I love sushi.
And when I say “I love sushi” I mean that I could happily live out the rest of my life having sushi for breakfast, lunch, dinner, teatime, snack-time, Thanksgiving, midnight munchies… Oh, and second breakfast, too.
So when I heard about the Sus Hi Eatstation in eastern Orlando, you might say my curiosity was rather piqued. Here was a little shop-side, take-out-or-dine-in, sushi eatery. With expressive, enthusiastic staff members and a wide variety of proteins, bases, and toppings to craft your own sushi, Sus Hi Eatstation appears to be the child of a successful marriage between Panda Express and Kobe Japanese Steakhouse.
As I stood in line, baffled by whether to choose salmon or tuna, mango or scallions, white or eel sauce, I was politely reminded that I could choose as many ingredients as I wanted at no additional cost (with only a few exceptions).
My first visit to Sus Hi yielded a white rice bowl with salmon and tuna, scallions, mangos, cream cheese, tempura flakes, cheese (melted, I’ll get to that later), avocado, pickled ginger, peanuts, and bacon, and topped with eel and white sauce. Yes, it tasted as good as it sounds. Each ingredient dripped of freshness and tasted equivocally crisp. Since then, I have returned time and again to satisfy my sushi needs.
But what’s nice about Sus Hi is that the customization is nearly endless. Their menus proudly state, “We will accommodate YOUR STYLE” and, boy, do they mean it. Want more than one protein in your mix? No problem. You can have up to three at no additional costs. Want cream cheese with that? It’s also free. Want a sauce… or two… or three? All free. In fact, the only additional costs come from such specialties as avocado, masago, and seaweed salad. You can tempura anything—rolls, wraps, proteins, avocado, anything—for only one additional dollar. If you love your toppings and sauces on thick, Sus Hi offers over twenty of each in order to satisfy your inner ninja.
Not only that, but Sus Hi is crafted with the individual in mind. If you’re vegan, Sus Hi offers a wide-ranged variety of vegan and vegetarian options, even citing on their menus that “Most ingredients are vegetarian and many are vegan.” Sus Hi even offers a special “Vegan Ninja” roll.
For those seeking apatizers, Sus Hi provides such sides as edamame, miso soup, egg rolls, krab rangoons, and more. My personal go-to is their Loaded Rice Fries, which are deep free rice/seaweed patties sprinkled with bacon and scallions, then blowtorched with melted cheese. Jalapenos optional!
What makes Sus Hi an experience, however, is its Eatstation culture. When you step into Sus Hi, you are immediately pulled into a roleplay of sorts where you are the ninja and the staff are eager to serve; I’m not joking. Staff members are literally required to address you—the customer—as “ninja.” As in, “How can I help you, ninja?” and “May I have the next ninja, please?” If you happen to want your cheese melted, the staff member will whip out a mini blowtorch and flame your calcium-coated dish, while shouting “Fire!” Whether or not you’re in the roleplaying mood, Sus Hi staff are happy to serve, and the barrage of panoramic sushi photography and dining-table-sized shiruken plastered on the ceiling (or embedded in the wooden signs hanging from the roof) certainly help convey that “ninja” spirit.
Sus Hi is all about fun and experience. The food is grand, the variety is nearly endless, and the price is right. If you take courses at UCF, or are in the Orlando area, this is an ideal place to stop for lunch or dinner. Next time you feel the craving for sushi—rolled traditionally, loose in the bowl, bundled in a wrap, or otherwise—tie on your ninja headband and head to Sus Hi.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes