Cuddlefish

Brush was one of best sushi joints in Atlanta. The Decatur address was perfect for people who didn't want to deal with the Buckhead or Midtown crowds when craving top notch sushi. Yes, UMI, MF Sushi, Mujo, Nobu, Tomo, Taka, Hayakawa and Omakase Table are the primo spots to see and be seen but you have to deal with all the pretentious bullshit to get in there. Even all the other second rate sooshee joints are packed with wannabes that think rolls are sushi. I wished I got a nickel (ok, a quarter- adjusted for record inflation) for every time I heard a dumb broad say, "I luuuuv squooshie, but I don't eat the raw stuff.".... Ah, that's not what I heard, you look pretty handy with that sea cucumber in your facehole, ho. 

I was kinda sad when Brush announced that they were shutting down and reopening in Buckhead and re-concepting the Decatur space into a smaller menu focusing on omakase chef sets and hand rolls (temaki) but not the cone-shaped version we all know and love or hate. I'm not a huge fan of temaki but I'll admit that the spider hand roll at Kura Revolving Sushi is pretty damn tasty. I always thought hand rolls were a bit of a gimmicky anime type snack for children with the palate of a billy goat but the roundeyes are gobbling them up because they are safe like California rolls.      

Let's take a first look...

Temaki Sampler.

During happy hour (4:30-7PM Wed-Fri) they have 3 temaki for $20 up to $9 each from the regular menu and they also have a handful of $5 temaki to choose from.

Yellowtail Scallion Cucumber + Avocado Temaki (Traditional). The presentation is cute. They put them in wooden holders. They must have a ton of them because most people will be ordering at least 15 of these in one sitting. The yellowtail (and all the other fish they source) is fresh and quality. This combo is as traditional as you can get. 

Kabayaki Unagi + Avocado Temaki (Traditional). Grilled eel with sweetened soy sauce... Always a great bite. People need to eat more eel, it's so fucking guud.

Mentaiko Scallops Temaki (Signature), mentaiko mayo, torched, ao-nori. You can't see the plethora of scallops under all that charred jizzlobbery but I assure y'all that it was dericious and made me jizz a lil in my pants. 

Salmon & Citrus Temaki (Signature), sundried tomato, cucumber and lemon. The salmon color was spot-on and it melted in my pouchhole.

Salmon + Avocado Temaki (Traditional). I actually ordered the Shiromi Tartare but the server pushed the salmon button on his handheld because there was no button for the shiromi. He said he would adjust it but he never did and the Pouch got fucked again! I wanted that one so bad because shiromi is usually a white flesh fish which is mostly associated with madai.

Chef Set- Classic, $45.

I was gonna go with the Signature for $59 but I didn't want to over do it with the 5 temaki that I already inhaled and the rice was starting to expand in the pouch. The Classic would be a sampler to test out a good range of goodies they have to offer. I will do the Signature or Signature Plus next time... But it's hard to pass up on the plethora of temakis...

Black Pepper Edamame. Roundeyes can't get enough of these beans... I can take it or leave it. But the fresh cracked black pepper did bring some oomph to the usually boring edamame. And, of course, the wasabi and ginger packs another punch to the palate.

Tuna Poke. Not a very big portion but only about 3 bites. The focus is on the quality vs. quantity... And the quality is top notch as expected.

Sushi: Hirame and 2 Steelhead Trout (salmon). Hirame can be fluke/flounder or halibut but I would eat either one. I don't even remember what it tasted like because I inhale it... There were 2 steelheads so at least I remember to taste the second one and it was all good.

Snow Crab Salad California Temaki. Real snow crab, Eddie? Nuthin' but da best! Yeah, this ain't some shredded up surimi garbage AKA pollock... Ok, I admit I have made surimi (Neptune) salad before and ate the fuck outta it but that was when I was born a poor black child... Wait, I'm still fucking poor as a Denver hobo. This Cali crab salad seems very pedestrian but it was so guud in a low rent way.

Shiso Plum Cucumber Temaki. I don't do vegan sushi because it's such an insult but I got bamboozled into getting it... And it was interesting in a texture-flavor-mouthfeel kinda way. Would I get it again? Fuck no, brah. Give me raw snatch...

Sushi: Seabream, Yellowtail, Scallop. Now, this is the kinda snatch that I want to motor boat. This was so tasty, I coulda ate 10 tile plates of these.

Tamago Brulee. It's cute that they burn in their logo and name on the egg cube... While it was really nice looking, it was OK in flavor and texture. IDK, maybe it coulda been a bit more sweeter.

Spicy Tuna Cilantro Temaki. I thought this was a boba tea in temaki form at first glance but the spicy tuna is under all those puff balls. It was a nice bite with a hint of heat... I kinda wanted something big and bold to finish off the last bite but everything sampled was pretty damn tasty so it was not a disappointment at all. 

Apple Black Tea Cheesecake. Straight from their Momonoki menu... And it's pretty much spot-on. I'm not a big dessert pouch but it was pretty good... I would have prefer something lighter like a sorbet to cleanse the palate after all these bites. Not a complaint just an opinion.

I miss Brush like a motherfucker but Cuddlefish may be a better concept and price point for this area. It's more casual and approachable for people who claim they are sushi connoisseurs but regularly eats at Ru San's.

316 Church Street

Decatur, GA 30030

https://www.cuddlefishatl.com/