Everyone knows that one of the best ways to find out about great food is through Facebook. When the sushi burrito appeared in the beginning of 2016 everyone and their mothers liked, shared, and raved about the restaurant responsible for this hybrid creation; PokeWorks.
Living less than 25 miles away, I was as excited as a kid in a candy store to have the opportunity to go try it. I found myself tirelessly waiting on line for over an hour just to eventually be underwhelmed. I was desperate not to give up hope on this magnificent creation, but thought I had come to an unbreakable wall at PokeWorks. That was until one Google search lead me to a restaurant called Inspiration Roll.
While looking up PokeWorks, I came across a couple of other places that had figured out how to make the sushi burrito. Most of them were in different areas of New York City, except for one. This one was in Morristown and although it was further in miles than PokeWorks, it was easier to drive to than New York City.
With the semester getting busier, I had to put off going until I had time during the summer. Once summer came, I was craving sushi (as usual) and figured I would try the one place in New Jersey, even if it was a little far.
That’s when I saw that Inspiration Roll had a new location opening only 10 minutes away in Caldwell. With it being so close, I knew I had to check out how this burrito compared to the famous New York one.
The Experience
When I walked into Inspiration Roll, the first thing I noticed was that it actually had seating. PokeWorks was definitely limited in space so I was happy to be able to sit down and enjoy my burrito. I also noticed there was no line! It was really nice being some of the only people in the establishment.
The menu was also quite unique. PokeWorks definitely lived up to having "poké" in their name through the preparation of their fish. Inspiration Roll had fish options that were more similar to what you would get in typical sushi. They had spicy tuna, fresh salmon, baked salmon, shrimp tempura, crab sticks, tempura eggplant, and tempura sweet potato along with grilled chicken chicken and pork katsu.
I was also excited to see that they had two options for rice, your traditional white rice as well as multigrain rice. They also had different fillings such as carrots, cucumbers, and masago. Some of their stranger fillings consisted of guacamole, edamame, and oshinko.
They also had a range of sauces from a typical spicy mayo to wasabi mayo. Finally, they give the option to add some crunch by adding peanuts, tempura crunch, or one of their four other crunchy choices.
One of the biggest differences I saw was the size of the burrito. Inspiration Roll definitely did not slack on the amount of food they put into their burrito. With their motto being "Roll... Toss... Slurp..." they also had other options for meals on their menu.
The "slurp" was specifically for seven different ramen bowls that they offer. They also have a range of small dishes such as shrimp bao and Confucius nachos, both of which are packed with flavor at a great price.
Inspirational Roll had filled everything I expected but did not receive from PokeWorks. Now, nothing will ever beat the first experience I had with the sushi burrito, taking the first bite of what is basically a giant piece of sushi and waiting on line to the point where I was so hungry I thought my stomach would eat itself.
But Inspirational Roll gave me the experience I was looking for along with a handful of both flavorful and healthy options. And of course being able to drive 10 minutes from school and share this experience with my friends and family cannot be beat.