Oysy Extravaganza: pics

I don't think I'll ever see this much sushi and sashimi and other Japanese goodies on my table again. Of course, we totally overordered for eight (one who is vegetarian) at the Oysy "South Loop" location on Saturday June 16, but still! Present were my uncle, aunt, cousin, dad, mom, brother, sister Lynn, and myself. Appetizers included 2 edamame, 1 vegetable tempura, 1 lotus root tempura with seasoned chicken filling, 2 seaweed salad, 2 soft shell crab tempura, 2 flaming dynamite, 2 grilled steak, 1 grilled salmon with sesame sauce, and 1 chilean sea bass with garlic black bean sauce.

I thought the dynamite and two fish were the best of the appetizers. And look at all the sushi and sashimi... I didn't actually end up even tasting most of the maki because the sashimi just looked so good. I can't say it beat the sashimi I had at Katsu during my one visit, but in terms of location and ease to get to, and because of the sheer amount that I will probably not see again (my uncle and aunt were visiting from out of the country so we were "budgetless") I was really pleased. My cousin, who had selected this restaurant, had originally wanted to take the group to Sushi Wabi but I though it would be impossible to get into given the Randolph festival happening that same weekend. This was not only a good alternative (he selected it over Japonois and Blu Coral), but definitely a superior choice then the original destination. I would go again.

Here are some clickable thumbnails of the meal.

vegetable tempura and a glimpse of edamame
lotus root tempura with seasoned chicken filling and the two dipping choices
seaweed salad
soft-shell crab tempura
flaming dynamite
grilled steak
grilled salmon with sesame sauce
grilled chilean sea bass with garlic black bean sauce
sushi platter 1
small sashimi platter
large sashimi platter
small special maki platter
one of two dragon rolls for the table
the larger special maki platter
tuna tartare with caviar
top view, tuna tartare with caviar
the 2 bottles for dinner

As always, contributions to this board never cease to make my stomach growl. Thanks the informative post, I definitely wanna try out that place!

Great pictures, pechnmew! Your pictures took me to your gallery and made me look at all the other food pix you've taken, my stomach's growling.

Oysy has gotten a bum rep on this board, my experiences there have been up-n-down as well. However, I think you benefitted from the larger quantity of ordering that made the chef pay special attn. and brought out better part of their skills/supply. Kudos on the detailed description and memorization. I have a problem remembering all my "good" meals since I tend to get lost in my food bliss when it happens.

Thanks for the post, I also recently tried Oysy and really enjoyed it. The sashimi in particular I tried was pristine, fresh and really well prepared. I also had the vegetable tempura picured above and it was very good. The tempura was done with a very light touch, and it was nicely crunchy and not at all greasy.

I will definitely be back very soon for another dinner at Oysy to give it another try.

Great pics! Looks like a wonderful gathering. While I now want sushi for lunch, I'm really jealous of the '00 Opus One!

I get these cravings for sushi to the extent that they'll literally stop me in my tracks. Like today, after work, I was walking out the door and a sushi craving stuck me. Within a couple of minutes I found myself with my laptop perched on some streetside construction scaffolding, while typing away on Zagat to find the nearest sushi bar of decent repute that I had yet to visit.

My quick search revealed that the Grand location of Oysy was only a few blocks away. I set off thinking that there was a slight chance this place wouldn't be bad. Unfortunately, my hopes were for naught.

As has now become typical, the moment I sit down at the sushi bar, my soul kind of dies. Pre-sliced fish in an unorganized case mingles with individually wrapped krab stick, tubs of spicy tuna puree, and squeeze bottles full of "special" sauces. The menu itself does not lift my spirits either. Where has Japanese cuisine gone?

I tried the sushi sampler--6 nigiri and one maki (California or spicy tuna, no substitutions, thank you very much)--an order of uni, and the lotus root stuffed with ground chicken tempura. The last of these dishes was actually the best of the night. This isn't to say it was good, for the batter was much too heavy and oily, but it wasn't bad. The sushi left a lot to be desired. As an uni lover, this was downright poor, tasting faintly, if you'll pardon the unappetizing description, of sewage. This was not a mouthful of seawater or whisper of low tide but something else entirely. The escolar that came in the sampler was downright bad: tough, chewy, and unpleasantly oily. The tuna faintly dry around the edges and slightly mealy. Perhaps the only highpoint was the restaurant's choice to eschew the typical piece of cooked shrimp in favor of a decent ama ebi specimen.

So, yeah, my craving was satisfied in a rather empty fashion. I'm going to go back to cutting myself now.

BryanZ wrote:I'm going to go back to cutting myself now.

Will you then serve yourself with rice (nigiri) or sashimi style?

The spirit of TonyC lives!

I was reading the Tribune online today and I thought I saw some article about the Public Health department and restaurant inspections. I clicked on the link that listed the 2007 restaurant closings and found Oysy on the list from March. Reason listed was "serious violation" not addressed.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... &cset=true

I'm not going to base my opinion to go or not go purely on that, but just wondering if anyone knows the scoop.

I was looking for a place to eat in South Loop and came across this place. The prices seem abnormally cheap considering the location, atmosphere and cuisine. Are the portion sizes ridiculously small? Is it still tasty?