Oregon Sushi Restaurant Review

Sushi Ninja
411 NE 3rd St
McMinnville OR 97128
503-474-0744

Wednesday, June 4, 2003
UPDATED Friday, February 10, 2006

For more than ten years, there was only one Japanese restaurant in McMinnville: Kame, on Evans Street.

Then a new place, Sushi Ninja, opened in December 2002. I've eaten here several times, usually by myself, but once with my boss, and at least twice with friends. In fact, I was actually here on opening night. A month or so later, ownership changed hands, but the menu remained basically the same. Service can be a little slow sometimes, but it's always courteous, as is Yi Kim, the knowledgeable owner and head sushi chef.

Lately, my usual plan is to get the $19.95 Combination Dinner, which includes miso soup, green salad, rice with wakame and sesame seed garnish, shrimp and vegetable tempura, "Japanese chicken nuggets," baked scallops, six pieces of California roll, whatever the daily special is, and the main dish (your choice of chicken, beef, or salmon teriyaki, or tonkatsu). It's a lot of food, and for the most part it's consistently good. I prefer the salmon teriyaki, which is always tender. The tonkatsu is sometimes dry, as can be the panko-battered "Japanese chicken nuggets." I would prefer these to be a little more tender and juicy, like their salmon or chicken teriyaki.

Compared to Kame, Sushi Ninja's tempura seems to retain its crispiness better after being dipped in the sauce. It's also flakier and less greasy to the touch, meaning that it is easier to eat with the fingers.

However, in my opinion, Kame's sushi has always been superior. Kame's portions are also slightly larger, and the freshness and flavor have always been consistently excellent. That being said, since I'm so fond of Sushi Ninja's combo plates, it's been quite a while since I've had just their sushi or sashimi, so it may have improved. I need to come back and focus on sushi before I can finalize my review.

UPDATE: Friday, February 10, 2006

I came here for lunch today, and ordered four rolls for take-out. Tempura Shrimp, Spicy Tuna, Spider Roll (soft-shell crab tempura), and Ninja Roll (which contains salmon, then the whole roll is coated with tempura batter and deep fried). Yeah, I know, that's a lot of sushi for "lunch," and pretty heavy with all that tempura. All were good, though not spectacular. Portion sizes were reasonable for the price.

In the years since my previous visits, I've noticed a decline in the atmosphere here. Instead of printed menus, there are large reader boards behind the counter, with numbered photos. Diners walk in, order by item number, and (usually) take their meals to go. There are a number of tables, but the emphasis seems to be on take-out. Even the tea and miso soup are self-serve, from large coffee-pot style urns.

The huge bento dinner combos I used to enjoy are absent from the menu, replaced by smaller entrees. Nine sushi rolls range from $3.99 to $6.99; nigiri (only three choices listed on the reader board) from $2.99 to $3.99 per pair. Numerous teriyakis, noodle dishes, tempuras, and assorted lunch bentos top out at $8.99.

Admittedly, I'm rather jaded, but Kame (which is open only for dinner) still wins hands down for the best and most authentic Japanese food in McMinnville. However, Sushi Ninja does offer the best lunch bento choices in town (far better than the AFC Sushi counter at the newly-remodeled Roth's IGA), and is a good choice for mid-day take-out.