Anonymous 1
Ann Anonymous
Ms. Utsler
English 450
6 February 2008
First Bites: Trying Sushi at Omokaseand Chomp
When I mention that my upcoming weekend includesnineteen candles and chocolate cake, one student, sitting nearme, politely asks about my birthday plans. Her polite smile continues until I answer, “sushi, definitely sushi. . . in Rancho or hopefully, Fullerton.” At this point, I see a familiar grimace; she cringes at me as if I have announced that I will eat beetle dung. Although she has not tried sushi, she is certain that sushi is disgusting, unsafe, and expensive. Countering her point about the cost is difficult; I rarely have the cash to eat at my favorite sushi restaurants, Rancho Cucamonga’s OmokaseandFullerton’s Chomp. I go to these locations on special occasions such as my birthday. Still, when students first try sushi, they should avoidfast food restaurants at all costs. It is better to wait and save up the funds or splurge on credit than to have a poor first sushi experience. Although Omakase is an appropriate local option, Chaffey College students who have the opportunity should visit Chomp in Fullerton for their first sushi experiences.
Locally, Omokase provides an appropriate environment for students who have never had sushi. This restaurant’s environment instills confidence in visitors who are new to trying sushi because the location feels clean, energetic, and friendly. Upon arrival, guests are verbally greeted by two or more friendly chefs who stand at the sushi bar,prepared to delight visitors with a rainbow of fresh fish. Students may enjoy a friendly chat with the chefs by sitting at the sushi bar. Also, students may choose to chat with friends only instead by sitting at a regular table and possibly enjoying an available game, such as checkers, chess, or Battleship. Perhaps, watching a game is of more interest; visitors may watch professional sports on two wide screen televisions. One television hangs above the sushi bar, and the second television hangs above the alcohol bar; the two bars look similar. Each bar features a long row of space for guests to sit. The sushi bar features regular chairs while the alcohol bar includes raised bar stools. In between these two bars, there is an open seating area with many tables for sitting and dining. The seating arrangements are somewhat mediocre. The dark brown chairs and tables look elegant, but the chairs are not particularly comfortable and there are no private booths. In fact, the problematic aspect of the friendly atmosphere is that it feels like there are too many tables in a small space; this results in a lack of privacy for guests. Still, bright lighting from the bars and alternative rock from the speakers contribute to an upbeat atmosphere, and if Fullerton is too far away, Omakase’s environment is acceptable.
While Omokase offers a satisfactoryatmosphere, Chomp’s environment provides amore inviting option. Chomp features an extended group of friendly, task-oriented staff members who ensure a clean and friendly environment. At Chomp, guests are welcomed by hosts who stand at a podium and determine an appropriate seating location for each group of visitors. Usually, guests will be asked if they prefer to sit in the main room or the smaller, second room. Both rooms are tastefully decorated. The secondroom offers additional privacy, burgundy walls, soft, comfortable booths and one long table for large parties; this room provides the most elegant option. In between the two rooms, a sophisticated alcohol bar, featuring black, waxy walls is the host to guests, waiting for their seats. In the main room, a life-sized, great-white shark, painted with orange flames, hangs from the ceiling. Beneath the fiberglass creature, a small, live shark swims; the shark tank makes a perfect centerpiece for the restaurant’s centrally located sushi bar. Sturdy, realistic palm trees stand at four corners around this unique sushi bar. Like ripples, moving away from a fallen stone, tables form circles around this central sushi location. A few tables,featuring spacious booths, are located on a raised area that provides a good view of the main room. From the chairs at the sushi bar and dining tables to the booths, raised above that area, Chomp offers comfortable, spacious seating options. The sushi bar, surrounded by circling tables and featuring a giant shark, is far more engaging than the sushi bar at Omakase (or any other sushi bar I have seen, for that matter.) At Chomp, students may hear live reggae if they come during the Sunday brunch; otherwise, music which complements the beach-themed atmosphere may be heard in the main room. The fires from Chomp’s Teppan grills blaze high enoughthat those sitting at the sushi bar have no trouble seeing the flames. So, Chomp’s environment exceeds Omakase’s atmosphere overall even though Omakase remains quite acceptable.
Like Omakase’s atmosphere, thequality, taste, and variety of Omokase’s sushi should not disappoint Chaffey students. Omakase features many different options, including regular cut and non-cut sushi rolls as well as tempura and other cooked rolls! For instance, the snow cone roll is my personal favorite choice. According to Robert, an Omakase employee, the snow cone roll featuresa California roll on the bottom with baked albacore and lobster on top of it. He further explained that Omakase’s California roll includes imitation crab meat, avocado, and cucumber. The snow cone roll offers a delicious and unique combination of a cold, light, summery taste with a richer, warm wintery taste. When I eat a snow cone roll, the warm combination of lobster and albacore softly melts in my mouth; this delicious duo is followed up by the cool yet delicate mixture of crab, avocado, and cucumber. Still, this roll is just one of the many different options for students. Students who enjoy cream cheese and salmon should try Philadelphia rolls while those who prefer intense flavors should consider Spicy tuna rolls. Also, students who enjoy tempura and may be having reservations about eating raw fish should begin their meals with delicious tempura rolls. One note of caution while dining at Omakase. I once had a questionable experience with a Nigiri tuna order while eating there. Nigiri tuna is raw tuna, served over sushi rice. One time, the tuna had a slightly awkward taste to it, and I am not certain if the concern related to my taste buds or the quality of the fish. Still, I usually have a positive experience when ordering sushi cut rolls as well as Nigiri sushi from Omokase.
Yet, the quality, taste, and variety of Chomp’s sushi significantly surpass the sushi of Omakase. While Chomp features California Rolls, Philadelphia rolls, and many other rolls available at Omakase, Chomp’s quality is so high that I would think Chomp was a five star restaurant. Everything simply tastes better than at Omakase or any other sushi location I have visisted since I tried my first bite of sushi at an upscale location in Los Angeles. I have never tried a sushi roll or a piece of nigiri sushi at Chomp that I did not like. The quality has been consistently high. It is fair to be skeptical when a restaurant boasts of its own accomplishments, and Chomp is a restaurant which boasts in this manner. According to Chomp’s official website ( “Executive Sushi Chef Ken Cruz was recently named ‘Best Sushi Chef’ in California!” Based on my experiences with Chomp’s sushi, I believe an expert must be in charge at Chomp; this expert deserves to be honored in a truly respectable manner. Also, this website continues, “Chomp has been named "Best Sushi Restaurant" in Orange County. Although the website does not provide a source for this information, I certainly believe it deserves that honor. To truly understand Chomp’s reputation, students should try the Screaming O Roll. According to Chomp’s website ( this roll was actually invented at the restaurant. The website explains that this roll includes “tuna, unagi, crab meat, cream cheese & avocado [which is] rolled and deep fried tempura style [and] topped with [Chomp’s] secret firey sauce.” The Screaming O Rollis a good first roll to try because the roll is warm and features some cooked ingredients. Also, the sauce is sweet yet somewhat spicy. Another delicious option is the Tornado roll. This option will help remove the fears of students who are uncomfortable with eating certain items. I admit that I did not know the ingredients of the Tornado roll when I first tried one, and I did not think I liked spicy tuna rolls. Still, from visiting Chomp’s website, I just learned that this roll includes “spicy tuna, crab meat and avocado wrapped with soy bean paper and cripy, shredded potato.” Combined with other ingredients in this roll, I do enjoy spicy tuna. Also, I never thought I would eat any item, containing eel, but I just learned that the Tornado roll is “served with [Chomp’s] special sweet eel and cream sauce ( I already know that I love this cream sauce as it is soft, smooth, sweet and buttery, but I never would have guessed it included eel. In addition to the specialty rolls, Chomp’s traditional rolls, such as the California roll, are quite delicious and made of quality ingredients. Also, a wide variety of tasty, delicious nigiri sushi, featuring raw fish and sushi rice, is available. I suggest students begin their first sushi experiences at Chomp with warmed, cooked sushi specialty rolls. Then, as they realize that the food they are eating is consistently delicious, they should try the more traditional, raw sushi. All of Chomp’s offerings should guarantee that visitors’ first sushi experiences are not their last sushi experiences.
In conclusion,visiting Chomp or, if more feasible, Omakase will help ensure that Chaffey College students who try first sushi have positive sushi experiences. And, as a result, fewer grimaces will haunt the classrooms of Chaffey College because more students will have tried high-quality, delicious sushi in enjoyable atmospheres. To enjoy the Chomp sushi experience, students should take the 15 freeway to the 91 freeway. Then, they should exit at Lemon street in Fullerton. Finally making a lefton Commonwealth will lead to Chomp which is located on the right side of the street. Students who select to visit Omakase should take Haven Avenue from Chaffey until they pass Foothill. Omakase will be on the right side of Haven Avenue. Whether visiting Chomp or Omakase, Chaffey College students should try sushi. Otherwise, they are missing out on one of life’s most wonderful dining adventures!