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Aqua Sushi Bar

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ext212
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1 out of 5
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1
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Aqua Sushi Bar

  • December 1, 2005
  • Rated 1 of 5 by ext212 from New York, New York
Aqua Sushi Bar

Outside Japan, sushi has taken to mean raw fish when it is actually the Japanese short-grained sticky rice mixed with rice vinegar, sugar, salt, konbu (or edible kelp) and sake. Aqua’s menu only consisted of makizushi (rolled and cut into smaller pieces) and temaki (cone-shaped hand rolls). When we dined, they didn’t provide any raw fish, nor did they provide a selection besides tuna or salmon. None of the makizushi we ordered had any nori (seaweed), so they all ended up looking like California rolls you buy from a Korean deli in New York City. The rice itself was a bit on the dry side because it wasn’t sticky enough. I wondered if they should have named their establishment a sushi restaurant at all.

One of the girls ordered the makizushi with platano maduros (or sweet plantains, so talk about fusion!) and jalapeno paste. The sweetness of the bananas did not match well with the hotness of the peppers. They made her run to the bathroom after only a couple of bites. It didn’t help my cause. I get a weak stomach if I’m around someone who does, so I also made the trip to the bathroom after I tasted my king crab makizushi. I would have preferred it if my crab came untouched and without the mayonnaise-consistency cream they mixed it with. At least my salmon skin roll was edible. If Dominicans can do anything right, it has to be something fried.

Aqua is one of the restaurants taking Santo Domingo by storm. I realized that it was a handsome restaurant as I sat back and looked around me. The décor could have easily fooled anyone used to New York City or Los Angeles interiors. The locals who frequent it obviously have money and they have no qualms about spending RD300pesos (almost US$10 at the US$1=RD31 peso rate) for a roll.

Nine of us went to dinner, and the several times I went to use the bathroom, not once was my napkin refolded on my chair or on my table. Our water glasses were never filled unless we asked. The servers were never told in the kitchen who ordered which dish, so they ended up standing around until we voluntarily raised our hands to take ownership of the plates they were carrying. One girl decided to order the steak and avoided the fish choices completely—a good call on her part—but she received a pair of chopsticks and a soy sauce bowl anyway.

Whether Aqua is a sign of prosperity or progress, it still needs to improve the service it provides. The proprietors should know that no Jaguar or Cayenne on the driveway will do that for them.

From journal Debauchery in Santo Domingo

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