A favorite sushi place that's been on hiatus is poised to return. Sushi Rock, which in its day was good enough to get people to drive to Plano, will reopen later this summer with the same personal family touch and trademark cold-smoked salmon rolls.
Husband and wife Mark and Lod Tungcmittrong first opened Sushi Rock in 1998, off 75 and Parker Road. The Facebook page is still up, where you can see the dedication customers felt, in comments such as, "I have been searching for a Texas Tornado Roll similar to the one Sushi Rock had for a lifetime. Oh the humanity!!! Where can I find one!!!!" and "Mark, everyone misses you and Sushi Rock. I have yet to find sushi that even comes close to yours. Please reopen Sushi Rock or tell us where you are at now."
Lod says they shut it down because the construction on 75 had a negative impact on business. "They were rebuilding the freeway, and it made it impossible for people to get in and out," she says. "The rent was so high, we weren't able to do it."
Mark went to work for the Grand Hyatt DFW, where his sushi has become a draw for travelers and VIPs. Lod has been helping out at Bambu, which is owned by her sister Shelly Nan. "But we always wanted to reopen Sushi Rock," Lod says. "We love to cook, and we still have our regular customers who always ask if we will open again."
One incentive is that they found a spot near Bambu. The space they're going into was previously an office, so they're installing a kitchen; they hope to be open later this summer.
In addition to sushi, they do robata-style cooking over an open flame with rib-eye and mushroom on skewers as well as whole calamari. "The menu will be similar; we are known for our cold-smoked salmon, but we have new things we're doing," she says.
"Being this close to my sister's place, we decided to go with it," Lod says. "It'd be something where my kids can come out hang out. My youngest son loves to make sushi. He wants to be a chef like his dad."
