By Samantha Taylor
Pure Health Studios
I don’t know much about sushi, but what I do know is that when I get a sushi roll, I prefer brown rice instead of white. A sushi place that offers brown rice? That’s going to be hard to find.
I like choosing brown rice because it’s more nutritious than white rice. Brown rice doesn’t tend to spike the blood sugar levels as much because it has three grams more fiber, more nutrients and five grams more protein per serving.
My search led me to Rice and Roll in Lutz on Dale Mabry at the corner of W. Lutz-Lake Fern Road, by Publix. It is an adorable, quaint place that is owned by sushi chef Jack Yip, who is meticulous about the restaurant and its food.
He is a real nice guy and takes pride in sourcing only triple A-Grade fish, which is the highest-quality fish in the market, but also the highest quality rice available. He oversees the preparation of their fish and other dishes to ensure that it is always the cleanest and freshest possible.
I tested out two kinds of sushi, the Philadelphia roll and the omega roll.
The Philadelphia roll consists of smoked Norwegian salmon, cucumbers and cream cheese. You can tell them to go light on the cream cheese; it would still be yummy even if you cut out a few calories.
Whenever I have sushi, I like dipping it in low-sodium soy sauce with spicy wasabi – a surefire combination to give my sushi a great kick. The Philadelphia roll has a great balance of healthy, tasty and some fat from all its components.
The omega roll is Yip’s source of pride as he came up with it himself, knowing that omega-3s are very good for the body. It is sushi made out of smoked Norweigen salmon, tuna, avocado and cucumber, but brown rice — make sure you get it, too. The omega roll looked almost too beautiful to eat, but I’m glad I tried it, as it was really delectable.
If you want to be the most cautious about your calories, order their miso soup or a small salad, eat half the omega roll and save the rest for later. Make sure though that you refrigerate your leftovers immediately and remember that sushi needs to be eaten within one to two days of purchase.
I was really impressed with how hands-on Yip is with his restaurant. He puts in time and effort into where he gets their fish and rice and also into preparing it. More than that, as Yip himself said, all of this care comes from really putting his heart into his business.
In addition to Rice and Roll’s food and owner, the atmosphere is also commendable. It is adorably laid out with great décor and the booths are spaced in a way to give a private feel to it. Oh, and they play great music that makes it all the more enjoyable. Yip has done a great job of putting this place together and I’ll be visiting often!
