The Yama Sushi Grill on Highway 620 in Round Rock not far from Round Rock Hospital is just about one of the best restaurants nobody has ever heard of in this area. Chef Roger Jang and his crew are creating Chinese and Japanese bliss in the kitchen and even though this place is a gazillion miles from my home, I am drawn to it like to the proverbial moth to the flame.

Jang has been around Austin for many years and has helmed some wonderful restaurants like the legendary Bejing at the Arborertum. His presence at Yama Sushi would be the baseball equivalent of Alex Rodriquez stepping down to play for the Round Rock Express.

So where do we start? I have been very pleased with some of the Chinese dishes I've tried. The Szechuan Beef is quite good. The beef is marinated until achingly tender and then stir fried with onions and carrots in a chili sauce. The flavors in this dish are beautifully integrated: each item has its place and no one item overwhelms the other. Another favorite is the Sesame Chicken. Chef Jang takes a dish that in the wrong hands can be overly sweet and pedestrian and nails it. The key is the tender chicken and the on-the-money sweet and spicy Hunan sauce. The Salt and Pepper Shrimp, an increasingly popular dish these days is also beautifully balanced. The jalapeno, salt and pepper have to be perfectly blended and this gives the dish its unique and comforting flavor.

The Japanese dishes at Yama Sushi are no less intriguing. The classic Japanese pork and vegetable dumplings, Gyoza, are a bit crispy and laden with flavor. Make sure to ask for the chili sauce. And fans of Udon Noodle Soup will love the thick, luscious, noodles boiled in Dashi broth with shrimp, scallops, fish cakes, and shitake mushrooms. This can easily be an entrée in itself given its size.

And then you must try the Sea Bass in Mirin. The key to this dish is time! That's right, time to settle in the exquisite marinade which renders the flesh so tender that when lightly grilled, it falls off at the touch of a fork. The taste is divine. Another Japanese treat is the Miso Glaze Salmon. A fresh broiled King Salmon is the star here and the miso glaze is tastefully applied and then anointed with light teriyaki sauce and crisp vegetables.

No meal at a restaurant like Yama Sushi would be complete without some Yakisoba noodles and some sushi. The Shrimp Yakisoba is a treat. The noodles themselves resemble ramen noodles and are made from wheat flour. You can find this almost anywhere on a street corner in Japan and its easy to see why. The taste is without compromise. And the Sushi? The Maguro and Hamachi were pristine and very tasty and the Spider Roll and the Dragon Roll competed with each other for best roll. You know what? It was a tie. They were both great.

So head out to what Captain Kirk in Star Trek VI referred to as the "undiscovered country." worthy of it. You need to discover this place this weekend and you will be very pleasantly surprised. Yama Sushi needs your support and their fare is most worthy of it.

Top of page