Coming back from a trip down I65 last week I found myself peckish, and craving sushi.
The challenge in this was that I was in the supremely landlocked state of Kentucky and not even near one of the bigger cities. After a couple of minutes of internal debate and a bit of googling I opted to stop in at Haru Sushi in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Might I be risking my life? Possibly, but a road warrior must take the occasional chance.
The strip mall, shop front restaurant is within 100 feet of a Rafferty’s so the juxtaposition of the Asian sensibilities with the smell of grilling meat was a bit jarring!
The restaurant was small and well-kept with a traditional sushi counter and a man and woman team that I strongly suspect were a married couple running the place. There were probably about 10 tables in the establishment.
I was there fairly early in the evening and the place was not filled but there were several obviously regular diners in the restaurant. One woman actually detailed rather loudly what she had eaten there the previous evening. She then ordered Bibimbap which made me realize that Haru is actually a Korean establishment that also sells sushi.
I ordered a Sashimi assortment and a shrimp and crab roll to add some contrast to the meal. Miso soup landed on the table quickly and was excellent although a bit light on the seaweed for my taste.
THe Sashimi was fresh and well prepared with tuna, scallops, mackerel, snapper with roe and a lovely salmon rose with razor this slices of lemon.
The fish was all very good with the exception of the scallops which were good, but not great.
The roll was again, good but not great. The tempura on the shrimp was a little soft so the roll lacked any crunch but the taste and freshness was good. The pickled ginger was good but the wasabi was dry and a bit bland. Try as I might I could not get the wasabi to change the color of my soy sauce…
On the whole, I would rate Haru a B plus, and I might tip them toward an A if had ordered more than one roll.
Given that fact that they are in a small town in Kentucky with a population of less than 60,000 I would be willing to grade on a curve and I will be going back if I am stranded in Bowling Green again!
Haru Sushi
(270) 904-0135
Bowling Green
1945 Scottsville Road
Bowling Green, KY 42104
http://twitter.com/HaruSushiBG
