A trip to Sushi-Samba on Lincoln Road
Walking down Lincoln Road, I feel my stomach's wide emptiness and I hear a sudden growl of resentment from its deep obscurities. As I am pondering this reality I pass by a restaurant with voluble techno music booming from inside. Many people sit outside getting the best of both worlds with delicious food and the people-watching scenario of Lincoln Road blended with techno music. I am lured to the entrance by the effervescent ambience of the place.
The hostess greets me kindly, asks me how many people I am dining with, and conveys me to my table. It is a low, flat, Japanese-style table of a dark umber-like wood with even lower little benches that have white cushions over them. To my satisfaction, I am seated right by the big window with a magnificent vantage point of the outside. The lighting is quite dim and the music fills the air, making it difficult to hear and to be impervious to the exciting mood. An Asian waitress clad in black takes my drink order and gives me a menu. The restaurant is a Fancy Japanese - Brazilian - Peruvian Cuisine! They serve traditional platters from each of the countries and have a great variety of seafood. I focus on the Japanese entrees.
They offer all kinds of intricate, delectable rolls and cool appetizers. When my drink comes, a frozen strawberry daiquiri (virgin), the waitress asks if I would like any appetizers! I order the exotic Seaweed Salad. It is an exquisite dish of three kinds of delicious seaweeds presented on a lovely Japanese plate, big enough to share with three people! One of the seaweeds is thin and a dark forest green. It tastes like the sea and mostly feels like it  has salt in it. The next seaweed is the familiar, thicker, evergreen seaweed that is practically transparent. It has a soft satisfying crunch to it and it has more variety in its seasoning; it has a pretty sweet flavor. The last seaweed vaguely resembles the one you find scattered on the beach but on a much more diminished scale. It was a little plain for my liking but very interesting to chew on.
For the main course I order the Shrimp Tempera Roll, the Vegetable Roll, the California Roll, the Cucumber Roll, the Eel Roll, and the Spicy Fried Calamari! The calamari is sliced into an array of rings, fried, and is coated with a tangy, reddish-brown sauce. It's crunchy and delightful with a sweetness that is complemented with a dart of spice! The rolls arrive luxuriously set up! The shrimp tempera roll comes stacked in a shiny tower with the entire tail of a fresh shrimp brimming out of the top roll. The taste is a satisfying one that disseminates in your mouth and gives a feel of happiness. The vegetable roll was colossal and stuffed with various exotic vegetables. One bite was bursting with foreign garden flavor and juiciness. It reminds me of Earth with its vibrant warm colors. The California Roll is not cliché. It has bigger chunks of fresh crab and vivid avocado than any other I have had the pleasure of tasting.
As the music flows through my veins I feel a sense of harmony and placement in the setting.   As I survey the funky orange supernova that I am a part of, the eclectic menu, the out of this world decoration, I reach for an eel roll.  It has a long piece of soft fresh light eel that shines with the sauce that mildly glazes it. With a big bite I take in the tangy sweet flavor of the eel sauce and the savory taste of the delicious fish.  The cucumber roll, though simple in its elements, provides a soft completion to the meal.  It's crunchy and it has a pristine, perfectly uninvasive sensation. As I conclude the course, I draw a breath of untainted air and relax.  There is no brief way to describe the marvelous experience that I have had here!
