Sushi’s world domination doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon – especially not here in Copenhagen where its popularity only continues to grow. An avid lover of sushi myself, I’m always interested in trying out new places, especially those that at first glance may not seem overly enticing.
Having tried a number of well-known and equally high priced sushi places here in Copenhagen, I decided to check out my local sushi place. Located on Nordre Frihavnsgade in Østerbro, Sushi One doesn’t automatically catch your eye. Surrounded my primarily up-scale shops, its modest façade looks slightly outdated.
Once inside, the interior, much like the outside, looks tired and worn, although a friendly atmosphere greets you. The design is very kitsch, but in a strangely appealing way. We sat in the back room where chairs are replaced by pillows on the floor. Once comfortably seated (no shoes allowed!), we took in the surroundings, focusing mainly on the many fantastically ugly Asian porcelain figures.
Deciding more really is better, we ordered 54 pieces and, after much discussion, we settled on two different types of sushi: Ura Maki and Futomaki.
For the Ura Maki, better known an ‘inside out rolls’, we chose Alaska rolls, California rolls with masago, Spicy tiger shrimp rolls and Spicy salmon rolls. For the Futomaki, commonly thought of as traditional sushi with seaweed on the outside, we chose ebi tempura and some smaller rolls with salmon and avocado.
While we did have to wait longer than expected, the sushi was beautifully presented in a large circular tray. Sushi One appears to pride itself on its produce being freshly made, and my companion and I were eager to put this to the test. Equally we were both curious as to whether this more affordable sushi would stand a chance against its expensive counterparts.
Neither of us is usually an overly big fan of Futomaki, so we decided to start there, figuring we’d work our way up. However from the first bite of the large Futomaki with ebi tempura I was an absolute goner. These sushi rolls had gorgeous crisp tempura shrimps with masago, unagi sauce, spring onions, avocado and a tantalising spicy sauce. From the first to the last bite, my mouth was overwhelmed by the flavour assault. The combination of the crispy shrimp, soft avocado and spicy sauce really was superb.
The two other small Futomaki rolls contained either salmon or avocado. They were poorly put together and almost unravelled when we picked them up. The taste of both was fine, though my partner did comment that the salmon didn’t seem to taste quite as fresh as he’d hoped.
Eager to see what the Ura Maki rolls had to offer, we moved on to the Alaska rolls. They were rolled in masago and contained salmon, cream cheese and avocado. While the mix of the cream cheese and avocado with masago was quite fresh, the taste of the salmon once again seemed a little bit metallic.
Afterwards we moved onto the California rolls that contained Surimi, avocado and cucumber. Surimi in Japanese literally translates as ground meat. Tending to be a fish-based food product, it’s mashed into a thick paste that once cooked has a dense and rubbery property. More often known as imitation crab, my partner was none the wiser and couldn’t stop raving about how great the ‘crab’ rolls tasted.
To finish we tucked into the spicy tiger shrimp and spicy salmon rolls. Served with spicy sauce, avocado and spring onions, they were definitely the best of the Ura Maki rolls. While my partner preferred the spicy salmon rolls, I just couldn’t get enough of the tempura shrimp rolls. As with the Futomaki tempura rolls, the flavours, combined with the crunchy texture of the fried shrimp were delicious.
While the rolls at Sushi One aren’t the biggest, and the service is far from being the fastest, this place is great for a midweek sushi outing. It’ll hit the spot when that sushi craving just won’t go away, and luckily, it won’t hit your pocket too hard.    

Sushi One
Nordre Frihavnsgade 78, Cph Ø;
3538 6888  
Open daily 16:00-21:00
Cuisine: Sushi
Top Dish:
Futomaki Ebi Tempura Big
Price Range:
8 pieces: 48-85kr  
www.sushione.dk