Akida Japanese Restaurant

606 N. Sheppard St.
359-8036
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Second Place: Sticky Rice

Third Place: Osaka Sushi and Steak

Before sushi arrived at Kroger or at the mall’s food court, Akida taught Richmonders how to eat it. It created fans with delicately sliced tuna or barbecued eel lying atop a slightly warm and carefully molded oblong of seasoned rice. The restaurant may have moved from its original Robinson Street location to the Museum District’s Sheppard Street, but nothing was lost in translation. The sashimi is still bracingly fresh, and Akida shines with its rolls. Try the benhana roll, with a center of salmon and cucumber wrapped in tuna on the outside. Sticky Rice takes its sushi a step beyond the conventional, with rolls containing salmon, cucumbers, jalapeños and wasabi mayo, among other untraditional offerings. The sleek Osaka Sushi and Steak plies the West End with river rolls made of crab, cucumber and avocado, a squiggle of spicy sauce and a sprinkle of crunch on top.