Raw: Sushi in the Sky (Lough Atalia Rd)

dr.bollocko

inisboffin wrote: »

A friend of a friend rang and booked a few people for lunch at RAW, but arrived to find it closed! He reckons there was a language barrier and that was the problem.

I popped in to WA cafe again the other day. I always praise their little nibbles and miso, but bemoan the fact that I can't get a selection of raw fish sushi there. Well I was pleasantly surprised to see they have expanded their raw fish menu. While not huge, there is at least 3 or 4 raw fish options on there, and I have to say, the nigiri plate was delicious! The fish was some of the freshest and mouth melty I have ever had.

Wonder if competition has nudged them in that direction, either way I will be popping in more often now.

Back to RAW, I will give them a try anyway, don't like the sound of airport lounge vibe, but at least the food sounded promising.

Wa Cafe have been doing mixed nigiri plates for quite a while now before Raw was around, so I don't think it's in response to competition.
It has a more relaxed vibe. I'd pop in there most weeks for a cup of miso and usually get a plate of salmon nigiri.
They did a sushi demo today in the festival tent and I popped in after for a salmon roll and it was absolutely chockablock.

inisboffin

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Wa Cafe have been doing mixed nigiri plates for quite a while now before Raw was around, so I don't think it's in response to competition.
It has a more relaxed vibe. I'd pop in there most weeks for a cup of miso and usually get a plate of salmon nigiri.
They did a sushi demo today in the festival tent and I popped in after for a salmon roll and it was absolutely chockablock.

Hmmm, maybe time has looped me a bit, but the last time I was in, there was only really limited nigiri options, usually one fish, usually salmon, and they often had run out by 4 on a weekend. That was less than 6 months ago. Another person who was in at a table when we were in remarked on their 'new bigger menu', so I thought it was even more recent than the last couple of months. I know for a fact that they have been listening to feedback though, particularly about raw fish choices. And the word has been out among the culinary community about RAW for a while apparently. Either way, I am delighted that they have a larger selection, and I agree about the vibe, nice place!

beardybrewer

What better day to try a new sushi restaurant than Friday the 13th? Both long time sushi fans, my wife and I were very excited to see proper sushi arrive in Galway. Having lived abroad we enjoyed sushi every week for many years before returning to Ireland. Now we wait for holidays abroad or trips to Dublin to scratch that sushi itch. Having been several months since our last sushi it wouldn’t take much for that itch to be scratched. We both approached this experience as doting parents with the knowledge that RAW is still in its infancy.

After ascending to the 4th floor of the Radisson we were warmly greeted and offered a coat check. We requested a window seat and were obliged with a simple table for two with a lovely view of the bay and burren beyond (although you must look past the industrial docklands to appreciate it). The décor was simple and tasteful, if a bit masculine. Two curious dark leather scrolls were handed to us which we unrolled to unveil the menu. A rather amusing episode of confusion and a flurry of apologies ensued as our waiter tried to figure out which rolled up menu was the food menu and which was the drinks menu. In the end, we never had two of the same menu to read but this was okay as I had already memorised the menu in anticipation from the website.

We always have Japanese beer with sushi and both ordered 33cl Asahi beers (€5/each). We were slightly disappointed not to see the superior Sapparo on offer and balked a bit at the price being a 4pk of Asahi is only €6.99 at Tesco. As we waited we really missed having a traditional appetiser of edmame, boiled soybeans covered in heavy salt served warm makes an excellent accompaniment with beer. We nursed our beers and waited a long time for our miso soup which was served with a Chinese soup spoon. The miso soup itself was adequate with plenty of tofu, but a bit too much seaweed and not enough miso in our opinion.

Next to come out was the unagi (eel) nigiri. In our experience, this is typically grilled, served warm with a thick sweet glaze. Instead this seemed broiled and was served tepid with a thinner glaze than we’d prefer. Despite this the flavour was excellent and this was the best sushi of the evening. Of the 4 nigiri (ball of rice with fish on top secured with a band of nori) one fell apart suggesting the chef’s sushi craft is still being perfected. That said it is important to note the critical sushi rice itself was good albeit rather light on the rice vinegar. Another minor note was it was obvious they weren’t using Kikkoman soy sauce, but instead a darkly brewed off-brand which overpowered some of the more subtle flavours in the maki to come.

Much willpower was spent trying not to devour our second nigiri as we waited for our maki, sushi rice with various fillings wrapped in seaweed (nori). After several minutes individual plates arrived and we finally, an hour in to service, dug in. I found it curious, as sushi is often considered as much art as food, that our order wasn’t beautifully presented on a single platter. We both eagerly pounced on the spicy tuna as this is always our favourite. Unfortunately this was the low point of the meal as the nori was thick and chewy, the tuna too small, and the spice non-existent. Additionally, as we saw in all the rolls, the ends were not cut off so 2 pieces out of 6 will be mostly rice and not contain much filling. In our combined 30 years enjoying sushi we have never seen this before. I may as well get the bad news out of the way now as several of the maki were not properly rolled and fell apart which just goes to show the sushi chef’s still on his “L” plate. The size of the rolls was inconsistent and some were simply too big for my wife to eat in one bite. Still, we should try to be forgiving as the restaurant has only been open a few weeks and we have high hopes his technique will improve greatly.

Other than the main ingredient, most of the maki is a bit samey containing roe (fish eggs), watercress, and imperceptible amount of wasabi. Hence the main ingredient really needs to be highlighted and not overpowered. The California roll looked exciting as it didn’t contain a mere crab stick but real crab meat. Unfortunately it was rolled in what I can only describe as a thick crust of sesame seed which completely overpowered the subtle flavours of the crab meat and avocado. Next up is the simple and unassuming cucumber roll. My wife was pleased with this as they were cut properly and they were perfect in their simplicity. Last up was the salmon belly and I’m happy to report we both enjoyed this immensely. The salmon itself was beautiful and tender and the rolls were done well. We would definitely order this again along with the delicious unagi nigiri.

In conclusion we had a nice evening but feel there is room for improvement. The service staff couldn’t have been friendlier but they were obviously disorganized and slow. It took nearly a half hour just to settle our bill, which came to a very reasonable €65 (€20 of that being 4 small Asahi beers). They obviously took great pains to educate the staff on the menu and are geared to gently break in the uninitiated with helpful suggestions. We look forward to seeing more starters such as edamame and a simple green salad with miso dressing next time. I’m sure the sushi chef’s technique will improve quickly and we hope to see more experimentation with the maki combinations in the future. All in all, RAW is full of potential and is a great addition to Galway. We wish them the best of luck and look forward to an improved experience next time.

Seaneh

I'd just like the point out that the difference in size and stability in the various pieces would make it sound to me like there was more than 1 chef preparing the various rolls.

The head Chef is well into his 50's and has 35 years of experience. Odds are the less perfect pieces would have been from a commis chef or chef de partie who is getting used to it all.

El_Dangeroso

I have to say the nigiri in Wa cafe on dock street is far superior.

The fish is just palpably fresher and the miso soup is really the best I have had anywhere.

They have edamame beans and has a much nice atmosphere in my opinion.

All their dashi and sauces are made from scratch and it shows.

Raw was like bad airport sushi in my opinion but like the other poster I do hope they improve as it's nicer to have a wider selection of sushi in Galway.

dr.bollocko

Gave this place another try.



They've really gone from strength to strength IMO..
Mixed nigiri plate, I chose salmon, eel, red mullet and sea bass. 22 euro.

Also shredded scallops 12 euro.

Service was great, view is nice, place is more relaxed.

Would recommend.

Last time I had it, distinctly under impressed. This time I couldn't fault it.

inisboffin

That's great, I will give it a try so. After 2 lovely experiences with WA, it all went pear shaped. One time with just enough tuna for for one of us and no other fish, and three times with NO nigiri at all when we went in

That being said, their non sushi food is grand, so when the trauma has lifted I will go back the odd time.

Will try Raw as I need my sushi fix.:D

chuky_r_law

went to raw last night. food is very reasonably priced. we had 2 courses each - cant remember what they were as was one of my first times trying sushi - and they were very tasty indeed! for both of us the food bill came in total to €30.

the wine on the othere hand added another €38 to the bill. as far as i could see the cheapest bottle was €32 (for white anyway). in fairness the wine was delicious, but at that price i could only afford one bottle. would have like to have stayed and eaten more but once we had finished our bottle we couldnt justify buying another one to wash down a few more courses. will definitely go back in future but will probably go early and tee total for the evening before hitting town.

staff were excellent.

beardybrewer

inisboffin wrote: »

That's great, I will give it a try so. After 2 lovely experiences with WA, it all went pear shaped. One time with just enough tuna for for one of us and no other fish, and three times with NO nigiri at all when we went in

Wa needs to accept there is enough demand to add new items to their menu. I stopped by Wa back in May and was so happy to see tuna rolls on the specials menu. We've since gotten takeaways a few times getting sashimi, spicy tuna, plus the stock smoked salmon and japanese rolls (along with double orders of edamame and homemade salad w/ miso dressing and miso soup). For the money, it's great value.

I went in Friday and noticed those specials are no longer listed. I asked the chef and they were able to prepare the above. Seems odd it is no longer listed when they had the ingredients. Based on the look of their new website there is such an emphasis on fresh fish nigiri I hope they are slowly realizing there is a market to exploit. It would be great to see the commitment of adding these items officially to their menu. This would allow me to order via Justeat rather than calling by in person.

As for RAW, it’s great to see some positive comments on this. I just took a peak at their menu online and see they've added edamame. The scallops above look lovely. Might be time to give them another try soon.

dinneenp

photos of the restaurant and the sample dish:

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