Sushi Ya

Several locations throughout the city

5$-20$ per person with soft drink

 

Fast n’ Furious Sushi

 

The name really does say it all: Sushi YA (which translates to sushi NOW). Qualified as a fast food sushi, you could conclude falsely that the sushi is no good, but this is definitely not the case. With a smaller menu than another sushi chain in the capital, their view seems to be “less but better”, executing every single one of their dishes well and consistently. There are the classic rolls like the Spicy Tuna (wrapped in sheets of delicate, sweet, creamy avocado), or their pure inventions like the standout Fiesta Shrimp (delectable panko fried shrimp with ripe plantains and avocado). Their rice tasted fresh, the sauces were good and complemented the dishes perfectly and weren’t overpowering of the delicate flavours.


One of their triumphs, for me, is getting the seasoning for the wakame salad just right, although they are overly generous with the avocado, making the dish a touch too heavy (option to ask for it with none or half of the normal amount of avocado). The dressing is zingy while still being earthy. The seaweed tastes crunchy and ozony. The shades of brilliant greens excites the palate and prepares you for every bite of salty-sweet, crunchy, slippery goodness.

Their menu is not very long, but well thought out, even with a child’s section (although regrettably, it is never available!). The decor is a modern mcdonald’s type take on a sushi house, with every table neat, small, yet perfectly formed. Food is relatively cheap, yet good, the ingredients are fresh, the only thing that left a lot to be desired is the service. Clumsy and a little slow, it left me wishing that they paid their staff a little more.

If you are going to be 2 or more (or want more than one meal out of it), I highly recommend sharing a sushi platter, which includes 2 rolls (California and spicy tuna, although I usually change out the uninspiring California for another roll, costing me a mere 50 pesos extra), a generous portion of tuna and salmon sashimi on top of shredded carrot along with a solitary nigiri. The value is incredible at a mere 315 pesos + tax (about $10), and you can quite easily share it between two hungry souls and have a little left over for snack.


All in all, it has swayed me as my sushi place of choice, winning my taste buds over Yokomo, which of late have been getting cocky with their success, churning out less-than-best dishes and an overly elaborate menu, poorly executed.


If only they offered more comfortable chairs, I would spend many a weeknight nursing a beer, with a couple of friends, regaling ourselves with tasty morsels.


Until next time: be good, be merry and most important of all, happy.

Peperoni Review

Ensanche La Julia, Plaza Universitaria

Santo Domingo

$40-$80 per person with wine

What’s in a name?

The first time I was told that I was going to “Peperoni” I was deceptively deflated. The name evoked bad New York Pizzerias with eggy crusts and fake cheese... but not so. I arrived to an absolutely breathtaking patio, completely bustling that Wednesday evening with a pack of extremely well dressed women, some of a certain age, others not so much, and distinguished men.


While the outside terrace is beautiful, airy, complete with a royal palm jutting out near the diners (a 20 ft palm), the tables it is to be said, are slightly rickety. But the service is impeccable. The maitre d’hôte proceeded to change my table immediately, and carry over all the drinks, appetizers, even cell phones, that were left on the table. The white wine was crisp and cold with a choice of two (a chardonnay and a sauvignon blanc) by the glass, and one red (a cabernet sauvignon, decent but not stellar), as well as a well rounded wine menu by the bottle, with choices of French, Spanish, Chilean, Californian, and nicely enough, Italian wines.


The menu exhibits the classic fare of most upper class restaurants in Santo Domingo, with an interesting imaginative twist to each dish. They are a little heavy on the oil in my taste (in every dish I tried), but the flavours are well thought out, interesting and most importantly, delicious.


The stand outs are the calamari salad, a steal at 600 pesos, enough to feed a family of 3 quite generously, with an absolutely impeccable mix of salad leaves and red cabbage with bitter and crunchy chicory giving the dish character, enabling the chef to use a heavier dressing that perfectly complements the airily crisp fried calamari. The dressing is heavy on the sesame oil and has a distinctive “Asian” quality, while still keeping it Italian, almost like the Italian’s version of what Asian should be. It is rich yet light, generous and elegant, savoury and crunchy. Really, everything you could ever want from a salad. The calamari come fried or grilled upon request. The peperoni roll is their take on sushi, with quite frankly, impeccable flavours, the smoked salmon is distinctive yet not overpowering, the rice perfectly cooked and seasoned and the presentation classic and modern. The salmon dishes on the menu all come with a choice of doneness (not yet de rigueur in these parts of the world) and are fresh. As for dessert, not to be missed is the chocolate souffle. To be ordered 25 minutes in advance, and worth every single instant waiting. It’s rich, unctuous, with a liquid chocolate centre, served with a vanilla ice cream (in my opinion, if heaven doesn’t have chocolate and ice cream, I want to stay on earth).


All in all, service is excellent. The inside decor is a little stuffy and dark for my taste (dark wood and badly organised seating that make it often impossible to get to your seat without knocking into another old dear). The bar being incredibly small, make a reservation! Or you will have the unfortunate experience of being in the way of every server out of the kitchen and every guest on their way to the bathroom trying to get past you. The portions are unapologetically generous, most being enough for 2 or 3 people: this is definitely a place to being friends to share a few dishes. The ambiance reminds me of glamour and class, while still being fresh, very much like a Caribbean New York. The outside terrace is honestly the best spot to be seated (even with the lack of air conditioning), between the fairy lights in the bushes, the view of the street and the fashion display of your fellow diners, you are bound to be entertained, well fed, and best of all, feel like a little piece of a greatly directed movie.

Look at My Face

Lets put it this way: I have recently over-done the retinoids due to... well, habits that do not agree with fair, dry skin like I have.

I have  policy for face masks and treatments: it takes a lot for me to put something on my face that I wouldn't eat because A- my skin is very sensitive and B- no trust in the beauty industry.

Here is my skin brightening steps that I took today...

Wash face with baby shampoo (great, hidden beauty trick), rinse thoroughly
Halve a tomato, dip in granulated sugar, scrub whole face toroughly with your tomato scrubber :)
Let soak in for 5-10 minutes
Rinse thoroughly
Make my Oatly Perfecting Mask:
1 tbsp of oat flour
1 tsp of honey
1 tsp of natural yogurt

Mix well into a paste, apply to dried face, let soak in for 10-20 minutes, rinse thoroughly with cold water
While face is still wet, apply good olive oil to seal in moisture.
Admire your perfect complexion :)