After Dalgona coffee and ube cheese pandesal, here comes another quarantine food trend that you’ll surely be craving for the next few weeks. This time, it’s a scrumptious hefty thing called sushi bake (otherwise called baked sushi)! In a nutshell, it’s deconstructed sushi prepared in either a casserole or pan. But unlike traditional sushi that uses raw fish, this one is either torched or baked to perfection.
It features a layer of Japanese rice, seafood pieces, and then topped off with tobiko (a.k.a. those tiny orange fish eggs), furikake, and cream cheese or mayo. Once ready, the sushi bake is then scooped out and wrapped with nori (dried seaweed sheet) before eating. Sort of similar to how you would eat tacos!
Don’t know exactly where you can have your fill of this delightful dish? We’ve rounded up the best stores in Metro Manila where you can order a baked sushi tray or eight! Oh, and some of these even have their own unique variants for a creative twist. Excited yet?
1. Big Tummy’s Baked Aburi Sushi
Miss dining in your fave authentic Japanese restaurants? Well, do we have news for ya! Big Tummy’s Baked Aburi Sushi is run by a chef from one of the top Japanese resto chains in the Metro. So, you can be sure that their sushi bake is made exactly how it should be: using only the finest Nihon-approved ingredients! Their Baked Aburi Salmon x Kani Sushi comes in three sizes, which you can have picked up via GrabExpress, Lalamove, Mr. Speedy, Angkas, and Joyride.
For more info, click here.
Also read: These 13 Couriers Offer Same-Day Delivery in Metro Manila
2. Casseroles To Go
Take your pick between two variants: Baked Kani x Scallop Aburi Fusion and Baked Kani Mango Sushi. Though if you can’t decide, then might as well get both! Either way, you get a mouth-watering sushi bake that’s packed with flavours and made of all the good stuff. Sushi Bake Casseroles offers delivery via GrabExpress, Lalamove, and Mr. Speedy.
For more info, click here.
3. The Original Baked California Roll
True to its name, The Original Baked California Roll was really one of the OGs among sushi bake makers in Metro Manila. Owned by celebrity nail artist Mimi Qiu, she started rolling these out last April — about a month before the whole craze took off! Her Baked California Roll Tray comes in three sizes, and the smallest option is good for at least two people.
For more info, click here.
4. Oomori Japanese Cuisine
Imagine our delight when Oomori started offering online deliveries to satisfy our sushi and yakitori cravings. But of course, this homegrown Japanese restaurant took it up a notch by making their own baked sushi tray, too! And what’s more, it comes in four interesting variants: California, Salmon Truffle, Salmon Teriyaki, and Wasabi Cheese Melt. They also have a four-in-one option, for those who are too natatakam to decide!
For more info, click here.
5. BakeThatSushi
BakeThatSushi offers five sushi bake trays all in all. The Tuna Baked Sushi and Salmon Baked Sushi are your good ol’ sushi bake trays made better with some avocado slices on top. Meanwhile, the Bulgogi Baked Sushi comes with spicy tuna kimchi, giving this one a Korean-Japanese fusion! And as for the Premium Salmon Baked Sushi and Premium Scallops Baked Sushi, you might wanna try these mainly for the caviar. Yum!
For more info, click here.
6. Taste & Tell MNL
Taste & Tell MNL is all about bringing your fave aburi in a hefty sushi tray form! They started with offering the Kani Sushi Aburi before R&D-ing their way to more options — most of which are available for limited periods of time! Their latest one is the Umami Unagi: filled with unagi, kani, bonito flakes, dried seaweed, tobiko, and mangoes. Meanwhile, the Scallop x Salmon Aburi is drizzled with unagi sauce, then topped with some crunchy garlic and tempura flakes!
For more info, click here.
7. The Kitchen MNL
Have you ever tried crunchy salmon teriyaki as sushi bake? Well, now you can with The Kitchen MNL’s very own The Crunch. There’s also The Classic, which is basically their version of a deconstructed California roll. And while it’s definitely up to you to decide which one to get, why not both? Their trays come with beginner-friendly instruction cards on how to reheat (whether via oven or microwave), how to scoop, and how long it’ll last in your fridge!
For more info, click here.
8. The Holy Crab
Whether or not it’s your first time to try sushi bake, you’ll surely enjoy the one from The Holy Crab! It only comes in one flavour: Cali Maki Aburi — which is ideal for those who get easily confused with too many variants. Nonetheless, it’s good for at least five people! It features thick, creamy kani topping that’s sweetened just right with fresh mangoes and tobiko.
Oh, and did we mention that this store also offers equally delish seafood platters? Hey, go big or go home!
For more info, click here.
9. Pino Restaurant
Pino Restaurant in UP Teacher’s Village is known for their affordable and healthy Pinoy dishes. And now, they’re also offering spam musubi in baked sushi form! It’s an unlikely twist that we didn’t see coming… but then again, so is sushi bake itself. Their Spamchi Rice Bake is good for three to four peeps and includes caramelised spam, kimchi rice, cheese, egg, nori, and sesame.
For more info, click here.
10. Asian Foodie Marketplace
Asian Foodie Marketplace offers a lot of the food trends you’ve been seeing on your Instagram feed. In fact, they add new offerings pretty much every week. And of course, the scrumptious sushi bake is no exception! They offer this in three variants: California, Spicy Tuna, and Truffle Salmon. Can’t decide? TBH, neither can we — so, might as well try ‘em all! Also, each tray can serve up to three pax.
For more info, click here.
11. Poke Poke
Remember when poké bowls took Metro Manila by storm about three years ago? Well, Poke Poke was clearly one of the pioneer restos for this. Conceptualised by Kelz Aguirre (a.k.a. the same chef behind Locavore) it paved the way for crave-worthy DIY poké bowls. And this time, they’ve come up with something new: Poke Bake! It comes in three flavours: Samurai, Cali, Dragon, and Gangnam — all of which are baked sushi renditions of their best-selling Signature Bowls. Yum!
For more info, click here.
Also read: 10 Difficult Food Items We Wish We Knew How to Cook
The best thing about sushi bake is that it comes in generous servings! This makes it ideal for pot lucks or even indulgent home meals. Also, it has a slightly longer shelf life than regular sushi, so you can keep it in your fridge and save the last bite for later. Though, that might take a lot of self-control for some, as this richly delicious dish is totally addictive!
Okay, we get it, the sushi bake might not sit well for sushi purists out there. But seriously, give it a shot and you just might change your mind. And as for those who are already more than G to satisfy their cravings, well then — go and get ‘em! Savoury and satisfying, it’s the perfect comfort food that we never knew we needed.
Featured image credit: The Kitchen MNL | Official Instagram Page.
Facebook image credit (L-R): Big Tummy’s Baked Aburi Sushi; Taste & Tell MNL | Official Instagram Page.
