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Rate my Plate: Shogun Japanese Restaurant

Shogun is open Monday and Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and on Sunday 11:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m. Photo by Morgan Patrick.

Just over the bridge in East Peoria is Shogun Japanese Restaurant; featuring options for sushi, soups, appetizers, hibachi and more. I picked out sushi rolls and a few appetizers, as sushi is an art that can show the true quality of a restaurant.

I ordered my meal through GrubHub and my sushi came cold and fresh, and the appetizers were warm.

My order in total was about $28 before delivery fees and tips, but it was worth every cent for the quality of the rolls in my order.

Crab Rangoon: 4/5

The shell wasn’t greasy, despite being fried, and the corner bits are crispy without taking up 80 percent of the Rangoon. After taking a bite, you could see the flaky layers of the wrap. The dish was warm, not burning, with sweet cream cheese filling and an onion or savory aftertaste. The filling is plenty and well balanced with the outer shell. It came with a sweet and sour sauce that could make the overall sweetness overpowering if I wasn’t careful.

Pan-fried gyoza: 5/5

Personally, this pork gyoza took me through an experience; it needed to, as I only eat pork and red meat on rare occasions. The restaurant had given me an option to have my gyoza steamed or pan-fried, and I chose the pan-fried option to try a new texture.

The wrap that holds the filling was delicate and still moist, but the crunch on the bottom from being fried gave it a pop of texture that you might be looking for if you’re not crazy over the posh wrap. The pork filling was finely chopped to perfection, with vegetables that I can only assume are ginger, cabbage and green onion for a strong flavor profile.

The dipping sauce that was paired with it was unidentifiable to me. I know they serve it every time I order the dish, but I just know it as salty goodness — it never fails to deliver. My favorite thing to do is to tear the gyoza in half and scoop up the sauce, but if it’s too much sodium for your liking, it went well without it.

Eel avocado: 3.5/5

It was simple, it was safe, but plain if you’re looking for more complex flavors. Honestly, whenever I see eel on the menu, my mouth waters over the idea of eel sauce being paired with the fish. However, that wasn’t the case.

The eight-piece roll was just as the name had described, eel and avocado as the filling, no eel sauce. The most prominent flavor of this roll was the avocado, as it was a big chunk rather than a thin paste. It can be overpowering, but you appreciate the meat, nori and rice in this roll when it comes through the avocado.

Each roll in this order has sliced ginger and wasabi to cleanse the pallet before taking in a different roll.

Dynamite roll: 4/5

Now, this roll was ultra-velvety with cream cheese, salmon, sweet potato and avocado oozed into your mouth once you broke through the nori sheet that surrounds the outermost layer. I could see why it’s called the dynamite roll. While there were other elements to it, the chunk of cream cheese was the powerhouse in this dish, and the avocado was in a paste this time but was almost too thin to notice.

While there was shrimp in this roll, the more gooey side of it made it almost unnoticeable, except for the end piece that had a shrimp tail hanging out. I would have loved to see more eel sauce, which is my only complaint, however, maybe too much of a good thing isn’t as good in the end.

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