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Community Corner

Eating My Way Through University City: Blue Ocean Sushi

University City resident Natalie McLaury writes a food and recipe blog called The Sweets Life.

For over two years now, my husband Ryan and I have spotted the Blue Ocean Sushi sign in the Loop and have often mentioned stopping in sometime for sushi. It wasn’t until last Friday night when we were biking on Delmar that we noticed that Blue Ocean had switched locations and was now situated where used to be (6335 Delmar). We made an impromptu decision to change our dinner plans and finally check out Blue Ocean Sushi. We were lured in by the empty tables outside, promising both immediate seating at 6:30 pm on a Friday night and outdoors at that, our favorite feature of summer dining.

Our server provided us with waters and menus and within ten minutes we had selected four sushi rolls to share for our meal. Though there are a number of non-sushi dishes on their menu, we overlooked those and ordered two regular rolls (Shrimp and Cucumber, Spicy Tuna Avocado) and two special rolls (Beachy roll and Dragon roll). We were particularly drawn to the special rolls, which featured new-to-us touches such as the eel and sweet potato topping on the Dragon Roll. 

Because a restaurant review is only beneficial if honest, I must say it’s then that our dining experience went downhill. We patiently waited for our sushi to arrive, soaking in the sights and the sounds that abound on a Friday night in the Loop. Twenty minutes passed, then thirty. The restaurant began to fill up both inside and out, with a number of parties waiting on the sidewalk. Another ten minutes passed and our server came by to deliver a complimentary broth and pickled cucumber dish to each of us, promising that our food was on its way out.

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Long after the broth had turned cold, we were still waiting for our order. After several more minutes, our food finally arrived and we hungrily dug in. Blue Ocean deserves points for their sushi presentation: each roll was well wrapped and obviously made with care. In terms of taste, we were satisfied. The rice to filling ratio was good and we enjoyed the flavor of each roll. Disappointingly, the sweet potato that I had looked forward to on my Dragon Roll was mysteriously absent. When I questioned the server, he apologized and offered a discount (which we did not receive when the bill came).

I don’t want to completely deter you from a meal at Blue Ocean. With only two months under their belt in a new location and, from what we could tell, new management and staff, it’s possible they are still figuring out the ropes. Given the care required to make sushi, a wait is always expected…but hopefully they will work out their kinks and more speedily serve customers from here on out. Takeout is available, which I recommend if you don’t have time for a leisurely dinner.

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With limited sushi options in University City, Blue Ocean Sushi should not be forgotten…just be prepared to wait, especially on a weekend!

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