The owners of Chang Hua Garden converted their Chinese takeout restaurant into Akari Sushi, located near the corner of Gammon and Schroeder, earlier this year. For a strip mall restaurant, the food is decent and worth at least a consideration if you live or work in the area.
The majority of my focus was on the 16 freshly prepared special rolls, since this is a sushi place, after all. You’ll find a lot of flavor in the Out of Control ($10.50) special roll, via the tender pepper tuna and the generous piece of spicy tuna, as well as the avocado and the miso sauce.
On the other hand, the Hot Girl ($9.99) was surprisingly bland and not that spicy, despite being composed of spicy tuna and spicy salmon (plus avocado) and topped with spicy mayo. I do commend it for its atypical appearance, as it’s wrapped in a pink sushi sheet. Meanwhile, the Lake City ($9.99) combines tender smoked salmon with crunchy shrimp tempura, and the two pair well together. The roll was topped with a teriyaki glaze instead of the listed spicy mayo, but I think that was for the better.
Other special rolls include the Snow Stone ($10.50 with soft shell crab tempura with white tuna) and the Mango Lover ($9.99 with crabmeat and mango avocado). You’ll also find standard sushi rolls, sashimi and sushi entrees.
I did try other items from the enormous menu, which leans toward Japanese fare. I really enjoyed the spicy crab meat salad ($5.25). It’s basically a crab roll without the rice, with julienne cucumbers and crab, mixed with just enough spicy mayo and topped with bits of fried dough to add crunch.
The beef short ribs teriyaki ($8.95) was disappointing. The entree was mostly comprised of sauteed onions, and the short ribs–what little amount was provided–were super tough and primarily tasted like onions. The accompanying fried rice was slightly undercooked.
Akari Sushi is open every day for lunch, dinner and delivery. You’ll likely order to go, as there are only two tiny tables inside.
Next time you’re at Woodman’s on the west side, see if you can spot 
The century eggs ($6.95) were some of the best I’ve ever had. Perfect gelatinous texture of the whites, paired with the creaminess of the yolk, mixed with the spiciness of peppers, makes for a satisfying appetizer.
A long-time Arby’s on Gammon Road closed and turned into 
I was pleasantly surprised by the pulled pork sandwich ($2.99) because it uses a Carolina (mustard-based) sauce. It’s actually quite good–the meat is super moist, and the bread does a good job of keeping its structure.
