The mere thought of all that delicious sushi cooking in traditional Japanese kitchens is mouthwatering. However, luckily enough for those of us who’d rather not travel halfway around the world to Japan, Nobu’s Japanese Restaurant off Olive and 170 provides an ideal solution for all those wanting to enjoy the fine Japanese delicacy of Sushi.

Although Nobu’s menu has a variety of ethnic dishes, the sushi is the best. To survey the restaurant’s wide selections, I sampled five rolls: dragon, yellowtail, St. Louis, caterpillar and sea urchin. Not to forget, dessert followed with two unique ice cream flavors.

First of all: appearance. The distinct triangular building stands out from the rest on the street. The minimally-designed dining area includes various Asian elements, such as translucent glass walls and Japanese artwork. Tranquil music plays in the background while I enjoy wonderful service and food.

The St. Louis roll (six for $6.10) was, by far, the best. Tuna with pickled radish, cucumber, avocado and masago (smelt eggs) dipped in wasabi-infused soy sauce made me want to shout in joy. Though not the most unique, the St. Louis roll was certainly a good start.

Next, I had my eyes on the caterpillar rolls (six for $9.70). Though a bit pricier, these rolls, with eel, cucumber, crab and avocado, are made by soaking the eel in a soy, sake (a traditional alcoholic beverage) and sugar mixture, turning it delectably sweet. The cool avocado provided a refreshing reprieve, too. The caterpillar roll undoubtedly failed to disappoint.

The yellowtail (six for $4.30) came in third. I wouldn’t say they were in any way bad; however, plain tuna with merely green onion to complement doesn’t go too far with me, though I’d recommend this roll to anyone who is hesitant to try some of Nobu’s more daring dishes.

The dragon rolls were my least favorite of all (six for $8.00). Basically, they consisted of cucumber, avocado and shrimp with masago. The cucumber was too pronounced and the shrimp and avocado sure didn’t help. Assuredly, I won’t be ordering this again, and neither should others; I’d rather have gotten plain California rolls than these.

The sea urchin rolls (two for $4.10) were also rather underwhelming. Since they consisted of sea urchins, a food I’d never tried before, I was expecting a somewhat unique flavor. Disappointingly, the rolls resembled just about any other type of fish you could pick up at Schnucks and cook at home.

On the contrary, dessert was especially refreshing. I ordered the only two flavors of ice cream the restaurant offered: green tea and red bean (both one scoop for $3.50). Both had a certain twist  I found difficult to pinpoint. The green tea was, off the bat, extremely creamy with just a hint of green tea flavor in the aftertaste. The red bean at first bite tasted almost like strawberry, then melded into a familiar red bean taste. Although Both ice creams, as I would imagine, are made with large quantities of sugar, personally, the sweet taste is well worth the extra calories.

All the previously described items make up approximately a mere tenth of the entire menu. That said, I wouldn’t hold the two rolls I didn’t specifically enjoy against the chefs. There are still ample dishes with which I can experiment. All the options I still want to try will inevitably bring me back for more. St. Louis has quite a few sushi joints, but Nobu definitely stands out from the rest. Overall, I sincerely enjoyed my experience with Nobu’s Japanese Restaurant, and wish it the best of luck in creating new savory meals for the public to enjoy.