Last updated on February 22, 2022 by Jeremy
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Diners 2+1 in Squirrel Hill is the kind of Japanese restaurant that has something for everyone. Not only do they have a large sushi menu (which led us to visit), but they also have a wide range of starters, rice bowls, and full entrees.
But since we were in the mood for sushi, on our first visit we leaned heavily on that side of the menu with a few nibbles for good measure.
A sushi feast at Diners 2+1 in Squirrel Hill
We started our meal with orders of takoyaki and gyoza – two of our favorite Japanese starters.
The gyoza were lightly seared dumplings filled with prawns and were simple and also the point as all good gyoza should be with a nice textural contrast to the otherwise soft fillings.
Takoyaki, on the other hand, are always a treat. These soft, doughy balls are stuffed with pieces of tender octopus and topped with a hot sauce (much like barbecue sauce), spicy mayonnaise and bonito flakes. These lean into the ocean flavors pretty well without being too fishy, but just be careful when biting into them as they can be smoky inside!
As we were interested in checking this one out for sushi, we landed on three premium rolls for our entree. I originally wanted to order more, but Angie rightly pointed out the size of the rolls at the nearby tables, and we found three more than enough with the appetizers. The rolls we sampled (from left to right in the image below) were the Beauty Alaska Roll, the Sushi Sandwich and the Murray Roll which achieved a good mix of all the seafood and sides on offer here.
The Beauty Alaska Roll featured mango, cucumber, jalapeno and was topped with salmon and avocado. In this one, the mango was almost as much (if not more) the star of the show than the salmon, and offered a refreshing sweetness and crisp acidity in every bite, although it was a relatively small amount of fruit compared to the fish.
The Sushi Sandwich takes full marks for being unique and was perhaps our favorite of the bunch. This featured spicy tuna, salmon, crab, avocado and tamago with a soy wrap. Instead of being rolled into a cylinder and sliced, this one was cut into triangular wedges to look like tea sandwiches. Not only was this one an inventive creation for looks, but the flavors blended well, somehow they still stood up to the disproportionate amount of sauce on top, and it was a burst of flavor in every bite. – you won’t want any more seafood in this one.
The last roll we tried was the Murray Roll with fried white fish, massago, cucumber and avocado. While this roll was much simpler than the others, the hot fish and texture contrast of the dough provided a nice break from the seafood and citrus flavors of the other rolls. As a couple, you really couldn’t ask for more than these three as they all brought something a little different to the table.
Our real regret on our first visit to Diners 2+1 was that we only tasted the sushi side of the menu apart from our starters. This one has a range of even more dishes, including teriyaki chicken, tempura platters, a range of fish options, rice bowls, and more. As such, although you can also visit this one for sushi like we did, you really do have a wonderfully wide menu at your fingertips if you want to try something different!
We know we will on our next visit.
2+1 dinners is located at 1722 Murray Ave in Squirrel Hill.
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