Estrellita vs. Kamayan- Flip or Flop?

Let's face it... No one gives a shit about Filipino grub in this one horse town. Most pedestrians don't even know what a Filipino is. Seriously, just pick some schmuck off the street and ask them what a Filipino is. I once heard someone ask in a totally oblivious tone questioning themselves if that was some sort of musician. I was like, yes, they play the piano... But only at night because they are a nurse during the day. So many dummies, so little ammo. 

But anyhoo, let's get back on track here... It is very hard to find decent Filipino chow in this one horse town and there is less than a handful of places that offer anything that resembles their cuisine which is heavily Spanish inspired. You got Estrellita, Kamayan, Kuya and Adobo. We will skip the last two because Kuya is in the food court at the old Assi market which is barely Filipino and Adobo pop-ups are hard to track down and they only do bulk pricing... No fucking way I'm doing all that work to be disappointed.

Let's take a look at the two sit down restos and see if they will be a Flip or Flop... Get it? Since, they love chinelas aka slippers.

ESTRELLITA.
Located in Grant Park in a tiny space next to Manny's, this little shop always has a decent crowd. With all this hype they must be doing something right. The Pouch is at Manny's every Tuesday night for bike night but never had the chance to make it into this teenie weenie joint... But I went in early one weekend night to see what all the fuss was about. Let's sample a few dishes... 

Lechon Kawali, pork belly, slow brined in Filipino flavors, $16. It looked great at first glance but upon further inspection every single piece was pure fat, about 90% fat, 5% crispy skin and 5% meat... That sounds exactly like my body composition, just pure fat, uncanny! After two pieces, I had enough. Even the Mang Tomas did nothing to enhance these fat blobs. Total disappointment. 

Pork Adobo, pork belly sauteed onions, garlic and potatoes, slow simmered in classic adobo flavors, $17. When this came out, I was like "Bro, I don't work here, I think this family meal bowl belongs to the guy in the back corner picking his nose." Seriously, this entree was the size of a normal rice bowl you use at home. They charged $17 for this ridiculous bowl of slop. It had 4 pieces of fatty pork and 3 pieces of potato that tricked you into thinking they were pork. Maybe the two bay leaves were $5 a piece. There was no sauce and the pork was overcooked and dried out. It was like chewing fake dog poop. This was one of the worst adobos I have ever had. Skip it. I wanted to take off my slippers and smack someone for these two dismal specimen of iconic flip grub or at least that fly that kept landing on everything.

Filipino Fried Chicken (half), brined in citrus umami marinade, $16. That is a lot of loot for half a cheekan but after the first two abysmal dishes, this was a god send. The crust was super crispy and it wasn't thick, either. Just a perfect crunch and the meat was tender and juicy, maybe a tad on the greasy side. The banana ketchup was a nice touch for the fries. This was literally the highlight of the Filipino grub on this visit. But I ain't going back just for the cheekan because Popeyes is still better.

Side Salads, the other choices were rice and fries. This is probably the most ridiculous options for sides... But believe it or not the side salads were pretty good and satisfying and the heart of palm was a nice touch. Shit, if you were eating crappy gruel all night, salad would taste like foie gras with truffles and unicorn farts.

Verdict: FLOP! After spending $60+ for this disappointment, I would never come back here ever, again.

580 Woodward Ave DE

Atlanta, GA 30312

estrellitafilipino.com

KAMAYAN.

There has been a lot of hype with this Atlanta pop-up favorite since 2018... They finally landed a brick and mortar in Asian Square in the old Mary's Fresh Juice which you would think does fresh juices but it was basically an Asian bodega selling slippers, cosmetics, laxatives (jars of Ensure proudly stacked up), humidifiers, gadgets, knick-knacks, cell phone accessories, etc.. Let's face it, they were fencing stolen goods. Thank god a real restaurant took over the space. I heard good things about this place, but the Pouch is always skeptical when roundeyes brag about an Asian grub... Yes, they think Filipino cuisine is just like Chinese, Japanese or Korean grub. Whatever... It can't be as bad as Estrellita... Let's go all in!

Just a quick note- I like the space and how they decorated it but their ordering system is strange (almost fobby) and some will not like it. They have over a dozen staff members but no one will take your order, you scan the QR code that is specific to your table and order and pay on your phone/online and they bring the food out. I prefer to have a real menu because I'm sick of reading menus on my shitty tiny phone screen. It's time to get rid of the scan-the-menu on your phone bullshit. 

Pork Lumpia, sweet chili sauce, $6. Spring rolls should never cost $2+ a piece like at most places which usually turns out to be total garbage. But these lumpia were a decent size, really crispy and addictive. The chili sauce is not spicy but you gotta dip your roll in something and it does the job... And the pineapple is just a nice side note that shows they care about what they put out from the kitchen. This is a good start! 

Lechon Kawali, crispy pork belly, Mang Tomas, $16. Holy FUCK... Look at this glorious plate of chunky fatass pig. Shit, if they put lipstick on this, I might just start hoggin' again since that one party at college... Wait, I'm the fatfuck with low self-esteem waiting to be taken advantage of... The Pouch needs loving, too. But seriously, look at this sexy beast... Let's take a closer look...

Glamour close up shot... Shiiiiit... Just fucking gorgeous. Each giant chunk of pork belly had the perfect ratio of fat 10%, meat 80% and crispy skin 10%. What's that little tube stuck into that chunk you ask? Vinegar, of course, to cut down what little fat it was in those golden pork belly chunks. I must admit, this could be just a one off that I got lucky on this portion at this particular time and others could have gotten all fat and no meat. But I don't care, this is in front of me now and I'm eating the fuck outta it. This is one of the best lechon in this one horse town. Will see if this perfect execution will be repeated on the next visit. And of course the pineapple is just a nice bite to break down the fattiness on your palate. I'm still dreaming about this dish... Because I'm fat.

Baguio Beans, chilis, Philippine lime, $5. Is this for real? Five-fucking-dollars for all this? Whatever y'all do, DON'T fucking change a goddamn thing on this dish. It was perfectly crisp, juicy and dericious. The fried shallots and garlic on top gave it that extra kick in the tastebuds. This proves that fatsos eat veggies... And pineapple, too.

Chicken Adobo, soy sauce, sugarcane vinegar, peppercorn, bay leaves, $15. When the the server brought this out, I asked her if this was the adobo, she said, I don't know. I looked at this thing and said, I don't know, either. But yes, this was the adobo. With everything else looking and tasting so damn good so far this was kinda a let down. I know everyone and their lola's have their own family adobo recipe but this was way too watery. In my version, I reduce the soy and vinegar to a nice glaze to coat each piece of the protein (usually cheekan) of your choice and I add extra vinegar at the end just to give it an extra kick. The flavor of chicken was nice but it just didn't wow me like the other dishes so far. You will need a lot of rice to sop up all that brown juice. You know they fucked up when it didn't come with pineapple... Anyone have a Pen? Apple? PPAP?

Pak Pak Patis, Rufina fish sauce $8. Overpriced wings are fucking everywhere... Even when the prices of wings have came back all the way down to pre-VID levels. The supply chain for wings is back up and running but restos will continue to milk the idiots who continue to pay these ridiculous prices and keep the scam going as long as they can. I usually don't pay over a dollar for a regular old wing but if it is jazzed up with fish sauce and topped with vibrant garnish I can do it once and see if it warrants a second time. In this case, it does. There's 5 wings under all that garnish. They were crispy, pretty fat and seasoned well... I coulda used more fish sauce but you can ask them for a side of it to splash it on like cologne. You know it's good when it comes with pineapple!

Ube Churros, $5. OK, this does not come with pineapple but they were made fresh to order. The Ube (purple yam) glaze is what makes this unique. You have to eat them fresh and hot to get the maximum effect. Really good churros.

Ube Flan, $5. Holy shit, look at the gorgeous color of this flan and the girth, too... That's what she... Eh. It was silky smooth and tasted like heaven pillows... This is heaven, Larry, heaven. Only if it came with two pineapple to finish me off... Pump Pump Squirt.

Verdict: FLIP! I spent about the same amount here as with Estrellita and I got way more food here that tasted amazing and was fully satisfied. This will be on my regular rotation indefinitely because I need to try every dish on the menu. Lord, why am I so obeast?

5150 Buford Hwy NW 

A230

Doraville, GA 30340

https://kamayanatl.com/

Bun Factory

The Pouch is gonna do something different on this review... I'm gonna start with the most recent visit and work my way backwards to the first visit. Why? Mostly because I'm too lazy to write 3 reviews for the same joint. My stubby sausage fingers can't take all that punishment pounding on the keyboard... I might break the casing on my sausage stubs and squirt fat juices all over the keys due to the heat generated from typing more than 120 characters. Hmmm.. I just had a hot flash for a hot Eyetalian sausage and peppers hoagie. Back to work you lazy fat fuck! Your one reader and fan ain't getting any younger... In the Pouch's case, it ain't getting any skinner.

For the porkers who remember this location in the Pinetree Plaza, it was originally Chef Liu who moved from that trailer in the middle of the parking lot that Little Caesars now occupies. They were good when they were in that small latrine because they could control the volume and quality. Once, they moved to the larger space they shat the bed with their quality. And then eventually closed up and became Hot Melody... Which was a hot pot mess. That dump was a total shithole but the Yelpers ate that shit up like the usual pigs they are. They didn't last too long with the VID running amuck for 3 years. 

Then Bun Factory appeared from behind the mask with a plethora of Asian grubs. These motherfuckers had it all on their menu- dim sum, Cantonese, Sichuan, Malaysian, Thai and Gringo-Chino... A real crap-in-a-bowl kinda place. The only thing they don't have on their menu is a proper English Breakfast. But with time and new cooks coming and going they have removed a lot of the extra baggage cuisines. 

Take a gander at their online menu- It's full of wacky shit... Like: 

Pen Fired Pork Bun: They make pen sized flame-throwers? Need STAT.

Leek Zygote: I don't think I have ever fertilizer a leek before... A tube sock, yes, but a large green onion, no.

West Lake Beef Soup: I prefer the East Lake version, it's more funky with all the hobo seasoning.

Barman Tofu Hot Pot: I prefer Rye for a spicier broth.

Horn Pepper Beef Throat: I'll pass on this blowjob, even with your dick.

Distillers' Grains Fish Fillet: I prefer a Jack and Fish slushy from a Super Bass-O-Matic '76.

Let's go back in time like in the movie Tenent... This way I will lose weight instead of gaining it... 

The most recent and third visit...

Pickled Vegetable with Beef. Looks so fucking Americanized doesn't it? But when you're boozing the brown juice all day, this tastes like heaven. 

Seafood Tofu Hot Pot. It's really not a traditional Chino hot pot, it's more like crap in a bowl heated up. It's obvious that all the ingredients were cooked separately and then dumped into this warm bowl... But it still tasted pretty good.

Sauteed String Bean. Classic and dericious. Always get this.

Beef Chow Fun Wet. I don't do chowfun wet, ever, because it looks like a sloppy pussy... But there were a couple of geriatrics at the table and gumming their food was the preferred method because it's soft like wet gas station bathroom tissue paper. I pretended it was a noodle soup and it turned out pretty decent.

On the second visit, it was much better than the first visit... Went in for a quick lunch with most lunch items for $9.50 which were pretty tasty.

Fried Pork Buns... aka Pen Fired Pork Bun. The crispy crepe-like skirt was a bit darker than I would like but it was serviceable. But they only give you 4 buns.

Fried Fillet with Bitter Melon. This was a good dish. The fish was tender and the black bean sauce with bitter melon gave it that funky kick. 

Stir Fried Beef with String Bean. Can't go wrong with the beef and string bean combo.

Beef Chow Fun Dry. This is the proper way to eat chowfun, dry not wet. It needed a bit more seasoning but I still gobbled it up.

Mini Pork Soup Buns aka Soup Dumps. The skin is bit on the thicker side and the soup was lacking but if you need a soup dump fix this will do.

Mapo Tofu. Ok, now this looks really good. Big chunks of soft tofu with a vibrant bright red chili sauce. I 

On the first visit, things didn't goes as well.. 

Soup Dumps. The skins were too thick and not enough soup but the pork filling was pretty hefty. Drown in black vinegar and it tastes so much better.

Fried Pork Buns. The crispy skirt had pretty decent color but the quantity of four buns was kinda a let down. It was acceptable overall.

Fried Saltwater Pork Angle (aka ham sui gok). This is a classic dim sum dish but their literal translation makes it sound fucking awful... And they tasted even worse. The give away was the crust, which was way too thick, overcooked and hard as a rock. They used the wrong glutinous rice flour. Let's take a look inside and why this was a total failure.

This looked like a failed boob job in Tijuana. They couldn't even get the nipple back on... Who the fuck wants to suck on that gelatinous blob... The pork filling was actually ok but the packaging was all wrong. I told the server about this abomination and he was nice enough to take it off the bill. He should have known better when he brought this out but I bet he thought I didn't know any better or just to wanted to see if I noticed.

Eggplant with Garlic Sauce. This is a good looking dish. The Japanese eggplant were just beautiful, shiny bright purple along with a plethora of other veggies. This is one dish that doesn't need meat. 

Beef Chow Fun Dry. I had to get this classic on the first visit to see what they can do and this first swing was a foul ball... The color was dull, the beef slices were tough and the flavor was bland. It had all the components but they couldn't pull it off. What a disappointment.

Overall, all visits averaged out to be acceptable... I would come back and try more dishes. Hopefully, they have worked out the kinks and all the dishes prepared becomes more consistent... But  I'm still skeptical of the "dim sum" offerings...

5283 Buford Highway, Doraville, GA 30340

https://www.bunfactorydoraville.com/

LanZhou Ramen- Revisit

Why the fuck do I do this to myself? I keep coming back here as a goof just to see the ratio between roundeyes and slants. I look on Facebook, errr, Meta and all these crackers are marking themselves safe at LanZhou Ramen. Fucking pale skins. This place was such a gem when it first opened and the ex-pats were coming in droves to get some damn dericious knife sliced noodles. Anyone in the know will never order the regular old hand pulled spaghetti noodles... They don't hold sauce, broth or flavor well. Shit, I have never seen a real Eyetalian ever eat plain old spaghetti because they don't grab the sauce. So, after a year or two of noodle heaven, some fucking mook on Yelp or Eater posted that LanZhou was safe for the pedestrians and they started to infest this beloved noodle joint... To the point of no return. I stopped coming here for months because it looked like the waiting area of P.F.-fucking-Chang's with scores of homely Dragon-Con looking motherfuckers waiting to slobber away on the Chino spaghetti. I waited prolly a year before coming back here and while it was still filled with roundeyes, the volume was not as crazy.

I surveyed the perimeter and noticed all the gwailos ordering the same exact thing... Standard beef with thin noodle soup. And I mean all of them. There was a father and son, same fucking beef thin noodle soup. Fat cosplay furry hybrid creasture, fucking beef thin noodle bowl but with a side of flied lice... Fucking fried rice, make that shit at home, bro. A gaggle of pubescent broads texting each other at the table on what to order like they were coordinating outfits... Guess what they end up ordering? Fucking beef thin noodle soup because they have to be on the same level playing field just in case cute boys walk in... Sadly, one of the bros will have to take one for the team and jump on the grenade with the muffin top one. A Brookhaven family of four, ordered two of the same fucking thin noodle veggie stir fried noodle. Have any of these mooks ever heard of family style and variety? Obviously, fucking no. 

Let's hope the grub is still acceptable... So, I went twice within a couple of weeks apart to make sure they were still consistent.

Sliced Beef and Ox Tripe in Chili Sauce. Thank 8 lbs 6 oz baby Jesus that only the ex-pats orders this dericious app. They say it's beef and tripe but it is actually beef and tendon... Even better, ese! This is still spot-on and the portion is generous... Only comment would be it could be spicier. They do have chili sauce to drown it as much as your heart desires.

Chive Pocket Buns. These are basically Chino Hot Pockets. Great looking dough/crust and the filling was super chivey and I think there were bits of pork in there. I ate this so damn fast can't remember all the detz. But it's a tasty snack.

Shranghai Pan Fried Pork Bun. These are usually hit or miss... Because they either burn the fucking crepe-like crust or it comes out all broken. This exhibit was totally acceptable but they got real fucking chintzy and give you 5 now instead of 6. Still worth it I guess... But the red-headed stepchild at the table doesn't get one.

Dry Fried String Beans. They have this dish pretty much on auto pilot... As good as ever.

Beef Tendon Knife Sliced Noodle Soup. Look at those ribbons of glutenous love. These noodles hold flavor so much better. There was a good amount of chunky tender tendon in there. The broth is still pretty good and savory. Not too watered down. Still a great bowl on a chilly day.

Beef Stir Fried Knife Sliced Noodle. Always have to get a stir fry nood dish... I know what y'all are thinking... Where's the beef? Chill out, Wendy, it's in there... They were all piled underneath the ribbons of noodles. Everything was correct on this except the goddamn broccoli. It wouldn't kill you to use gai-lan or Shranghai bok-choy.

On another previous visit...

Steamed Soup Dumplings. If you need a quick fix, these will do. The skin is a bit on the thicker side but the soup and pork inside were hot and juicy and pretty good flavor. I would probably get sucka'd in on these soupy dumps, again.

Shranghai Pan Fried Pork Bun. It looks like it has leprosy. Big open sores throughout the crepe crust. It was crispy and the bun was good. It's always hit or miss with the crispy crust... They really need to get consistent on these... Because it's so IG-able.

Ox Tail Hand Pulled Noodle Soup. This is still one of the best noodle soups. The ox tail is plentiful and with a good bit of meat. I love digging for meat in all the crevices like I was picking my snout. Ok, if y'all were paying attention, this bowl had the thin pulled noodles... Guess who ordered it? A roundeye... Because they wanted variety instead of all knife sliced. I get it, bro... It was still good... Just for this one time. 

Lamb Knife Sliced Noodle Soup. This is more fucking like it! Chunks of lamb and thick ribbons... Damn this was guud. I wished they made a combo with lamb and tendon, that shit would be fire.

Pork Stir Fried Knife Sliced Noodle. I don't think I have ever ordered the classic bbq pork stir fried noodz... Because it's so common. Well, here it is and I must say it was pretty tasty. Would I order it again? Meh. Only if there was a redhead or blonde at the table.

Dry Fried String Beans. Of course, I had to order this... This is a must have on every visit. My mama mama mama san says you gotta eats yo veggies. It's always so vibrant and the crunch is spot-on.

Well, I have been here twice within 2 weeks apart and it looks like the gringos are finally waning off this noodle joint. Keep up the good work, gwailos. It was so unbearable coming here after the hype but the "influencers" got new authentic noodle joints to follow and IG about... Wagamama and Silverlake Ramen... Flush.

5231 Buford Hwy NE

Doraville, GA 30340

Whoopsie's

The era of the VID plandemic has been hellacious for the service industry... Especially, bars. This fat fuck had to drink alone at home and cry my-bloated-pouch-self to sleep every goddamn night for 3 years straight. An unprecedented amount of bars, restaurants and mom & pop shops shuttered around the nation and world during the scumbag authoritarian mandates and shutdowns. And in the wake after COVID, many new restaurants and bars started to open up but the only problem was they were all garbage. Not a fucking original thought, they all looked like franchised corporate bullshit. The menus were all full of overpriced low rent ingredients due to supply chain issues and inflation from re-opening demand. These chintzy motherfuckers all thought that people's palates were so dumb downed because a lot of people lost their taste from the VID and it was easy pickins' like shooting fish in a barrel. Let's keep charging $3 a wing (AKA Mkt Price) and see what dumb motherfucker will take the bait... And this was when wing prices started coming back down drastically like back to $6 for a 2.5 lb bag. Look at all the menus today and nothing has come back down... Not even fucking Mickey Deez dollar menu, you can't get shit for a dollar anymore. OK, maybe you can get a burger for a $1 at Salt Bae Burger giant liquidation in NYC... Everything Must Go! Including the sweaty salt grains that dropped from his elbow skin into his Z Cavaricci pants. Is it just me or does that mook kinda look like the demonspawn of Boris the Animal and Lilly from MIB? 

Let's get back on track here... Sooo, this tiny new bar opened quietly a few months ago and didn't get much media attention and it almost seemed like they didn't want it... They don't even have a website. But it didn't take long for them to get noticed through word of mouth. This was and is the type of bar that I love. Small, intimate, no fancy menu, no secret password or door that you have to go through a phone booth or bookshelf, decor like it came from a yard sale, they just focus on awesome cocktails and light and heavy snacks... Sold! Sign me up, mofos. Even with all the car traffic on Moreland, you would think it would be packed from opening to closing but if you look around, it ain't the best walking neighborhood in this stretch of Reynoldstown or Hobostown. But I fucking love it just the way they are... Just carry a 1911 or a couple of 9mm. BTW- they have a small parking lot around back but you can also park on the side streets.

Let's take a first look...

The cocktail/food menu is on a piece of paper which I love the simplicity but you are not limited to just what's on the one pager... Tim will make you pretty much anything you want. I just told him to mix it up and I will drink it. I really wanted to drink out of that one solo golden goblet hanging with the other glasses but he said that belonged to a VIP.. I can only assume it was Jesus' chalice. I sampled a few cocktails and they were all good and it changes regularly on the menu.

Old Fashioned. Of course, I got the tried and true classic... And they did it right with no muddling. Only amateurs muddle an OF. The Pouch approves. 

Champagne Velvet... The Beer with the Million Dollar Flavor with a Million Pesos Price. And they don't rip you off by upcharging this tall boy with a double digit price tag like other bars.  

Southern Snack Tray. When I was designing my menu a few years ago, I had an awesome item called the "In-Flight" meal and it changed monthly depending on where we were flying to and from. A lot of people have stolen the idea with these cafeteria trays... But I don't care and this snack tray was a lot of fun. Everyone loves to have an assortment of things to nibble on with different flavors, textures and mouthfeels. This was a winner or is that pronounced wiener... And I would slide it down my facehole if it was on the tray.

Burrata and Beets. Just a gorgeous dish.. The colors, presentation and taste was just spot-on.

Prime Rib. Jurassic Park just called... They want their brontosaurus back. Fred Flintstone is in da muddafukkin hizzah! Look at that juicy moist manmeat... I just squirted a lil in my underpants. That is a big fucking piece of meat, yo! And I wonder why I'm so obeast... BMI stands for Big Meaty Indulgence. Scientists use a merry-go-round to measure my body fat. Look at this beautiful specimen... There will be no doggy bag for this today. It's was succulent, tender, and juicy. The secret to eating this much meat is to cut small pieces of the gelatinous fat with eat bite of the meat which takes it to another level. The horseradish sauce is a bit runny but you don't even need it with all that savory jus pooling around Peter North's girthy flesh log. You can seriously feed 3 normal sized humans but this was just enough for one Marsupial Pouch. I don't eat prime rib often but shit, this was worth the price of admission. Then I rushed back home to evacuate my bowels and implode the plumbing...

This is one of my favorite new bars... It's a dive bar with class. And don't you fuckers ruin this joint for me... Or I will start writing up Daiquiri Factory, Moondogs, Johnny's Hideaway and Mr. C's as my favorite go-to watering holes.

Pump pump squirt..

1 Moreland Ave SE

Suite C

Atlanta, GA 30316

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/