As the name suggests, The Gallery Sushi Bar rolls two things into one: sushi and a gallery (of travel photographs). Unlike many other Japanese restaurants, the owners do try to distance themselves from the whole bamboo and beige wood vibe. Photographs hang on the wall above dark-toned furnishings, while the large glass façade, overlooking the traffic chaos of Chidlom at rush hour, lets in plenty of light. (If you go there for dinner, watching others stuck in traffic while you’re enjoying your meal is strangely pleasurable.) The food alone is not particularly memorable, though. Despite the owners’ promise of high-quality fish, their sushi isn’t as electrifying as that found at other high-end sushi venues. The sushi platter (B850) is a middle-of-the-road combination of tuna, salmon, hamachi (yellowtail), suzuki (Japanese sea bass) and shrimp, rescued only by their well-blended shoyu sauce. Other dishes are more worth your while, especially their various fancy maki sets. The Salmon Solomon (B400) carries a refreshing, oceanic taste with slices of lemon atop each piece. The citrusy notes go great with the spicy mayonnaise. Another mayo maki, Gallery Scallopy (B430), suffers from an overpowering mayonnaise and chili sauce, which all but smothers the taste of the fresh scallop meat. Our biggest disappointment, however, would be the tako dip (fried octopus with mayo lemon sauce, B170), which is served in a bland, overly-breaded style instead of, as the menu suggests, deep-fried. The tasty lemon mayo sauce isn’t enough to save it, either, but thankfully all that greasiness can be washed down with the flavorful Hotate mushroom and white fish soup (B250). The aroma of the fresh mushroom and the saltiness of the fish are enough to remind us why, although it isn’t one of the best sushi venues in town, there’s still plenty to like about The Gallery Sushi Bar. Factor in the nice service and a great atmosphere and the hit-and-miss menu is somewhat forgivable.
