Yum Yum Sushi

Yum Yum is being hailed as the new "best" sushi in Mobile.  I don't totally agree with that moniker but I can definitely see potential for greatness. My brother has been dying to try Yum Yum out.  It was opened by a pair of sushi chefs that up until now worked as consultants for other sushi restaurants in Mobile and even the Eastern Shore.  I've gone to several and was quite satisfied with the quality of the product they put out and I was hoping their own place would be much of the same.

Since it was nearly dinner time, my brother and I decided to get three rolls as a "late afternoon" snack.  Pictured below from left to right is the Japanese Bagel Roll, Snapper Roll and Dynamite Roll.

The most tasty of the three rolls was the Japanese Bagel Roll ($5.95).  On the menu it is described as being filled with smoked salmon, cream cheese and scallions.  I did not see a piece of green in this roll.  I like that there wasn't a lot of cream cheese so the smoky flavor of the salmon really shines.

Snapper Roll $11.95

The Snapper Roll came recommended by the waiter.  It's stuffed with tempura fried snapper and fried asparagus, topped with white tuna and yellow tail, avocado, crunchy flake, aioli sauce and yakatori sauce. I was a little disappointed in the flavor combination.  I liked the asparagus but aside from the very first bite it only added a bit of crunch to the rest of the roll.  The two types of tuna and the avocado that's laid on top are so thinly sliced you can't taste it.  I actually mistook it for the rice.  I had to go digging underneath the sauce to find it.  For $12, I was expected a lot more out of this roll.

Dynamite Roll $11.95

The third roll I ordered was the Dynamite Roll.  I swear every sushi restaurant in the area has this roll on their menu.  At Yum Yum, it's a spicy salmon tuna mix and cream cheese stuffed roll that has been tempura fried.  It's then topped with spicy crab, jalapeno, chef sauces, crunchy flake and masago.  It sounds so promising but to me there wasn't a lot of flavor.  Unless I searched out for the piece of jalapeno, I got nothing but a bit of crunch from those flakes and that's it.  The spicy crab is actually krab with a little chili sauce.  I feel as since this is their place, the guys may be cutting back here and there to make more of a profit.  Considering about 3/4 of their menu consist of what they call Fantasy rolls that start at about $12, the rolls should be of the highest quality and it just isn't.

The service at Yum Yum is a big fail.  I don't know if the waiters are new to the business but I can tell the difference on how one customer is treated from another.  Apparently, all the "cool" kids sit at the bar.  My brother and I felt like we were troubling them by sitting down at a table for a meal.  Really, the waiter cleared away our drinks when he put down the check.  Who does that?  All I could do was shake my head. I don't know how family friendly Yum Yum can be since there's a total of four tables in the place and the sushi bar.  I would think they would put in more tables in the middle but I guess they used those funds for the two huge flat screens they have mounted on the walls to distract their workers.   I didn't see any high chairs but they could be hidden in the corner.  The location is also odd.  Yum Yum is at the corner of Cottage Hill and Leroy Stevens Roads.  It's on the side of a gas station so when I went looking for it before I completely missed it.  Who would have thought to look beside the super mart.  

As I was leaving Yum Yum Sushi, I told my brother maybe they were having an "off" day.  I said I was going to come back and try out their lunch special before I sharing my opinions on my blog.  About 20 minutes later, all that changed.  Both my brother and I started having stomach cramps.  His went away in few minutes.  My pain persisted for another hour even after dosing myself with medication.  I figure the only way to feel better was to empty my stomach.  After I did, the stomach cramps went away.  I assumed the food is what sparked the fierce pains and for that sole reason I will more than likely not make a return visit.  Again, this was my one and only experience at Yum Yum so if your a big fan of Chi Chi and Sammy from Rock 'N Roll Sushi or Oahu, try Yum Yum out and form your own opinions. 

Yum Yum does not have a website, but it does have a facebook page.  I've posted a menu (click to enlarge) below but use it only as a guideline.  I'm told, they're working on a new menu and should go into effect during March 2012.