Shoga puts on a show

When Utah Valley Magazine showed me the reader’s choices of top Utah County restaurants (see page 20), I knew all the eateries very well except for one: Shoga. Uh! A good restaurant I don’t know about? I set off for Shoga that very evening to see what all the buzz was about.
From the outside, Shoga is a very unassuming location in a strip mall kitty korner from the University Mall in Orem. But the moment I stepped inside, I knew I was in for a unique dining experience — sushi bar, cozy booth seating, subdued lighting and atmosphere, relaxing music. I thought I was in a high class spa! We were graciously greeted and seated by a top notch waitress who served us the entire evening.
Where do I begin to share all the great things we tasted? Here goes.
Favorite sushi — Shoga Special Roll — one of the best I’ve ever had … even in Japan!
Must have — Tuna Tataki was our first course and best dish of the evening.
Chicken Yakisoba — My husband, Rick’s, favorite dish with lots of tasty noodles.
Shoga’s Steak — Oh my gosh. So tender and served with the best tempura vegetables. I usually dislike tempura because many places don’t change the frying oil often enough and it tastes rancid, but not these. Mmm, mmm, good!
Even the house salad was not the typical Asian iceberg lettuce with ginger dressing. The salad had fabulous presentation, lots of goodies and the dressing was superb!
Here are a few surprising facts. There were actually a lot of families in the restaurant, and they were graciously accommodated and given special suggestions for the children. The restaurant opened three years ago, and the owners are from Mongolia. They have obvious “regulars” who are greeted by name when they arrive, and most of them make their way right to the sushi bar. There are only 48 seats and they were all full when I was there. There is a private dining room for 10 in the rear if you have a private party. The price value was incredible — large portions fairly priced.
Shoga, you have made a fan out of me and I will be back often! Congratulations on raising the bar of Asian cuisine in Utah County.
Remember, fill your New Year with scrumptious food and love.

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