Dining on a budget: Rolling Sushi in Duarte

By Lafayette C. Hight, Jr.

A couple of things threw me for a loop when I walked into Rolling Sushi in Duarte.

First were the high-boy tables and chairs, which are typically found in any type of casual-dining establishment other than a sushi bar, (it took several hours of mind-racking before I would remember that it used to be a sandwich shop/ice cream parlor) and the second was the absence of an actual sushi bar. 

But I decided to focus on the reason I was there, a craving for sushi.

Rolling offers about 18 different rolls, ranging from the $4.99 vegetable cut roll to the high-end $8.99 rainbow roll. I opted for the latter and a $7.99 spider roll, which was discounted because they were having a 50 percent off deal for the second roll.

I learned that this second in a two-chain restaurant opened about three months ago. The first restaurant is Sushi in the Box located in Temple City.

It took just a few minutes for the chef to create the rainbow of salmon, tuna and halibut, shrimp and avocado over a California roll, which he did just behind the counter.

I'm happy to say that the roll tasted exactly as it should. The fish was fresh, the rice was moist, and with the proper amount of soy sauce and wasabi it was great for a "quickie sushi" type of place.

The soft-shell crab roll didn't disappoint either. It is easy to overcook the crustacean, which will make it the consistency of battered rubber, but Rolling got it right on par with the fancy-schmancy restaurants that charge twice as much for the same dish.

In addition to sushi, the restaurant offers several rice bowls - a couple of ramen soup varieties. They don't serve alcohol, however, for those looking for sake bombs. 

Rolling Sushi is located at 1114 Huntington Drive in Duarte. For more information, call (626) 471-3568.