Sakura Japanese Restaurant: Joyce Roll

Sakura Japanese Restaurant
4840 Poplar Ave.
Memphis, TN 38117
(901)572-1002

We continued on to our second stop on the 100 things to eat in Memphis before you die...Sakura Japanese Restaurant.  We were there to try the Joyce roll.

We decided to visit Sakura's recently opened second location in East Memphis at the corner of Poplar and St. Nick. The new location is close to home and provided the perfect spot to resume our Memphis culinary journey.  The inside of the restaurant is FANTASTIC! Fresh, clean designs and fixtures make this the ideal spot to enjoy an intimate dinner for 2 or, as we chose to do, have a fun meal with several friends.  One important note, the restaurant has yet to obtain a liquor license.  They will allow you to bring in your libation of choice to accompany your meal...and just in case you forget to bring something, the Spirits Shoppe is right next door.  You can pop in there and grab a bottle of sake or whatever you desire to help you wash down your meal.

Our server promptly greeted after taking our seat and didn't miss a beat for our entire meal.  We decided to order the Joyce Roll as an appetizer so as to enjoy it with a clean pallet.  The roll itself is made up of succulent crawfish tails, tender avocado, shrimp tempura, Sakura's house sauce and fish eggs. Once put together the entire roll is tempura fried and done so to perfection!  There's nothing quite like the light crunch of tempura fried sushi.  The roll is cut into 4 pieces which are then halved.  It's a good thing they halve the individual pieces too because this roll is big! Each bite was absolutely delightful.  This roll is unique and satisfying, just like so many other rolls at Sakura. 

While went to Sakura specifically to try the Joyce Roll we certainly didn't go JUST for the Joyce Roll. We followed up our Joyce appetizer with the tofu steak. Tofu used to one of those dishes that, as a red-blooded American male, I disregarded as not being "real" food.  My mind was changed a couple of years ago by this very dish. Five pieces of half inch thick tofu are brought out by the server on a sizzling iron skillet. The tofu is covered with a very thin tempura like coating and topped with savory teriyaki sauce.  The end result is soft, flavorful appetizer that is sure to please every tofu lover and shock those, like me, who dismissed tofu as a food for vegetarians only.

Our entree consisted of two more rolls...Ben's Roll and the Deep Sea Roll. Many of the rolls at Sakura are colossal. Be sure to check with your server that you aren't ordering too much food.  Ben's Roll is no exception (consider yourself warned).  It's a raw roll with tender, spicy salmon and crabstick in the middle topped with Cajun tuna and fresh avocado.  This roll is a can't miss that almost deserves it's own spot on the Memphis culinary bucket list.  The Deep Sea Roll isn't quite as big as Ben's Roll, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in flavor!  It's actually quite similar to Ben's Roll with it's composition of tuna, avocado and crabstick, but lacks the spiciness.  While the ingredients overlap, the flavor of the DSR is much milder and was a great compliment to Ben's Roll. We highly recommend both!  

If you're looking for a different sushi roll that manages to combine all of your favorite aspects of sushi, then you MUST get to Sakura to try the Joyce Roll.  To be fair, Sakura has many rolls that you won't find at other sushi joints and they are all worth the trip.  Swing by their new location in East Memphis or good by the Germantown location near Saddle Creek and indulge...you'll be happy you did!

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Husband: 4.5/5 stars, Joyce Roll - 4.5/5 stars
                                                Wife: 5/5 stars, Joyce Roll - 4.5/5 stars