Niji Asian Bistro — Restaurant in Town of Rotterdam

I stopped by on a weekday holiday for lunch to find this restaurant almost empty. The overly enthusiastic host informed me that this stand alone building (photo) was refitted from a former pub/pizzeria and only opened in February 2019. About 5 of the 10 bar seats are sort of in the sushi area, so I grabbed a seat in front of the chiller/display behind disposable waribashi, paper napkins and a fork at each place setting, and began to skim through the "grand opening" menu.

The menu itself only contained a few photos, which I am always happy to see, but they seemed more decoration than actually useful. For a quick second, I thought they prepared temaki - no such luck. Just a stock sushi photo. Sorry.

I chose a couple of nigiri and a couple of non-cone-shaped maki. I've come to truly believe that construction of a selection of simple nigiri more clearly demonstrates the chef's skill than preparation of a giant roll containing twenty different whole fish. Especially in a restaurant that I have yet to dine. I looked around at the limited decor while enjoying a simple competent soup. I never visited the previous bar/restaurant, but unfortunately, the decor tells me that it is still mostly here.

As the server quickly entered my order, the chef finally stopped texting to throw together my main. There wasn't really a large selection of nigiri (maybe 15), and nothing too exotic, but with only two other customers in the restaurant, I hoped for far more than I was presented.

The two-plate presentation could have been better, with the not-spicy salmon crunch maki containing a little too much of the bland "crunch fillings," although, at least they kept their shape. The nigiri were far more disappointing, more than the decor of a single flower and a bit of lettuce could overcome. The rice may have been sticky enough to hold onto the nori wrappers in the maki, but each one of my nirgiri had chunks of rice falling off as I raised each piece to my mouth. The taste of the rice was not as seasoned as I prefer, but sushi rice that does not stick together would seem to be more at home in some sort of Hawaiian poke-bowl-type meal.

Also, a few of the individual pieces were very poorly constructed, with the tamago breaking apart even before I touched it. Two of the smallest cuts of mackerel I've seen in a while were on my plate (photo) - for a second, I thought I was in one of those humble movies where a single end crust of bread is further sliced to make two more even thinner slices. That shouldn't need to happen - saba is one of the cheapest cuts of fish.

In retrospect, I also found the pricing to be kind of strange, with my nigiri order of saba, tamago, hirame and hamachi all at the same price point. But at least the taste was not too bad.

The server delayed bringing back my bill to prepare me a gratis small plate with a couple of mochi ice cream balls, presented well enough (photo), but bought-in.

I'll return, but I believe that these first 3 months haven't been enough time to iron out all the minor problems yet. I hope that these will be corrected by the time I do return.

2019...

Amazing place with phenomenal food and atmosphere. *This place is so good I came back again two days later when I was traveling back home. If you live near here or if you are passing by it is worth the stop. Items I ate were Edamame, the Appetizer Sampler which included the Pork Gyoza, harumaki, and spicy rock shrimp. Last thing was the Shrimp Shumai (Fried). I had the hot tea to drink which was also great.

Update 11-28-23, I was in the area traveling again and made a stop to have lunch, still great! If you are in the area this is a great place to grab lunch or dinner!

Update 1-16-24 I was in town again for work in Schenectady, NY and made my way back to Niji and was greeted by name when I walked in "John Wright" . Talk about making someone feel welcome. The food, service, and atmosphere still 5 out of 5 stars. If you have a chance to stop by I recommend doing so, you will not regret it!! Thank you Niji for the great food and customer...

I've visited this restaurant on many separate occasions since its opened and it's by far one of my favorite Asian food restaurants in the area. I don't get to go often since I live in MD, but whenever I'm up here to visit my boyfriend I always make sure to come here. The place is new but the food is delicious. The staff here that is composed of a wonderful family are very kind, amiable, and cordial every time we come to eat. The decor is classy and it has a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Sushi is my favorite food and I love the sushi they serve here - fresh and full if delightful flavor. Their cooked entrees however are just as excellent, and the portions and prices are very fair. I'm also a colossal fan of their sake; I have it every time I go there. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for good sushi or Asian inspired food along with...