Besiki Sushi Palmanova

The menu at Besiki Sushi Palmanova

The menu follows Japanese logic and goes further than houses of this size usually do. Nigiri comes with tuna, salmon, gilt-head bream, octopus, scallop and eel, plus a flame-seared salmon version with unagi sauce. Sashimi arrives on its own as shake, maguro or hotate, or mixed as moriawase. Among the maki, alongside tuna, salmon and eel, there are the plain vegetable rolls with cucumber, carrot, avocado or mango.

A section of its own belongs to the gunkan — that small ball of rice which a band of nori encloses like a wall, so that something can sit on top which would otherwise roll off. At Besiki that wall holds ikura, tobiko, spicy tuna or squid. Beside them stand the temaki, the hand-rolled nori cones, with salmon, eel, prawn, spicy tuna or soft-shell crab.

Rolls that carry the house name

The most conspicuous part of the menu is the rolls. The Besiki Roll carries the name of the house: tempura prawn, salmon, tobiko and avocado inside, tuna and gilt-head bream on top. The Besiki Futo Maki is the thick version with salmon, tuna, tobiko, avocado, cucumber, battered asparagus and mint. And the Sopa Besiki, a spicy seafood soup, is the third place where the house writes itself onto its own menu.

The rest is a long line of its own creations. The Majesty Roll combines tempura prawn, salmon, carrot, avocado, cucumber and rocket; the Salmón Skin Roll uses salmon skin and is covered with flame-seared salmon; the Foie Gras Roll comes with mango and fig jam, the Solomillo Roll with beef fillet, asparagus and fried onion. The Dragon Roll lies under eel and avocado, the Rainbow Roll under four different fish, the Midori Roll under avocado and ikura. Things turn hot with the Roxy Roll and the Spicy Tuna Roll; they go without fish in the Yasai Roll and the Tempura Rock & Roll.

Beyond the sushi counter

The second half of the menu has nothing to do with raw fish. Out of the fryer come tempura of prawn, of vegetables, as a mixed moriawase — and the Tempura de Cangrejo, a whole soft-shell crab in batter that comes out of the fat with its legs and claws intact. Then karaage with sriracha, gyoza with a chicken filling, and harumaki in three versions: vegetarian, with pork, with seafood.

Cold and raw continues with tataki of salmon or tuna, with ceviche of gilt-head bream and with the two tartare versions. It turns warm with yakitori, with tuna and salmon in teriyaki, and with the solomillo in truffle oil with oyster mushrooms. Anyone after something filling takes yakisoba or yakimeshi — vegetarian, with chicken, with beef or, in the yakisoba, with seafood and dried bonito flakes.

Eating vegetarian here takes no effort. Wakame, edamame, vegetable tempura, the vegetable maki, the Yasai Roll, the vegetarian harumaki and the meat-free noodle and rice dishes together add up to a full meal, without your having to piece one together.

Terrace, takeaway and delivery

You eat inside or on the terrace. On a street that runs down towards the beach, that is the difference between a dinner and an evening. Booking is done by telephone, and in a bay that fills up over the summer that is worth doing.

If you would rather eat at home, you order for collection or have it delivered; Besiki Sushi advertises both prominently itself. Sushi travels a short distance well, and the large combination platters suit that particularly — they bundle sashimi, nigiri and several rolls into a single order.