Sakura Express — Restaurant in Pleasant Valley Township

This is your friendly neighborhood Japanese food fan, warning you away from this place. I came here because Olive Tree was closed for the afternoon, and I was hungry enough to ignore the warning signs in pursuit of a quick lunch.

You walk in and the first thing you'll notice is the smell. Any place that sells sushi should smell like fresh rice, or maybe sesame oil, or perhaps best of all: nothing. But unless there's some new kind of fish-scented Fabuloso out there, the smell of this place isn't a great sign.

Against my better judgment, I stayed and ordered fried shrimp and two sushi rolls. At Fuji Pho Cafe (an excellent Japanese place on the other side of town), I like to get spicy tuna and yellowtail scallion rolls, so I ordered that here and hoped for the best.

The fried shrimp on the appetizer menu isn't the tempura shrimp you might be used to from better restaurants. It's the shrimp you're used to from the Walmart freezer case and it's served with sweet and sour sauce, for some reason.

They're under-salted. I tried them with soy sauce and discovered that the soy sauce here is bizarre--oddly thick and sweet, with a hint of smokiness I'd normally associate with dark soy sauce, except it's just overpowered by the sweetness. It's barely salty, which is usually a main feature of soy sauce. I wonder if this is that weird takeout soy sauce where you read the ingredients and it's like "water, salt, sugar, caramel color, sodium benzoate" and you're left to question where the soy is. I asked the waitress about it and she said it was their normal soy sauce and I was the first one to point out anything odd. Maybe most people don't notice this, but if you're used to Japanese food you will.

The waitress was a really nice lady, I don't mean to sound down on her because this place's state really isn't her fault. She did bring me the wrong order, but this was probably to my benefit.

My plate showed up with a shrimp tempura roll instead of spicy tuna. Honestly, I was too hungry to care, and this may have been the universe's way of trying to save me from myself. I say this because when I did point out I'd actually ordered something else, I was given a free spicy tuna roll... which would be good customer service, except I think I know now where at least part of the off smell originates from. I am afraid of this sushi. Fortunately, she gave it to me in a takeout container... I gotta ditch this thing in the next trash can I find. It's in the car passenger seat next to me, package closed, and I can smell it.

Had I been any less hungry, or had they brought me the appetizer and the sushi at the same time, I'd have walked out. Paying $20 for food that is freezer case at best and makes me worry for my health at worst is not my idea of fun. I didn't refuse to pay, but I can’t honestly say the thought never occurred to me.

Go to Fuji Pho Cafe instead, or to Miss Phay's if you like Thai and Vietnamese food. If you're after lunch nearby, try Olive Tree or the hipster bar across the street. Or just go to Kwik Star, honestly. Yes, the gas station. I'd eat their prepackaged California rolls before going back to...

This is yet another place I drive by all the time, yet haven't ever set foot inside. This was a real shame - I like some good sushi from time to time and this place is pretty close to my apartment and right off my normal route to work. Well, tonight I ended the sad tragedy of not having eaten at Sakura Express - it was well past time to do so.

While I'd always noticed the windows to the restaurant were pretty dark, I finally understood why - there are shades pulled down along all of the windows. Nothing wrong with this, it just looks a little strange. I wonder if it's a carryover from the depths of COVID times, just like the wooden structure built right inside the entrance designed to separate the dining area from outsiders while effectively serving them their requested take-out? I didn't ask.

At any rate, upon stepping into the dining room I was allowed to sit anywhere, so I quickly chose a comfy looking booth (it was indeed comfy). After a quick perusal of the menu, I decided on a shrimp tempura roll, edamame, and gyoza. The server took my order and I was left to ponder while waiting for my meal.

Besides the window coverings and wooden barrier, there's not much more unique or interesting about the space. All of the walls present are a light powder blue, the floors consist of large wood laminate panels, and the visible drop ceiling consisted chiefly of white 2 x 4 foot white panels. Lighting in the space is a mixture of florescent fixtures and suspended fixtures above some of the booths. In short, the space was neither remarkable in visual appearance, but was also completely inoffensive. Pretty much what would be expected of a small Asian restaurant offering a mix of a small dine-in space with a carry-out service. I dug it.

The only other thing perhaps a bit odd about the space was the music of choice. The entire time I was there, a series of sad piano and voice covers of pop music from the 80s, 90s, and 00s was playing. It wasn't offensive or anything, just kind of slow and sad the entire time. I'm also certainly not complaining, as the music was sufficiently quiet to support low conversation and contemplation.

My food arrived in stages: first the sushi, then some edamame, and finally the gyoza. No issues there - I enjoyed the slight shake up in dining order. The sushi was great - the tempura crunchy and the sauce with it a balanced combination of sweet and savory. The edamame tasted fresh and still had texture to them. Finishing off with the gyoza was fantastic - they are one of my favorite things at Japanese restaurants.

I want to come back here again - specifically to try some hibachi, fried rice, and seaweed salad. Thanks for the great...

Wow is an understatement! I can honestly say that this is the best place to get some incredible sushi! I live in the Quad Cities, and I’ve tried many of the places that serve sushi, but Sakura really tops them all. Their fish is of high quality, and their roll sizes are perfect. They also have really great gyoza with a house made sauce that is magnificent! I’ve dined in a couple of times now and the workers are incredibly nice. I ordered a special roll that is not on their menu and the owner came over to make sure they were making it correctly. After having come back again to order the exact same sushi roll because it was that good, the owner decided to name that specific roll after me. Truly amazing customer service if you ask me! If you are a sushi connoisseur, and you are looking for the next best Sushi spot, Sakura...