Shalala - Menu

Having lived in Mexico for nearly six years, I am well aware that decent sushi is hard to come by in this country. After I read the reviews for Shalala earlier... read more Having lived in Mexico for nearly six years, I am well aware that decent sushi is hard to come by in this country. After I read the reviews for Shalala earlier this evening, however, I figured it was worth a shot. The strong reviews, and the fact that it was owned and operated by a Japanese chef, were encouraging.Everything we ordered was disappointing, with the exception of the cold sake. The mixed platter of sashimi was cut ridiculously thin (think raw bacon strips) and simply laid out over a plate -- obviously no thought to presentation. The robalo and salmon were fresh but the tuna tasted old and bad and so we left most of it. The Negi Don dish was unfortunately made with tuna as well, and it while it was served in an attractive bowl and was edible, not much more positive can be said about it. The spicy tuna roll (an item praised in reviews on this site) lacked flavor and was not spicy in the least. It even had cream cheese in the center, a telltale sign if there ever was one of unserious sushi.The Japanese owner does not cut the fish himself but instead patrols the restaurant with a scowl on his face. I smiled at him when I first saw him but his grim visage did not flinch. At one point my partner asked him if they had low sodium soy sauce and he assured him the bottle on the table was indeed low sodium (it had a red, not green, cap and was not marked low sodium). No pesky questions permitted, I guess.The food was reasonably priced, it was just below average quality on balance. Maybe the ramen dishes are the thing people come here for.

We had dinner here and sat outside people watching with a beer which was great. My boyfriend's ramen was awesome and the soup and seaweed salad I got were also... read more We had dinner here and sat outside people watching with a beer which was great. My boyfriend's ramen was awesome and the soup and seaweed salad I got were also delicious. Super filling portions, healthy tasty food, good prices.