Soft, buttery cuts of fish that melt in your mouth. That is every sushi lovers dream!
If you’re strolling around downtown Durham on any given night you may have to look closer to find M Sushi. It’s located in a hip, dimly lit basement inside an alley with a very unnoticeable entryway giving you the feeling this is the kind of spot you need to be ‘in the know’ to really know about.
I went on a late Tuesday night but it looks like the kind of spot that would be slammed on the weekends. The minute you step inside this semi-obscure and narrow room you definitely feel like you’ve been transported into a dreamy new dimension. You start to feel even more excited about this journey into the senses you’re about to embark on.
Cue the dreamy music and chill, laid-back sleek modern ambiance. Something feels a little bit out of a David Lynch movie (but I mean that in a very good way). Is this place too good to be real?
I can say I’ve been pretty fortunate in my life to experience some incredible sushi. From your more standard rolls to some pretty exquisite flavorful inventions at more extravagant Japanese spots. I can say with certainty I’ve never tried anything quite like this.
If you’re in Miami maybe Zuma or the typical Sushi Samba pops up in your head. If you’re in the Triangle you might be thinking of Waraji.
The quality of fish trumps all those places. Tenfold. It commands your attention, entrances your senses and impresses you with each bite, each mouthful.
Immediately I knew: this place is completely out of our league.
The attention to detail in everything I had was beyond impressive. Even their small plates offer some tasty selections, like a hamachi crude in ponzu that I just devoured and simply adored.
There is flavor in absolutely everything, even their rice! Nothing is overlooked and everything is local and really fresh.
I also tried some of their rolls and the quality remained consistent. I ordered their M Futomaki roll and Tuna Special. Each were quite individual with a distinct taste. The M Futomaki roll was made with hamachi, salmon, tuna, avocado, kaiware, shallots, cilantro, masago, and a delectable complementary aioli.
They even offer Japanese baby river crabs which are very hard to find!
I tried their nigiri omakase and that alone was quite the experience. If you can only order one thing alone from the menu, or you’re trying to stay on budget, order the nigiri omakase. You need to be completely open minded and excited. I promise everything will be exceptional.
I’ll let you in on a secret: you can tell a lot about a sushi spot just by ordering and trying their tamago (egg omelet). Their tamago was so light and fluffy! It instantly reminded me of angel food cake. There was a distinct sweetness to their tamago that I genuinely enjoyed.
M Sushi is hands down the best sushi in the Triangle. It is certainly one of those places that may just ruin all other sushi for you. It is just that high quality! Not sure how I will be able to go back to regular sushi now, or how my wallet will cope if I cave into my cravings for more M Sushi!
Until next bite!
FOODNOIZE 