Yabai Sushi & Poke

Yabai Sushi & Poke operates inside the Toro Center shopping mall at 6 Pantelimon Halippa Street, in the Centru district. It is one of the concepts of the Mentogohan group, which also runs the Azasu Asian kitchen in the same building, with culinary direction from chef Shigeki Iimura. The menu, presented on mentogohan.com, is built around sushi — signature rolls, philadelphia, nigiri, hosomaki, sashimi don — and poke bowls, with vegetarian options and sets for several people. The format is a food court one, with seating in the mall's shared area or takeaway.

Google reviews show that customers rate the service positively. Recurring points are the quality of the fish, especially the salmon, the freshness of the ingredients and the value of the sets; some guests mention extra portions offered on the house. The complaints are just as specific: the atmosphere is that of a mall with no dining room of its own, orders can take a while even with few customers ahead, and the octopus nigiri was described as tough with little meat on it. The same reviews note, however, that anything with salmon is consistently good. If you are trying it for the first time, go for the salmon sets or the poke.