Friday Lunch at The Other Fish

I absolutely love this hole-in-the-wall sushi joint, and wish there were more places like it. The tiny, cramped interior features just a handful of two-tops, a table for four and about 10 seats along the counter, which itself overlooks a narrow kitchen running the length of the room. There's so little space, in fact, that the Christmas tree has been irreverently hung upside down from the ceiling. It's a fun place to hang out. Friendly diners and staff bump into one another, and having the kitchen right there in the main room fills the space with delicious smells of miso, sizzling tempura and grilled teriyaki delights.

Incidentally, The Other Fish also makes some really decent sushi. We've been there about 4 times now and always enjoy what we get. It costs a tad more than we were used to paying when we craved speedy sushi in times gone by, but I suspect that's inevitable when you move from a city where there were 8 competing sushi restaurants on your block alone.

But back to the food... Over the past few months we've tried the edamame, agedashi tofu, several varieties of maki rolls, udon noodles, and gyoza. Finally, last Friday we put in our first lunch time visit, when P had the california roll lunch and I had the tuna roll lunch. Not particularly exotic choices, but tasty. The rolls were well-crafted and we were happy to find that the cucumber was cut into thin, precise strips, not the clumsy chunks of lazier chefs .

The accompanying miso soup was steaming hot, rich and flavorful, with plenty of silken tofu, green onions and seaweed (wakame?) floating about.

Service is always friendly and relaxed. I believe that they do deliver takeout orders - at least at certain times of day - but watching the chef work his magic from your own small space at the counter is strangely soothing; a reminder of sushi past and a promise of sushi to come. We'll be going back in person.

The Other Fish
59 E. Broad St.
Bethlehem
(484) 821-1370