Oh Fish! Custom maki rolls full of freshness

Oh Fish!
1103 19th Street NW, Washington, DC

After learning that Oh Fish! by Kaz was open, I wandered over to check out their make-your-own futomaki. Located in the old Moto Photo shop on 19th Street, Oh Fish! is the latest venture by Kaz Okochi of Kaz Sushi Bistro fame. The premise is modeled after Subway's custom sandwich model - I'm not kidding, it's right on the Oh Fish! Web site:

"I ran into a Subway on K Street and ordered an Italian sub with toasted bread, no mayo, and extra pickles. As I was giving my order - and choosing just how I wanted my sandwich - I was struck by lightening. 'Why not offer sushi rolls this way?' A restaurant focusing solely on maki sushi: freshly made, quickly prepared, reasonably priced ... and with plenty of options?"

And indeed, there are plenty of options. As Kaz says, there are thousands of possible combinations.

First you choose your rice - 5 oz. or 7 oz.? Then you choose one fish - tuna, spicy tuna, salmon, spicy salmon, etc. Prices are not based on size, but on fish selection - from $6.50 for vegetarian up to $11 for eel.

Step Three is to pick three veggies - cucumber, lettuce, avocado, asparagus, etc. Additional veggies are $0.50. You can add optional flavors (Step 4) for an additional $1 - masago, cream cheese, etc.

You finish up your roll with a free topping (crunchy rice cracker, sesame seed, etc.) and sauce (soy, wasabi, etc.)

And voila. The rolls are HUGE, and the ingredients are FRESH. You can also add a side of edamame, miso, or seaweed salad. My raw salmon set me back $8.50, with a side of seaweed salad ($3.50). Pricy, but they were GOOD.

I think one of the best aspects of the whole experience was watching the team put together the sushi. I say "team" because one employee took my order, then passed it on to the sushi rice/seaweed chef, who put a layer of pre-pressed rice onto a sheet of seaweed. From there, it went to the "fillings" chef, who laid chunks of raw salmon and fresh veggies onto the bed of rice. 

From there, the sushi went to the "cutter" lady who popped the roll into a nifty sushi-cutting machine that sliced it into 8 perfectly sized pieces with one whack. She drizzled some sauce onto the bottom of the cardboard tray (smart concept), tossed on some crunchy topping, and voila. Instant sushi. 

Nifty sushi cutting machine

I was impressed.