Fishlips

Various locations
Downtown to the Westside

(310) 634-2999

www.fishlips-sushi.com

The recent surge in non-traditional 'taco' trucks has brought forth Korean tacos, Kung Pao burritos, and even sugar cookie ice cream sandwiches Dave Chappelle would be proud of. Add fresh sushi balls to the amalgamation. Fishlips is betting that their basic versions of the traditional Kyoto style sushi call temari, “ornamental ball sushi”, will be their claim to fame.

I caught the truck on a Friday morning outside PAFCO in Vernon. I've seen pictures and read reviews, so I wasn't skeptical about ordering sushi from this 'roach coach' . The truck was fairly clean, as clean as a truck can be. With about 4 or so people in from of me, it took 15 minutes to get my order. I was even offered a piece of spicy salmon roll while I waited.

$7 Small Spicy Set (7)
A four piece spicy tuna roll with five of his addorable temari friends. The morning's picks were tuna, eel, yellowtail, salmon, and shrimp. The taste isn't going to mesmerize you; it's basic sushi at an affordable price. What did surprise me was the sweetness of the rice, more so than the standard, and so much fresher than what is piling up at Ralphs as we speak. I was a fan of the sweetness and definitely the freshness.

Because it's shaped into a ball, they are hoping you won't notice the smaller fish portion. I did, but the entire set portion is appropriate.

Fishlips has some staying power. I'm not sure temari is their competitive advantage, but fish and, more particularly, rice that is fresher than a supermarket at comparable cost gives them an edge. The cool looking truck doesn't hurt either.