Chaya Vegetarian Sushi Restaurant

Aleishall Girard Maxon

It isn’t often that I am enticed to go out to a sushi dinner that doesn’t include fish. After all it’s the spicy tuna and raw eel that I have always associated with this wonderful Japanese fare. But recently my brother returned from a trip to Berkeley raving about the best new “sushi” restaurant. I inquired about what slippery sea creatures he had consumed and he informed me that in fact it was a multiple course meal completely free of fish.

So what might a fish-free sushi dinner consist of, you ask? Well…first there was the best Goma Ae I have ever tasted (traditional dish composed of boiled spinach and broccoli rabe that is topped with a sesame dressing), next came the “Chaya Roll”; nori-style sushi that is filled with avocado, yam and carrots then dipped in the lightest tempura batter and deep fried. Served drizzled with their special house sauce (similar to teriyaki) each piece is mouthful of sweet, tangy, crunchy paradise.

We also had a bowl of their hot noodle soup. With a richly flavored broth, brightly colored vegetables, soba noodles and delicious vegetable-filled dumplings floating around, it was a meal in itself. We also had their specialty, the Hangetsu, which is a thin slice of portobello mushroom layered with atsuage tofu, dipped in light batter, fried and served with a kiwi dipping sauce that adds a certain bite to the otherwise buttery flavor. Then we had their cold salads with crunchy blanched and pickled vegetables that are exceptional, spectacular inari and curries that are much lighter than their Thai and Indian counterparts but have no less flavor. No matter what you order, it’s impossible to be disappointed or bored!

Aside from being incredibly pleasing for the palate, there are a few more reasons to try this fantastic lunch or dinner spot. We are living in a time of great environmental unrest and while the health benefits of consuming seafood are many, the over-fishing and polluting of our oceans as a result of farming is of grave concern for the future of our waters and all the life that goes on within them.

“The recent explosion in fish farming to satiate our growing appetite for seafood is polluting our coastal waters with fish waste, antibiotics and other pollutants. Runoff from farms, animal feedlots and streets has created huge “dead zones” in many bays and some estuaries, where few life forms survive. Our oceans are in trouble—but with the right tools we can reverse this decline.”- Oceans Alive

Being a part of the solution is actually far more simple and tasty than you might expect. Fish is a high-protein, low-fat food that is high in omega-3’s, which are the “good fats” in a human diet. But when contaminated with Dioxin, PCP’s or mercury which are prevalent in certain seafood, the health benefits can be out-weighed by the negative affects. Cutting down on one’s seafood consumption and making conscious and informed choices about which fish you order and purchase can make a huge difference.