Sushi, anyone? After eating dining hall food for two weeks straight, I figured it was time for a change. Umai Bowls & Rolls had been staring at me since I had arrived at Colorado Mesa University. I like to think of myself as a sushi connoisseur. I’ve had sushi in Seattle, Montrose, Cañon City and Grand Junction. I couldn’t resist trying another place. I wouldn’t necessarily call any of those experiences bad, some places just tended to be more delicious than others.

Personally, my favorite sushi restaurant is Zen Garden, which isn’t that far from campus. I’m comparing Umai to Zen Garden. For it being noon on a Tuesday, the UC was tame. Eerily empty, actually. I had to complete my transaction at Rowdy’s because the Umai register was down. Only one person stood in front of me, so I didn’t have to wait long.

I selected the Dragon Roll, which includes cream cheese, cucumber, avocado and surimi (otherwise known as imitation crab.) The roll was topped off with eel sauce and spicy mayo. My first thought was how beautifully done the roll was. The colors grabbed my attention. When I plucked a piece off my plate with the chopsticks, it didn’t fall apart.

The sauces harmonized nicely; the spicy mayo offered a creamy spice, the eel sauce a sweetness. However, in this particular roll, there was a lot of avocado. I noticed it on the top, but it was also on the inside. That’s a little much, even for an avocado lover such as myself. Every few pieces I would get an entire bite that made me think I needed tortilla chips. It wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for.

I did enjoy the Dragon Roll, even parts where I swam through avocado. The ingredients tasted fresh, and I got my sushi fix. I still prefer Zen Garden, but if I’m on a time crunch between classes, Umai is somewhere I would go. It’s quick and delicious.

There was a large selection of sushi, I got enough wasabi to last me all ten pieces and I wasn’t hungry again twenty minutes after I ate it. Warning, be careful with their wasabi, though, it’s super spicy. Spicy enough to make you think it’s burning a hole in your stomach lining. I learned that the hard way. Sushi may seem intimidating at first, but if you make the leap, you can become a sushi connoisseur just like me.