MOIRA Sushi Bar and Kitchen

it's been a long while since we've had sushi, so we decided to head out on the town and enjoy an evening of some good raw fish. but we didn't want to hit up our usual spot because the wait is too long and so we discussed a few other places, but finally decided on MOIRA. located in downtown phoenix, this hip little jive joint was everything we were hoping for in a new sushi spot.

when we walked in the decor was immediately eye catching; but in a "ooh, this gonna be a cool chill spot to relax and enjoy our time together" sort of a way. the highly modern but slightly retro feel to the place was accentuated by the blue under lights below the bar, the red globe lights against a dark wood grain wall, and the lights which i would consider "buddha inspired." the stainless steel, sloped false ceiling above the bar/kitchen area was a bold and yet complimentary element in the restaurant.

but we're not here to just discuss the restaurant, you wanna hear about the food...so here it is.

happy hour goes until 7. we highly recommend making it there during happy hour. most places, and particularly sushi places, have only a handful of items that most people don't want anyway on their happy hour menu. not MOIRA. this place has a load of different types of sushi during happy hour. as a matter of fact, had we not ordered a roll after 7pm we would have gotten away with about $30 worth of sushi...about 5 rolls. and unless your king kong, 5 rolls is usually enough for two people. so get there during happy hour and save yourself some gas money.

but seriously, the sushi. we ordered some fried tofu, a dish called rock shrimp, a vegas roll, a philly roll and a white blossom roll. the tofu was okay, but reminded us of chicken mcnuggets in the way that they were formed and battered. it was okay, but we might pass on it next time. the rock shrimp was nothing short of phenomenally delicious! the carrot and radish shreds and the orange sauce on the bite size pieces of shrimp was amazing. usually, when we get a vegas roll we get pieces that warrant two bites. but MOIRA was smart in making them with just enough batter to make them crunchy and small enough that you did lose half your roll down your shirt biting it in half. MOIRA has the best vegas rolls we've had to date. the philly roll was a typical philly roll, but it had the right amount of cream cheese to taste the freshness of the fish. it was very good! and then there was the white blossom roll. this thing was heaven on a plate for me. crab filled roll with baked scallops on top and a slightly spicy cream sauce. the first bite had a bit of sweetness then left a lingering spiciness on the palette. i believe it to be one of the best rolls i've ever eaten.

after the happy hour round of rolls, we decided that we could eat one more roll. so we asked our server what he recommended. without skipping a beat he said the zu roll. then he rattled off about 3 more, but we decided on the zu roll. and i'm sooooo thankful that we did. the zu roll is red peppers, cream cheese rolled in nori, flash fried, topped w/ tuna & lotus chips. holy cow was this a tasty roll! and what a way to end the meal! it's a filling roll, but trust me, you'll wanna save some room for this one.

so we had to have something to drink at dinner. my wife ordered the plum wine which she found to be above par. she loved it, and i loved it because it too was on the happy hour menu! i'm always a sucker for thai tea, so that's what i had. i loved it and found it too be quite tasty, not the best ever, but tasty nonetheless.

out of 5 possible sporks we give MOIRA 4. why 4? the tofu was so-so...so perhaps it warrants a bit more than 4, but believe me if your tired of the usual sushi spots in the valley, MOIRA is the place to go. you'll dig the vibe and the food will be loved by your taste buds.

MOIRA Sushi Bar and Kitchen

215 east mckinley

suite 102

phoenix 85004