Edmond C.
Yelp
Hamachi 34 is a good spot for sushi that will not break the bank, but I would not travel a distance to eat here. Hamachi 34 is doing brisk business, with a full house on a Monday evening and people walking in the door. Delivery people are steadily picking up orders. I ordered their ultra value proposition of three rolls for $18 at dinner, which becomes $15 at lunch. The three rolls I ordered were spicy tuna, salmon skin, and shrimp avocado and added the Flying Dragon Roll of the Chef Special Menu.
If you have had high end sushi, Hamachi 34 will impress you for its value proposition. If you are one who does not care about the different levels of tuna fattiness or are a sushi roll person who is not terribly concerned about nigiri or sashimi,then this is the place and it's priced right. The busy house is indicative of how good a value it is.
So the details count with sushi and the soy sauce they have is pretty good, but the pickled ginger is on the dry side and the wasabi is far from freshly ground and is barely passable. The restaurant uses decent wooden disposable sticks and napkins.
Let me get the surprising worst of the rolls out of the way first: the spicy tuna roll. It did not taste fresh nor did it have the desired texture and consistency. So the spicy tuna roll fell flat for my tastes. The shrimp avocado roll was surprisingly good in contrast, with good texture and freshness. The salmon skin roll was the best of the three, with crispness in texture highlighting its pop in flavor. I have found salmon skin rolls to be a "cannot miss with this" item and Hamachi 34 did not miss.
I deliberated over whether to go with the regular Dragon Roll or the Flying Dragon Roll. Owing to their average at best spicy tuna, this put a damper on an otherwise excellent Flying Dragon Roll. The eel is coating the roll and is abundant for those who like eel. There is some sort of crunchy element inside to give a juxtaposed texture. If the spicy tuna were hittin' here, you would have an outstanding Flying Dragon Roll.
I did not have anything else on the menu, but these rolls would give any sushi restaurant an opportunity to show what they can do. Perhaps Mondays are not the best for freshness here, but it remains to be seen if Hamachi 34 can improve upon the inconsistent experience next time I visit.
Three stars