The inside is open and very echoey. I wish the chairs had pads on the bottom to help prevent wookie noises that echo throughout the solar system every time you scoot. That being said the place feels so new that there probably hasn't been that much time for optimization yet. The murals on the walls are nice, though it was kind of funny to have a nature scene on one half the inside and an anime mural on the other. It was kind of fun to try to identify each character.

The menu was short and simple. The idea that you write your own order down and hand it to them feels very Asian. I've seen similar things in Japan and even locally when eating dim sum. It's a nice touch.

Finally, let's talk about food. We ordered the fried cauliflower as an appetizer, and it was really yummy. The texture was just right, and the sauce was delicious. Thinking about making something similar at home.

The kids had the teriyaki noodles without meat and they did pretty well. I tasted the noodles and the flavor was slightly sweet. The noodles themselves were like the ones you get with ramen at an actual ramen shop.

For the main stuff we had salmon rolls, the scallop roll (not pictured. We ate it too quickly), and a couple wagyu tacos. The fish was super fresh and delicious. However, I have a couple minor gripes. My teeth aren't the sharpest ever, but I don't usually have so much trouble biting through bits of food. Serving the rolls in whole, un-cut form made them kind of hard to eat. With each bite there was a bit of seaweed that just didn't want to come away. And when i got down to the second-to-last bite, the act of biting would make a bunch of rice and fish chunks fall out the back, which I definitely scooped up and ate because it was tasty stuff. If I had a suggestion for how to fix this, it would be to wrap the roll in paper, like an actual burrito and peel it away as you eat, or find some way to seal off the sides to prevent leakage. Cutting the roll would also work fine. If you are expecting "normal" sushi rolls with loads of sauce and wild flavors competing for your attention, this is definitely not that. The quality of the ingredients speak for themselves here.

The wagyu tacos were a real pleasure. The beef itself was prepared tar tar style and was completely raw. The flavor and texture was extremely enjoyable. The cabbage on top didn't really contribute to the flavor much, but did add good texture. This was the best thing we had at dinner that night.

The format of the food and the layout of the restaurant suggest an experience that is social, casual, and plentiful. The high quality ingredients and prices suggest something a little higher end that is more about savoring each bite and not trying to fill up too fast. It felt weird to have really nice fish gaming out of the back of my roll, and having to scoop it up and eat it piece by piece. I enjoyed the cauliflower, but it was surprisingly expensive. If I go back, I would not order it again, even though I would want to.

So the verdict is 3 stars. Great people, great flavors, great ingredients, but there's a bit of a disconnect in the way the food is served and how it is priced. I'm not sure how to balance this out, but I hope they get it right. I would like to see this place stick around. If I worked in the area, I could see myself coming here often for lunch to hang out with friends...

Thought this was just a trendy spot but these guys are legit. Apparently the owner and head chef visit Japan all the time to go on food tour so you know they’re serious about this food. If you’re not sure about fish, ask for their fried stuff and a bowl of rice. If you like fish, the hamachi sashimi and whatever they have on special.

The non-alcoholic cocktails were all very fun! Drink it from a straw for one taste, then try it without one! I liked the how the carbonation of the asian pear one reminded me of the little gritty bits you encounter when biting into a real one.

The rolls were a single roll, uncut and didn’t seem to have enough filling which confused me. It all made sense once I took a bite. My teeth broke through the wrap with a satisfying crunch into the fluffy “meat” of rice and fish. If it was too full, I wouldn’t be eating a dense rice log and the seaweed would probably be soggy.

The yellowtail/hamachi was excellent. Not a hint of off-putting fishy flavor and came out with a beautiful floral presentation.

This month’s special was a miso black cod sushi. This was incredible. Smoky(from the hand torching), fatty, cheesy, and it melts into the rice and your mouth as you chew it. If I had 2 extra stomachs, I’d have ordered 12.

The dessert icecream probably came because I mentioned not seeing one on the menu. They were brave flavors which made me very happy since it told me they aren’t sellouts. Icecream came out presented like traditional sushi with milder flavors on the left and bold ones to the right. First was an horchata. Very light ice, like a fluffy sorbet. The first flavor was a surprisingly mild, and therefore sophisticated, cinnamon. The sweetness and creaminess came next, but like everything else about this it was light.

Second was a blueberry orange blossom water ice. Dark purple, bitter, tart, sweet, gritty(not unpleasant, it stimulated the senses). Texture, flavor, color, all bold.

Third, the most interesting and my favorite, a cucumber mint(shiso). Fresh cucumber flavor, sour pickl-ey flavor… but sweet. In my mind I was thinking this was wrong. In my mind I was also thinking this is absolutely something you’d find in Japan. Outside of my mind, my body enjoyed the refreshing flavor. It was a perfect treat for the summer and the dissonance of mind and body enriched...

Hey Chef Skyler! 😀 Thanks for the inspiration! You really made me reflect today and realize my first review could have been better.

For the record, the miso soup, sashimi, wasabi, and mocktails were delicious. I actually planned to update my review and bump it up just for those items.

But then you hit me with sarcastic spiritual advice… and I thought, nah... 1 star feels right. Gotta match the energy. 😂

When I came back to leave that more balanced update, I saw your response saying you would “pray for my happiness.” That felt unnecessary and unprofessional, especially considering my original review was just about the sushi being overpriced and not good. Nothing personal. Just honest feedback.

Respectfully… if happiness is serving people mostly rice and calling it sushi, then I guess we are both on our own journeys. 😅

And just to clarify, I didn’t “get my friends” to write anything. We had a shared experience. They were there, ate the same food, and had their own opinions.

This was their first time visiting Utah, and I wanted to give them a great food experience. Instead, we were served overpriced, underwhelming sushi that barely had any fish. At $4 a bite, we left a little hungry and a lot confused, like… was that a minimalist art piece or a dinner? The rest of the food was good, but if you are coming specifically for sushi, it might not be what you are expecting.

Then right after leaving our reviews, we saw your Instagram post offering $25 gift cards in exchange for 5 star reviews. Not long after, the rating jumped. As customers, it felt misleading and dishonest. It made us question how accurate the 4.7 stars really are.

Originally, my review was just about the food. But now, I am rating the full experience, including how the owner is dishonest, can’t take criticism, and treats paying customers who leave honest feedback.

Either way, sending you love and fresh fish vibes. We all have our off days! Me with my first review, and you with that rice heavy...