A BYO sushi restaurant isn’t exactly unheard-of in New Jersey. Yet there are so many that settle for serving average, not-exactly-fresh sushi. And then there are others with such high prices that make a regular sushi indulgence unrealistic.
Misaki Sushi, situated on a corner on the main strip of Lake Hiawatha (an unincorporated community within Parsippany-Troy Hills in Morris County), is neither average nor too expensive. In fact, a sushi feast here is quite the bargain—something that has helped put the three-year-old spot on my regular rotation of restaurants.
It seems that take-out and delivery drives much of the restaurant’s business, so it’s always easy to get a table. The dining area isn’t large, with five booths and tables that seat an additional 20 people—and the décor isn’t lavishly fancy—but Misaki is the real deal, not just another place serving only Americanized sushi and rolls with cute or clever names.
Tuna tataki
I always start with an order of pork gyoza ($5 for six), which come light and pan fried. The tuna tataki ($10), thin slices of pepper-seared tuna that are singed on the outside and cool and raw on the inside and served with a citrus-soy ponzu sauce, is one of the more under-rated items on the menu. The vegetable tempura ($4.50) is hit or miss—sometimes it comes crisp and light, other times the assorted mix is a bit too oily.
If you’re a raw fish lover like I am, order the sashimi deluxe ($22). It comes with three pieces each of tuna, salmon, white tuna, yellowtail and baby octopus. It also comes with miso soup and a salad. As for rolls, I’m consistently impressed by the quality of classic options like the eel avocado ($5) and yellowtail scallion ($5) rolls. If you choose to go the signature rolls route, try a mouthful of the decadent TNT roll ($13), loaded with salmon, tuna, yellowtail, scallion, caviar in a spicy mayo sauce and topped with avocado. On my most recent visit, I ate more rolls than I probably should have, but that’s the way it tends to go with sushi.
Sashimi deluxe with yellowtail, salmon, tuna, white tuna and octopus (left) and assorted sushi rolls.
You can always count on the fish being freshest on Mondays and Fridays, the days the sushi restaurant gets their fish delivered. Dining at Misaki is always a glorious bargain, and if you check in on Yelp and pay in cash, you’ll get an additional 15% off your final bill. You can also occasionally find coupons on their website.
Misaki Sushi, 81 N Beverwyck Road, Lake Hiawatha; 973-335-9988