Eating in Naperville 2

Image above: The glistening unagi nigiri sushi looking so inviting at Sushi House. [Wednesday 15 June] | [View all photos]

Back for Naperville to close out Phase 4 of my project, I got to try out dinner at Sushi House as well as lunch Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House and also try out my new Fuji X100 on food photography duties. Having had a mixed experience with Domo 77 on my last visit, I was hopeful that dinner at Sushi House would turn out to be much better.

Seated at the sushi bar I had a fun chat with the two chefs and got some recommendations from them. Forgoing all the set menus I started with plate of tempura moriawase. Served piping hot with a decent batter it was more than adequate and definitely not the worst I’ve tasted by far.

This was followed by the first round of unagi nigiri, California roll, and soft-shell crab maki sushi which I enjoyed. The second round was uni, saba, sake, and tamago. Again it was good aside from the uni sushi, which had this weird taste and was nowhere near the smooth silkiness I had at Shiro in Seattle.

All in all, I preferred Sushi House over Domo 77 if I had to stay in the Naperville area and needed a Japanese fix. Though I would stick to the classic dishes rather than going for something esoteric from the menu. I’ve heard that Wild Tuna is the best for the area but with a 30 minute drive from my usual hotel that’ll have to wait until another visit.

Sushi House | 175 Jackson Avenue, Naperville, IL 60540 | Map

The other new place I visited was Hugo’s Frog Bar and Fish House which I took my clients to for a celebratory lunch. Definitely an business expenses place judging by the clientele, this was going to be a filling and rich meal.

When my starter of avocado crabmeat arrived I was amused to see that the avocado was simply left as a massive chunk in the middle of the dish. Whether that was intentional or a mistake I’m not sure but it certainly didn’t detract from the overall flavours with the meaty crabmeat tasting wonderful.

My main course of rare prime sirloin in red wine sauce served with mashed potatoes and beans was a tale of two cities. The beef and the sauce was good and although not on par with Hawksmoor it still hit the spot. The rest of the dish, I’m sorry to say, was just tasteless and so they were left on the plate – uneaten.

I decided that I needed chips in lieu of them and cue “lost in translation” moment as I forgot that chips meant crisps to Americans. So yep, I got a bowl of crisps, which were actually delicious having been made fresh on the premises. An unusual combination with my steak but it seemed to weirdly work!

As for coming back, I do like the food, though it seems you’d have to choose carefully, and would so if someone else was paying for it. Otherwise, if I had to spend that money myself I’d still stick to my local favourite of the White Chocolate Grill or try out Morton’s and see if they there were better value for money on my next visit.