A Secret Sushi Haven…Shhhhh

The Dish: Volcano Roll
The Place: Toyama
The Location: 23415 N Scottsdale Road N. (North East Corner of Scottsdale and Pinnacle Peak Rd) 480-513-1221

By: Kevin Engholdt

As a frequent traveler to Asian regions, specifically Japan, I’m always taken back at the dramatic difference in food. Sushi remains to the be the staple for Japan and I have yet to find any place in the U.S. that comes close to the quality and taste of authentic sushi … until now.

Toyama Restaurant, corner of Scottsdale Rd and Pinnacle Peak, is the small quiet sushi shop that has a deeply held Scottsdale secret – best sushi in Arizona … shhhhh. For me, it is comparable to the true sushi of Japan. Toyama’s owner, “Mo”, named the restaurant after the Toyama Prefecture in Japan, where he is from. He gets all of his ingredients daily to maintain its freshness. He does no traditional marketing nor any new social media; no Facebook, no Twitter, no Instagram. Toyama is the modern day “secret” spot for sushi under the honorable style of marketing – just great food!

Some of the signature dishes include the Tuna Tempura, Volcano Roll, Dynamite Scallops, and Cucumber Special. Of course, there are the true secret “off menu” items like the Orange Cup Tuna and IKA (eel) Tetsupouyaki. These signature dishes take your taste buds on a truly unique experience that is true Japan. Moreover, what you may not know, while in food elysium, is that you are eating some of the most potent immunity stimulators on Earth. The seaweed used is Wakame, a very potent anti-viral, anti-obesity, and anti-cholesterol loaded superfood. Many of the mushrooms; such as Masutake, Maitake, and Shiitake have anti-diabetic, anti-tumor, as well as anti-cholesterol properties. I travel to Japan and Hong Kong to source these immunity boosting superfoods for our products for our company, Infinitum Health, and was amazed on how Toyama incorporated these superfoods into incredible dishes! Maybe this is why Japan has the longest survival rate in the world, even after traumatic events such as WWII bombings, which to this day, should be causing cancers – but they have one of the lowest percentage rated as a country as well.

I highly recommend Toyama for a true sushi experience, from traditional Japan. But shhh … let’s keep this secret place a gem in Scottsdale.