Episode #180: Ninja Sushi

Langley, $$$ (Higher Priced)

The other day, my family and I were in Port Coquitlam at a dim sum restaurant doing something absolutely dreadful: eating something other than sushi. While trying to figure out our course of action for the remainder of the day, I casually suggested going to Krause Berry Farms to pick some of my favourite berries: raspberries. My ulterior motive was to get my dad to fulfill his promise of taking me out for sushi in Langley, and I had no intention of actually doing any of the berry picking. I am arachnophobic and it takes me an hour to pick ten berries. Nonetheless, my ruse worked, and after the farm was closed, we were off to have dinner at Ninja Sushi.

Ninja Sushi is one of the larger and newer sushi restaurants in Langley. Along with a spacious, elegant interior dining area, they also played classical music (at least during my visit) to create a classier atmosphere. Off to the side of the restaurant were some informal tatami rooms, while we sat at a large tiled table with wooden booth seating. I liked how they provided us with cushions to make our bottoms feel better while we dined.

Miso Soup - A-

The Chicken Teriyaki that we ordered came with a Miso Soup, and it was well prepared. There was sufficient miso flavour, and it was not too salty. I then passed the soup over to my dad after trying a bit of it. Unfortunately, the tiled tabletop caused my dad to launch the hot soup straight at my mom. Things got a little loud and un-pretty for a few seconds...

Chicken Teriyaki - A

The Chicken Teriyaki itself was excellent. It came with high-quality chicken meat and savoury bean sprouts, and the teriyaki sauce was not overwhelming. The chicken also had a delicious smoky flavour. After having this, my mom and dad got along perfectly fine again.

Spicy Tuna Oshi Sushi - A

The Spicy Tuna Oshi Sushi was also excellent, and the sushi rice formation was above average. The bubbly masago, the creamy avocado, and the soft, melty tuna all blended together to create a heavenly burst of flavour. The slices of jalapeño were quite large, and things got quite spicy with the chili sauce involved.

Prawn Tempura - A

Continuing the onslaught of masterfully prepared dishes, the Prawn Tempura came with plump and fresh savoury shrimp. The batter was crispy and not hard at all. This was the best item of our dinner.

Tuna Sashimi - A

Salmon Sashimi - A-

The Appetizer Sashimi was very appetizing and fresh. The Tuna Sashimi was pleasantly soft and melty, while the Salmon Sashimi came in thick, generous cuts and featured a delicious, smooth texture. 

Sake Elvis - C

At last, I got something I can roast. The Sake Elvis consisted of salmon, mashed potato, cucumber, and sliced radish on large wheat crackers. While most of the ingredients were fine individually, they crashed and burned when put together. The dryness of the cracker didn't integrate well with anything else. Furthermore, the mashed potato had this odd, fruity sweetness that made it taste like a banana that had been squashed by a rolling pin. All in all, this appetizer tasted very strange, and none of us liked it in particular.

Aburi Toro Nigiri - A-

Dragon Roll - B+

Despite that one blunder, our dinner ended off solidly. The Aburi Toro Nigiri featured juicy, fresh toro and had a slight smoky flavour to it. If anything, the rice could benefit from a little more moisture. Next, the Dragon Roll, which came with unagi, avocado, crab meat, cucumber, and prawn tempura, was also largely successful. It featured the same savoury prawn tempura mentioned earlier and was neatly constructed. The unagi was slightly too dry, but the ingredients of the roll were integrated together quite nicely. 

During our dinner, the service was friendly, although we thought that the attentiveness could be improved. The waitress spent a little too much time in the back away from the dining area. All things considered, Ninja Sushi clearly stands out against most other sushi restaurants in Langley due to its superior quality of food. The only other Japanese restaurant in Langley of a similar caliber is Tokyo Hon Sushi. After our dinner, my family and I went to burn off some of those calories by shopping for food at various supermarkets in the vicinity.