Edo Sushi in University City is a busy place, popular with students and neighborhood residents, with friendly, fast service. It's also walking distance from my apartment, so when I need a quick, warm bowl of rice and something, I head there.

During lunch, there's the typical special offerings, bento boxes, sushi or sashimi combos, and rice or noodle bowls. Prices are good, ranging from $7.50 to $10.

I ordered a bulgogi bowl, which comes with edamame, miso soup, several pieces of tempura, a small green salad, and a decent sized bowl of rice topped with vegetables and beef.

Everything tasted exactly as you would expect, and that's a good thing. Nice hot soup with bits of seaweed and tofu. Crisp-tender beans. I was surprised by the freshness of the salad, which had a gingery, tangy dressing. The tempura was nice, too, better than most, and it retained its crunch well. In particular, the shrimp was tender and sweet, and shattered all over when I ate it. I didn't mind.

I wasn't enthralled by the bulgogi bowl, though. The beef was tender enough, plentiful, and not too sweet. I wanted to like it more than I did. But I'm not a fan of green bell peppers, particularly cooked ones, so that's a personal issue, not the fault of the food. I brought most of it home and warmed it up for John, and he liked it a lot. So, while it wasn't my favorite, I'd recommend trying it anyway if you like bulgogi bowls.

Edo Sushi also has a happy hour with 20% off sushi and sake specials (buy one, get one for $1).

Edo Sushi Japanese Restaurant

8895 Towne Centre Dr.

San Diego, CA 92122

(858)457-4455

Hours:

Monday - Saturday: 11:00AM- 10:00PM

Lunch : 11:30AM- 2:30PM

Free lot parking.

Need to know: Credit card are not accepted for orders under $10.