“Ebisu Sushi and Thai,” in Downtown Leesburg, opened in January, and I’ve been anxious to visit for months. I finally did it, brought my notepad and am ready to tell you the positives and negatives, along with a dish-by-dish review of everything I ordered.
Firstly, the location is perfect. I’m in Downtown Leesburg all the time, so it was convenient to begin with. But its central location and optimal spot on a corner is really the cherry on top. It’s not difficult to find parking, unlike many places in the area, so that was a huge stress-reliever for me.
As soon as I walked in, I was greeted with immense warmth from the employees, a trend that persisted for the rest of my visit. They adopted a calm, gracious demeanor, which I appreciate as someone who gets overwhelmed with energetic servers.
The service was the highlight of my visit. Although I visited in their less busy hours, the food came out insanely fast, a rate I don’t think I’ve ever seen at another sit-down restaurant.
The atmosphere was cute and delightfully quaint. They had a variety of seating options that provided whatever dining experience you were looking for, with full tables for a sit-down meal, and wind0w-facing counters for a quick bite while people-watching.
The first thing I ordered was the highlight of the meal: ube potato fries. I had never tried ube before, so this could’ve been a dud. But these were absolutely phenomenal. I didn’t know it was possible for a fry dish to have so much flavor.
The ube itself was amazing. For those like me who had to search what it even tastes like before ordering, it has a sweet, nutty flavor with a hint of vanilla. Definitely an accessible taste, though the purple coloring may throw you off at first.
But what took it to the next level was the crunchy cinnamon honey drizzle on top. It was sweet without being overpowering on top of the already sweet ube. If you come here, this is a must-order. You will not regret it.
Next, for the first half of my entree order, I tried their shrimp tempura sushi, a dish I’ve tried variations of at many different restaurants. They were good, but not revolutionary, which was fine. Maybe if I was brave enough to try one of their more creative sushi orders I would’ve been more impressed, but I’m a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to different kinds of fish. My fault, not theirs.
The presentation was gorgeous, a common theme throughout most of the dishes I tried, and the shrimp was delectably crunchy. I’d recommend their sushi, but maybe try one of their specials, one that you can’t find at your local grocery store.
Next was my one and only disappointment of the meal. I ordered the Japanese Katasu Curry, which proved to be a huge letdown. The presentation was lackluster compared to other dishes.
But my biggest problem with the dish was how bland it was. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it. When I order a curry, even if it’s not spicy like this one advertised, I expect a strong flavor of some sort. This was not that. Additionally, the menu said rice came under the curry. There was no rice to be found, which makes curry essentially inedible for me.
Maybe it was an off day for the cook, but I’d suggest choosing a different entree.
Even after my disappointment of an entree, the meal ended on a sweet note, with delectable mochi: a selection of two flavors, strawberry and green tea. It was nothing revolutionary, but it tasted like good mochi, so I was happy.
It was nice and small, which is how I prefer dessert, especially after I’m full from a large meal. The presentation was super cute, and I would definitely order this again. The green tea flavor in particular was great.
Although I had one large disappointment, I only have overwhelming support for this new restaurant. I always love when a new local restaurant pops up, and I know I will be begging my family to go here together.
If you’re in Leesburg at dinnertime, don’t miss the opportunity to visit “Ebisu Sushi and Thai.”
