Restaurant Review: Sushi Rock Grill

Last night, Dereck and I went to Sushi Rock Grill (1163 9th St N, St Petersburg, FL 33701, (727) 898-7625) before attending Supernova Sundays. Serving up a mix of Thai, sushi and other Asian specialties, this restaurant features both tasty food and excellent service.

I found it strange that this place was directly across the street from another sushi place. We were originally going to the other one, but they were too busy to serve us. Luckily, the move to Sushi Rock Grill was a good one.

When we came in through the door (and past the outside seating), we were immediately met with a friendly smile and were sat immediately. My first impression was that this was a very high end restaurant. Blue fabric filled the glasses and the room was dimly lit, providing a calming atmosphere. The smell of sesame oil and sushi filled the air, reassuring me instantly that this was going to be a good meal.

Our server was friendly and helpful, even offering suggestions and leading us to our final choices. Neither Dereck or I had a lot of money with us, so we opted for lower cost favorites. I had the Pad Thai and Dereck chose the Korean Bulgogi.

The Bulgogi was what Dereck described as “home cooking for me”, as his parents used to make food like this for him when he was growing up. The large serving consisted of Marinated beef sauteed in a hot and spicy Korean sauce served with sauteed vegetables with white rice. At $20, this was a decent price for a large meal that he enjoyed.

I opted for a two part dish, starting with a house salad with ginger dressing. The ginger dressing was amazing, a sweet and pulpy concentrate that brought out the lush taste of the greenery. I’ve had ginger dressing before and wasn’t impressed with it, but this was exceptional. The salad was a great start.

My main dish came out and I couldn’t be happier. Typically when I order Pad Thai, I’m overwhelmed with carbs and underwhelmed with taste. This Pad Thai may very well be the best I’ve had in Florida. Every bite has a heaping pile of oily flavor from the thai rice noodles. The bean sprouts, green onions and egg add texture that many other Pad recipes lack. The taste of peanuts were very strong in this dish, which was a welcome departure from what I’m used to.

I chose the chicken Pad Thai and I wasn’t disappointed. The chicken was tender and plentiful. My only complaint with the meal was that it simply wasn’t hot enough. When I ordered it, I was asked if I wanted “no heat, small heat or medium heat”. I ask how hot medium was and was told, “It’s very hot”. When I bit into it, it wasn’t as spicy as I like when I order Thai. The waitress brought me both a red pepper sauce and a hot oil which made it just right. With the addition of the heat, this became a perfect example of Thai cuisine.

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