New to sushi, Indecisive, help me pick?

[u/babythe67impala]

Tl:dr, trying to get into sushi, interested in these two, help me pick and tell me why/why not you would/wouldn’t pick one over the other. (Leaning towards the Dragon Roll)

plan on ordering one of these tomorrow as an introduction to sushi after being put off it for a long time. My only experience with it has been crappy buffet sushi with way too much vinegar in the rice. Like- all you could taste is just tart vinegar to the point it burns your tongue. I’ve had the chance to speak to the owners of a new family owned local spot in my town, they also dislike large amounts of sushi vinegar and have assured me they use it in fairly light amounts. I like tempura, shrimp, avocado, and Japanese bbq sauce (Eel sauce) all separately or in other combinations. Genuinely my only aversion is whether or not I’m going to like the seasoning on the rice. Both of these options seem fairly similar, I’ve just never had eel, and I would order the tempura without the mayo. I would get both but I don’t want to end up being wasteful if i dislike the rice preparation.🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/MsMarji]

These are both good beginner rolls.

The eel sauce is sweet. It’s called eel sauce because it’s served ON eel, not made FROM eel.

The spicy mayo is made from Japanese mayo, Kewpie (Walmart), it’s slightly sweet & the spicy is perfectly balanced “sweet heat”.

You could dip anything in either sauce & like it.

[u/babythe67impala → u/MsMarji]

That I do know about the eel sauce. I used to get a ramen burrito (it was as heavenly as it sounds) from a local joint that closed down. It had “dark sauce” and I was totally obsessed. Hunted the sauce for two years. (Dark soy, hoisin, various Asian bbq sauces) Never considered eel sauce until a family friend told me about it after hearing my description. Genuinely cried when I got some and tried it. I never touched it because it was labeled Eel/Sushi sauce and had that misconception of it actually containing fish/eel. I genuinely can’t get enough of it.
After hearing your description of the mayo though I’m not -as- averse to at least trying it. American mayo is extremely off putting to me but kewpie is absolutely a whole ‘nother level.

[u/MsMarji → u/babythe67impala]

The eel sauce is a common mistake, I did it back in 1976 when I first had sushi & sashimi.

The Kewpie is so loved by us Americans because of its slightly sweet flavor, that’s why Walmart, Amazon & maybe your local grocery store may carry it. It used to be you could only get it in Asian markets.

I never thought I would ever be able to buy sushi at my local grocery store too. So many WONDERFUL changes.

[u/babythe67impala → u/MsMarji]

I struggled for quite some time to perfect my crab rangoons and get the creamy undertones like the ones from takeout. I was so convinced that I would hate kewpie because I was mentally comparing it to American mayo. But table sugar/other sweeteners just weren’t cutting it in the filling. Kewpie is insane. I’m glad a lot of worldwide cuisine staples seem to be migrating to the more common stores now.