Fighting Fish Scott’s Addition — Restaurant in Richmond

Disclaimer: I really don't like to leave bad reviews; this is just my honest opinion based on my experience. They just drag me to the dark side when they serve me bad food. So, here's my funny take on a horrible eating experience that didn't end up being so funny. Oh boy, prepare yourself for a tale of epic proportions--a dining misadventure that rivals the best of comedy shows. It all began with an invitation from the manager who extended a direct invite to the esteemed foodie blogger crew, @we_hungryaf. Little did I know, I was about to embark on a gastronomic rollercoaster ride straight into the Twilight Zone of culinary disasters. We have a mutual understanding of exploring the culinary wonders of the world. We even bring each other goodies from our gastronomic exploits. But this time they should have kept their visit a secret. They could have saved me from this culinary calamity. I might just have to view their IG posts like everyone else from now on. A lot of folks really hyped up this restaurant. The heart of the culinary chaos was the Fighting Fish Sushi Burrito. With expectations high and taste buds primed for a flavor showdown, I eagerly awaited the clash of Ahi Tuna, salmon, and shrimp tempura. Alas, what I encountered was a battle of confusion--a wild tussle between kani, avocado, pickled red onions, and kabayaki that left my palate utterly perplexed. And those so-called house-made sweet potato chips were overcooked and inedible? They were so hard that I almost cut my gums. In fact, I shared my concerns with my friend about the spoiled fish smell. My olfactory senses never fail me, and this time they screamed danger. Thank goodness I didn't venture further into their culinary escapades. But hold on tight, my friends, for the grand finale of this comedy of errors--the dreaded food poisoning. Yes, you heard it right. The universe decided to spice up the proceedings with a dash of gastro-disaster, turning my meal into a punchline. They say laughter is the best medicine, but I'm not sure if it applies to this particular case. So, take my humorous tale with a grain of salt, or perhaps a pinch of laughter. Don't take it from me, try at your own risk. As for me, I'll be steering clear from food follies for a minute. May your culinary adventures be filled with laughter, delightful flavors, and a good dose of common sense....

I’m not sure why the ratings for this place are so high — maybe it’s what I ordered?

My expectations are probably skewed because I’m from a town with tons of (good) Asian restaurants.

The food took a long time to come out, and service was a bit slow.

The food was fine but not what I’m used to. I ordered the chirashi and side salad — I originally ordered edamame but was informed that they were out of edamame. I expected a salad with ginger dressing or something similar because that’s what I am used to getting at sushi restaurants, but the salad was quite different from what I expected. It consisted of lettuce, cabbage (?), tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and some sort of green dressing. I’m not sure what the dressing was, but it had an interesting flavor. Definitely not what I’m used to.

The chirashi included an assortment of fish along with some cucumber slices, pickled red onion, danmuji (yellow radish), and seaweed salad. I’ve never had danmuji with my chirashi before, so I thought it was a bit strange. I also thought that the pickled red onions was a strange addition to the bowl (but objectively not bad... just didn’t seem to go with the dish). The quality of the fish was okay, nothing bad but not outstanding

My friend ordered the fighting fish tower, and we thought the flavor of the fish was interesting. It was a bit spicy and kind of tasted like jalapeño cheetos.

Overall, I probably wouldn’t return. This definitely isn’t a place for you if you’re expecting traditional flavors (which is okay — some people don’t want that) and not worth the price point to me. I especially don’t think it’s worth going to if you’re from a town that has an abundance of Asian/Japanese food. I recognize that there aren’t many options in Richmond, so I think that Fighting Fish is an okay option if you know what you’re getting...

So I am giving this experience 4 stars ONLY because of how hard it is to order takeout. The Sushi Burrito is definitely 5 stars..DELICIOUS! The server was nice and efficient, and the atmosphere was very laid back, in spite of being on a horrible stretch of The Boulevard. I have tried for 2 DAYS to order takeout from this restaurant, as I live in Mechanicsville and work in the West End. Every time the "wait" time was an HOUR or longer! I called at one point because when they OPENED at noon, their wait time was 90 minutes for takeout. The young lady said she would check to see if that was accurate. She came back on the phone and told me 60 minutes, not 90. Well, I decided to wait after lunch and try again, about 3:15..still an hour wait for takeout. I finally just drove to the restaurant to dine in, and 10 minutes later when I got there, I only saw 2 tables with people. There were at least 2 servers and 2 managers by my count. I ordered, ate, and paid, and I was STILL out of the restaurant before 60 minutes. If the rest of your food is as good as that burrito was, you guys are missing out on business. I can understand if it's a longer wait time when you're busy, or if you're understaffed, but neither of those scenarios was the case. Why not just have only dine in business? I'm saying you are missing out on A LOT of revenue. Too bad, I wanted to give this place 5 stars, especially since the burrito was as good as I heard it was. Maybe someone will read this and realize that we all don't always have time to visit and stay, but we'd still like to order take out and enjoy your delicious food, too. Hopefully my next "visit" will be...