366421 Wed Jan 31 20:43:13 -0800 2007 3 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2248074 I was dazzled by the sheer fun of it all. I ordered "Shrek" at Koryo Sushi on Telegraph in Temescal, Oakland. Instead of getting a monstrous wreck of a sushi roll plate, I was presented with a perversely beautiful piece of art created with mixed fish and tons of wasabi tobiko on a spotlessly clean, oblong, white plate. The huge portion left me happy, and the cozy atmosphere compelled me to linger. The young waitstaff were professional and cheerful. The only complaint? The pieces were too big for my mouth. This was a bit of a problem, but I managed. It is open until 2 am most nights and they told me the place gets full even at that hour. Miyozen (same owners) in Emeryville is supposed to serve similar food, but kaiten style. There must be dozens of these sushi roll places. It seems unfair to rank them along with traditional sushi places, which have their own place. Price-wise. Value-wise. Fun-wise. We need a completely new category altogether. Not Japanese, not Korean, not fusion. Just simply Sushi Rolls. Wed Jan 31 20:43:13 -0800 2007 61426 grocerytrekker 1 2248360 Here's a sampling of the fun sushi roll menu at Koryo. Rock & Roll -Grilled eel, avocado, cucumber, smelt roe, and unagi sauce Cooked Philadelphia -Cooked salmon with cream cheese Crazy Horse -Yellowtail, tuna, cooked shrimp Mega Veggie Roll -Five to six different veggies (one deep-fried) Godzilla Roll -Deep-fried spicy tuna with unagi and hot sauce Tiger Eye roll -Deep-fried salmon & green onion with smelt roe Caterpillar -Slice of avocado on top of California roll with unagi sauce Drunken Fish Roll -Shrimp tempura, unagi, crab salad, avocado & cucumber with masago & unagi sauce Fiona -Spicy tuna, unagi, crab salad, avocado, soybean paper and masago & avocado dressing Shrek -Maguro, hamachi, black tobiko roll with avocado, wasabi tobiko, and avocado dressing Dynamite Roll -California roll with wrap salmon, and baked with rich sauce topped with masago Pink Lady -Shrimp tempura, cucumber, avocado roll, topped with spicy tuna, masago, and green onion Crazy Monkey -Yellowtail and salmon roll with avocado, unagi, crab salad, and salmon roe Titanic Roll -Tempura shrimp, cucumber, avocado, topped with tuna, salmon, crab salad, and masago T.N.T -Spicy tuna roll, topped with salmon and spicy dynamite sauce masago and baked Wed Jan 31 22:53:04 -0800 2007 2248074 61426 grocerytrekker 1 2252164 you'll love sushi house in alameda. Thu Feb 01 23:00:30 -0800 2007 2248074 19880 wchane 1 2252187 Worth checking out in San Francisco is Tsunami. The sushi chefs behind the bar are usually young Japanese guys here to explore America. The atmosphere is hip, the waitresses are young, the music is house--but at a conversational level. Of note is the 'Shintai'. Katsuo, sprouts, and a vinegar-soy-citrus sauce called Ponzu. The interesting thing about the Ponzu in this is that it's made with a fruit called 'yuzu' that's specially imported from japan just for this roll. They've got a wine list too and are reviewd here: http://www.vinegents.com Truly spectacular choices of rolls. Thu Feb 01 23:20:57 -0800 2007 2248074 70522 redwall