Craving some unique sushi, my mother and I stumbled across a small, but brightly lit restaurant that drew us in from the street. We often eat sushi and wanted to try something new. Many people have recommended Sushi N’ Pop, so we decided to try it.

The corner displays a huge sign that reads Sushi ‘N’ Pop: Japanese Fusion Restaurant, and looking at the open glass exterior, I could see many people together, closely seated at small tables and briefly hear retro music which was surprisingly inviting.

On the short walk to my table, I almost bumped into the crowded bar and tables. The closeness made the restaurant feel casual and homey.

Looking around, my mother proudly identified all the old records covering the ceilings and walls. I looked to the left, and a huge Brittany Spears poster I was unaware of startled me. My reaction to the poster soon had other customers laughing which seemed to be part of a fun, relaxed atmosphere.

The waitress appeared at our table and took our orders. These consisted of the most popular dishes and sushi my mother said “real” Japanese people ordered: the geisha, the crunch Scallop, the California roll, white tuna, and saba (pickled mackerel).

Miso soup came first as an appetizer with every meal. Following tradition, no spoons were used to consume the soup. It was savory, although Miso soup hardly differs from restaurants, because it is made out of the same ingredients: miso paste and Bonito broth (dry fish flake broth).

While I enjoyed all the chaos of the dining room, our food popped up at our table, and we started sampling our meal.

Every dish had a different take, but they were all brightly-colored. The crunch scallop had sauces, garnishes and fried scallops covering the plate with the wide-rolled sushi in the center. When I bit into the sushi, i could hear the crunch of the deep-fried scallop and smoothness of the crabmeat. I love how all the different flavors meshed together so well.

Next, I tried the geisha. It was completely different from the crunch scallop. It was creamy with avocado and tuna, which garnished it, and contained very mellow buttery flavors. Although it tasted good, I could not taste the different ingredients.

After that, I took a bite of the California roll, and found it to be creamy like the geisha. It was buttery and smooth, but I could tell the ingredients apart. The California Roll is featured in many Japanese restaurants, and although Sushi ‘N’ Pop’s was good, it was not unique.

My mother sampled the white tuna and saba. With expertise coming from her Japanese ethnicity, she said the white tuna was very fresh and not fishy, which meant it was good quality. She noticed there was no wasabi underneath the fish, but on the side. We have been to many other sushi restaurants and traditionally, there is always wasabi under the fish just for a little kick, just like salt for flavoring.

The saba was fishy by nature, and it flaked a lot which my mother liked. Although my mother liked the fish, she noticed the rice kept falling apart, which meant it was not sticky enough. When rice is not sticky it means either it was not cooked enough or too much vinegar was mixed in.

The bill was $29.80 including drinks and tip. Sushi ‘N’ Pop includes a diverse selection of Japanese fusion dishes including appetizers such as seaweed salad (4.95) and entrees from veggie rolls (2.95) to deep fried sushi (8.95).

Sushi ‘N’ Pop delivers large servings of delicious, unusual varieties of sushi and a playful atmosphere for a great price, but it is not traditional by any means. It is a good place to introduce sushi to someone who is scared to try raw fish, because most of its sushi is either deep-fried or baked.

Coming from a Japanese background, we have high expectations for fresh sushi, and Sushi N’ Pop delivers the delicious flavors my mother and I expect.

For more information, contact Sushi N’ Pop at (559) 438-1690, or visit at 1788 E. Barstow by Fresno State.