Episode #189: Raisu

Vancouver (Northwest), $$$ (Higher Priced)
www.raisu.ca

Having been a food blogger for more than two years now, I like to say that I am immune to the phenomenon of looking at pictures of food and then feeling hungry. While that is true for the most part, it is not always the case. Recently, I have been seeing too many pictures of Raisu's The Ocean's Offerings, featuring twelve pieces of exquisitely square-shaped sushi, on my Instagram feed. How was I supposed to resist making a trip to Raisu to try it out for myself? Joining me on this adventure was Picky Diner, Food Wench, and Albert, a well-known foodie hailing from Shanghai.

Raisu is a second-storey restaurant situated on the west side of Kitsilano. Raisu is the newest addition to the Kingyo group of izakaya-style restaurants, which also includes Kingyo, Suika, and Rajio, and for a restaurant that had been open for just over a month, I did not expect it to be so busy. When I called to make a reservation several days in advance, all they had left for us was a table on the patio. I had ambivalent feelings about taking a spot on the patio because I had never dined on a patio before. However, Food Wench thought it would be a great idea to dine out on the patio since it was a nice summer's day. We did enjoy the sunshine and the summer breeze alright, along with some abominable lighting situations and of course, the lovely company of several obnoxious bees.

While the entrance of Suika was decorated with a watermelon ceiling lamp, the entrance of Raisu featured a noren with an image of a rice cooker on it. I was half expecting a ceiling lamp in the shape of a grain of rice to be at the entrance, but I guess this will have to do. Walking up the stairs, we saw a fancy, elegantly decorated dining space, and the staff was working busily in preparation for the dinner crowd.

The Ocean's Offerings

Starting from the top-left, going row by row:

Hamachi - A-

Saba - B+

Salmon/Ikura - A

Snapper - A-

Sayori - A-

Snow Crab - A-

Tuna Tataki - B

Tamago - A-

Unagi - A-

Amaebi - B+

Hotategai - B+

Botan Ebi - A

Since they only make 10 orders of The Ocean's Offerings every lunch or dinner session, I pre-ordered two of these for my table when making my reservation. Unfortunately, I wanted to sample and rate every piece, and no one really wanted to split each piece with me. However, with much persuasion, begging, and pleading, Food Wench agreed to do so. She was such a good sport that she even offered to do all the cutting, which was a good thing for our safety because I can count on one hand the number of times I've held a knife.

The highlights from this box were the Salmon/Ikura and the Botan Ebi. The Botan Ebi had a slight spicy zing to it and was reminiscent of Miku's Aburi Ebi Oshi, albeit without the creaminess of seared oshi sauce. The Sayori (Japanese half beak) was juicy and went well with the dab of sweet chili. The Tuna and the Hotategai ended up being a bit weak in flavour. Overall, most of the pieces were tasty and well-prepared, and the rice was just the right texture. 

Miso Soup - A

The Miso Soup that accompanied The Ocean's Offerings contained a hearty mix of bean curd, mushroom, and green onion. The balance of ingredients here was very good.

Jumbo Seafood Kaki-Age Udon - A-

The Jumbo Seafood Kaki-Age Udon came in a jumbo-sized bowl and consisted of crispy kale and a deep-fried seafood medley, along with udon noodles. I thought the udon noodles could be a little more al dente, but I did enjoy the savoury flavour and soft texture of the submerged tempura batter bits. The seafood medley was a mix of predominantly scallops and crunchy vegetables.

Sizzling Stone Beef Steak Hitsumabushi - B

The Sizzling Stone Beef Steak Hitsumabushi came with Canadian AAA tenderloin beef, garlic butter fried rice, and a helping of dashi broth on the side, which you can mix with the rice once things start to dry out. I liked the richness of the garlic butter fried rice, which was mixed with kombu (seaweed) for more flavour. However, the beef was rather tasteless, and since no one at my table liked this dish in particular, I got to use it as my filler.

Chicken Karaage - B+

Next, the Chicken Karaage came with juicy, tender chicken along with a sprinkle of herbs for an extra kick. Although the exterior was a little harder than desired, this was a notch better than the Chicken Karaage at Suika.

Ebi Mayo - A

Food Wench claims that she has a white-girl love for Ebi Mayo, so we ordered one to try. Unfortunately, I'm not even remotely close to being a white girl, but I share a similar love for Ebi Mayo and have featured it many times on this blog. This version featured very plump tiger prawns (the menu didn't lie!) and came with mildly spicy chili mayonnaise. A crispy layer of batter on the outside rounded off this excellently prepared dish.

Deluxe Seafood Bowl - B-

After seeing on the menu that the Deluxe Seafood Bowl came with "generous portions" and consisted of many different types of seafood (salmon, ahi tuna, yellowtail, snow crab, tai, amaebi... you name it), Picky Diner was convinced to give it a try despite the $32 price tag. Since that's exactly how I decide to order stuff most of the time, I agreed with him, and we ended up getting it. It turned out to be a disappointment because the sushi rice was overly seasoned with vinegar and many of the pieces of fish were cut close to the skin, which makes the fish taste slightly more dull and fishy. Well, I was the de facto vault for so-so food, so I suppose I scored myself another filler.

Despite the restaurant being very busy, we received friendly and timely service. Some of the food fell short of expectations due to the high price tags, but we had a handful of well-executed dishes as well. Raisu is not exactly a place that I would be clamouring to go back to, but it is a nice place for taking aesthetic Instagram photos (if you're not stuck with the lighting I experienced) and sampling some unique izakaya food.

Episode #188: Best Sushi N Kitchen

Coquitlam, $$ (Moderately Priced)

After an evening of listening to presentations at SFU until 9 p.m., I had two choices: go home or have sushi. Contrary to what you might expect, I was initially inclined to go home because I had a significant amount of work to complete and a sushi adventure planned shortly after. Plus, since Coquitlam is dead as a doornail at night, it was unlikely for me to find a sushi restaurant that was still open. I went for a short stroll while making my transfer at Lougheed Station to release some energy, when I inadvertently passed by Best Sushi N Kitchen. A restaurant that serves the best sushi was still open at this time? To hell with priorities and self-control!

Best Sushi N Kitchen is a Korean-operated Japanese restaurant that sits at a location occupied by many different Japanese eateries in the past. A long while back, it was Fujiya, and then, it was Sushi Elephant, then Sushi &, then Sushi & Ramen, and now, Best Sushi N Kitchen. Every time I visit this place, I would be reminded of the old days when I was a child and my parents would take me to Fujiya to have frozen pre-made sushi straight from the display coolers. Back then, we could not afford to eat at any decent Japanese restaurant, and since I had no clue that better sushi existed, I remembered being ecstatic every time my parents mentioned that we were going to Fujiya. Those were the days when Taisho was my heaven.

(menu - click to enlarge)

At Best Sushi N Kitchen, there are two menus: one with Japanese food and one with Korean food. It almost feels like you are in a casual Korean restaurant, as the Korean menu is quite full-fledged and loud Korean pop music spews out of the speakers. The dining area is large and spacious, and even though it was getting late, I could sense an energetic vibe throughout the restaurant, which was probably the intended effect of the music.

1st visit:

Tuna Gomae - A-

The Tuna Gomae featured easy-to-chew spinach and fresh, soft tuna. There were copious amounts of sesame sauce to give the gomae a thorough sweet flavour. I also liked how they added some purple cabbage on top of the salad for visual appeal.

Aburi Salmon Oshi - A-

The Aburi Salmon Oshi came with six pieces for just $8.95! As I took a bite into each piece, a pleasant warm, creamy, and slightly smoky flavour filled my mouth, and my expectations were surpassed. I also enjoyed the formation of the rice, which was not too tightly packed. The rice felt just a bit dry in the middle, and perhaps a thin layer of salmon in the middle would help (though this would likely push the price of the oshi upward). The presentation could also be worked on, as the sushi looked like it was about to wither and melt in the heat of the hot sun.

Red Dynamite Roll - B

The Red Dynamite Roll consisted of cucumber, avocado, prawn tempura, spicy tuna, and yam bits. There was an interesting attempt here to use cucumber bits to add crunch to the roll. I liked the plump prawns and the melty spicy tuna. However, the sushi rice was noticeably weak in flavour, and the roll was quite heavy on the rice.

Since I frequently find myself making transfers at Lougheed Station, I decided to turn this adventure into a Sushi-a-thon!

2nd visit:

Ebi Mayo - B

On my second visit, I started off with the Ebi Mayo, which came with six juicy prawns. However, despite the sprinkle of herbs, the batter was not especially flavourful. They also paired the Ebi Mayo with dill tartar sauce, which is something I had never seen or experienced before. I didn't find the dill tartar sauce to be a good complement for the Ebi Mayo, as it was a touch too sour and created a dissonance with the sweeter flavour of the prawns.

Hotate Nigiri - B

Saba Nigiri - B

Toro Nigiri - A

Moving onto the nigiri, the flavour of the rice was once again on the weaker side. The hotate (scallop)  was juicy with a jelly-like texture, but it was not very sweet. The saba (mackerel) was neither soft nor tough, and it was slightly more salty than necessary. The toro (tuna belly) was leagues above the other nigiri. The Toro Nigiri was tastefully fresh, juicy, and plump. It came in a generous serving, and having the rich burst of flavour from the toro melt into my mouth is an experience I'd happily repeat.

Salmon Tempura Roll - B+

Knowing that I had a filler coming up, I toned it down when selecting my special roll. With this roll, I could taste the crispiness the tempura and the freshness of the cooked salmon. The sweetness of the crab meat also complemented the salmon well. As a nice touch, they sprinkled some sesame seeds on top to give the roll a nutty side.

Beef Teriyaki with Rice in Stone Bowl - B

Feeling adventurous (as I usually am), I went to try the Beef Teriyaki with Rice in Stone Bowl from the Korean menu. Nothing could have prepared me for how big this turned out to be. I could have just ordered this one dish and called it a meal! The beef is minced very finely and has a soft, flaky texture. Flavour-wise, the sesame seeds took the spotlight. This dish was aptly named because it did taste much more like beef teriyaki than bulgogi beef. 

Since it took me so long to finish the stone bowl (it also took a long time for the stone bowl to cool to a temperature at which I could eat it), I had to face the wrath of the evil, crumbly, dried-up rice near the edges of the stone bowl. I understand that many people order stone bowls just to have this crumbly rice, but personally, it is a pet peeve of mine. I remembered that at other Korean restaurants I've been to, they would remedy this by pouring barley tea into the stone bowl, so feeling like a smart-aleck, I held up my glass of tea confidently and dumped it right into my stone bowl. I forgot that what I had in my hand was not barley tea and ended up accidentally concocting one of the most disgusting "beverages" I have ever had. I had done it again and accomplished my mission of getting strange looks from the waitresses.

I received decent service during both visits, and the food lived up to my expectations considering the price. If you are craving Japanese food and your friends want Korean food (a very common occurrence for me), then this is a place worth considering. One other restaurant that does something similar is Moa Box, which is a much smaller restaurant located on the other side of Coquitlam. Perhaps I will check that place out someday!

No Zomato page has been created for this restaurant yet. Click here for the Yelp page.

Episode #95: Charcoal Sushi & BBQ Restaurant

Richmond, $$ (Moderately Priced)
www.charcoalsushi.ca

My sister heard about my adventures at Shabusen and Kyo and wanted to try grilling meat for herself, so I suggested that we head to Charcoal Sushi & BBQ Restaurant in central Richmond. Who doesn't like hot food on a hot day? In addition, my parents wanted to watch the FIFA World Cup, so Charcoal Sushi seemed to be the best choice to satisfy all of our needs. My sister could grill meat and my parents could watch the World Cup on one of the TVs in the dining area while I sat in the corner scribbling notes about the food into my notebook.

Charcoal Sushi & BBQ Restaurant is Chinese-owned and features a moderately small dining space where each table has its own BBQ grill in the middle. We received a warm, friendly welcome upon entering the restaurant and were lucky enough to get one of the last free tables without a reservation. The restaurant was completely full just mere minutes after our arrival, which I found surprising considering that it was a Tuesday evening.

Sockeye Salmon Sashimi - A

The first dish to arrive at our table was the Sockeye Salmon Sashimi. I was pleasantly surprised by the freshness of the salmon, which gave it an enjoyable sweet flavour. The size of each piece was just perfect in my opinion. My dad liked it so much that he insisted that we get one more order (which we did at the end of the meal).

Ebi Mayo - A-

The Ebi Mayo came with four meaty, toothsome battered shrimps. A small amount of spice was added to liven flavours up along with the mayonnaise. The batter was light and rather crunchy.

The Madness Roll - B

The Madness Roll consisted of imitation crab, avocado, salmon tempura, tuna, green onion, and sesame seeds. The salmon in the salmon tempura was mediocre in freshness and execution, while the crab and avocado inside the roll had a decent harmonized sweetness. The roll was served with spicy tuna instead of tuna, but this worked out alright in terms of taste.

Dragon Roll - B-

The Dragon Roll came with prawn tempura, cucumber, eel, and avocado. There was a good amount of unagi on top, but the taste of the unagi was someone masked by the large amount of cucumber inside the roll. I found the tempura batter a bit too crunchy and the sushi rice slightly dry.

BBQ Beef Tongue - A-

The BBQ Beef Tongue arrived with seven thin slices of beef tongue garnished with sesame and green onion. The marinade gave the beef enough flavour, and I enjoyed the nice rebound of the beef tongue after grilling. 

BBQ Boneless Chicken - A-

The BBQ Boneless Chicken came with approximately nine pieces of marinated chicken. The raw form of the chicken was not particularly photogenic, but if you absolutely must see it, click here. I liked how the chicken was cut into thin slices to make the grilling easier. After grilling, the chicken was quite tender and had a sweet teriyaki flavour.

Beef Teriyaki with Rice - C+

My sister really enjoyed the process of grilling meat and wanted to get more beef to grill, but I wanted to get something different, so I went with the Beef Teriyaki with Rice. Perhaps I should have stuck with her suggestion instead, because eating the beef teriyaki was like playing a game of Russian Roulette. There were the good pieces of beef, and then there were those very-elasticky-and-virtually-impossible-to-chew pieces. By the comments that ensued, I conclude that the tooth-tiring pieces outnumbered the tooth-friendly pieces.

The service was some of the best I had ever received from a Chinese-operated restaurant. The servers were glad to change the channel for us so that we could watch the world cup and remained friendly and attentive throughout our visit. I found the prices to be reasonable (considering the fact that we were in Richmond) and the lively atmosphere to be quite suitable for small-scale celebrations. Other than the Russian Roulette Beef Teriyaki, the other dishes showed a decent level of care in preparation and execution.

Episode #63: Juno Vancouver Sushi Bistro

Vancouver (Yaletown), $$$ (Higher Priced)
www.junobistro.ca

Last week, I was shopping at Daiso and came across a guide to Vancouver for Japanese tourists right by the checkout counters. I decided to pick one up because the front cover had the word "coupon" on it and the phrase "Effective until June 2015" in Japanese, and you can never go wrong with coupons that are still effective. You have no idea how joyous I was to find dozens of pages of coupons to various Japanese restaurants around the city nestled near the back of the booklet.   

Strangely enough, only two of the restaurants seemed to make sushi (most of the other places being izakayas) so I decided to make the journey to Juno Vancouver Sushi Bistro, which is run by a small group of Japanese chefs. I walked into the bistro to find that it was quite small, but the aroma of seared sushi effectively sealed the exit for me. Furthermore, one of the parties sitting near the door couldn't stop complimenting the sushi. How could I resist?

Aburi Toro Nigiri - B+

Shima-Aji Nigiri - B

Unagi Nigiri - B+

After 20 minutes of having to endure watching my neighbouring diners savour and compliment their sushi, my first dish finally arrived. The Aburi Toro Nigiri was dressed with green onions and masatake sauce and was very soft and juicy while lacking a seared flavour. The Shima-Aji Nigiri was missing that uniquely creamy and delicately sweet flavour so it ended up tasting much like a regular Salmon Nigiri. I really liked the savoury flavour of the unagi, but to my surprise, it wasn't enough to cover the vinegar in the sushi rice.

Ebi Mayo - A-

The Ebi Mayo consisted of 6 beer battered shrimp with grapefruit, pistachios, organic greens and sweet mayonnaise sauce as toppings. The plump juicy shrimps were a delight against the sweet, nutty sauce. The use of pistachios gave the dish a unique zing. I also liked how the shrimps were fully peeled so that I could eat the whole dish without having to worry about getting my notebook soiled.

Aburi Salmon Roll - B+

The Aburi Salmon Roll consisted of seared sockeye salmon, red onion, caper, lemon, cream cheese and yogurt sauce. The miniature slices of lemon on top did a good job of moderating the impact of the rather large helping of cream cheese, but the sockeye salmon was successfully seared and its smoky flavour shone better with the slices of lemon removed. I couldn't decide which way I liked it better, as both were good but not quite excellent.

Mini Parfait - A-

Having spent $30, my coupon awarded me this beautifully presented Mini Parfait, which was made with black sesame ice cream, a mint leaf, grapefruit and blueberries. It was quite frozen, so it barely melted in the time it took me to take half a dozen photos of it using different angles and camera modes.

The service was quite friendly and above average. I enjoyed most of the food and the time they spent into adding unique touches to the food, but I felt that they could experiment more carefully to find the optimal pairings of ingredients for some of their dishes. There were several items that almost hit the jackpot.

Episode #40: Ebisu on Robson

Vancouver (West End), $$$$ (Luxury)
www.ebisu.ca/robson

I was strolling along Marine Dr. in North Vancouver en route to Ambleside to have dinner there when completely contrary to my expectations, it started to rain! I had made it most of the way to Park Royal, so I decided to grab a Pinkberry frozen yogurt cup from the Park Royal village and head back to downtown Vancouver so that I could periodically insert myself into a random building to allow myself to dry. I have no idea how a small frozen yogurt cup could end up costing me over $6, but I guess those are the kind of things that happen when I forget to bring my glasses and try to guess what's on the menu.

Thank goodness the bus has its own lane when queuing for the Lions Gate Bridge. I managed to arrive at Ebisu in time to catch the Happy Hour specials, which meant significant savings on fresh oysters and wings, and slight savings on an assortment of other items. I wasn't too sure about the idea of eating 10 wings by myself (the minimum order), so I settled for the oysters. Of course, I tried some of the higher-ticket items from the regular dinner menu as well.

Royal Miyagi - A-

The Royal Miyagi featured fresh raw oysters from Cortes Island, BC. As advertised, it did have a very smooth texture (it was nice and slippery too) and was free of that green part (the liver) that some may like or dislike. The oysters were certainly on the smaller side but were dressed with a lively, tangy sauce to provide adequate flavouring. The oysters also came with tabasco sauce, but it was so spicy that when I put one drop of it on my chopsticks to try it out, let's just say that ... things happened.

Japanese Poutine - B-

The Japanese Poutine came on an iron plate with baked Yukon Golden Nugget potatoes with smoked bacon, oozing cheddar cheese and Mentaiko sour cream on top. The baked potatoes were cut to the shape of sliced meatballs (this is possible because of the small size of the potato). I liked how the sour cream was mild so that you would notice it without it being obtrusive. The sauce on top retained a predominantly cheesy flavour and texture, though I found the dish to be rather dry as a whole. The potatoes also needed a richer taste, or more dressing. Interestingly, there is a slice of whole-grain bread stuck to the iron plate (I couldn't even ply it off) and the potatoes absorbed some of the flavour from it. 

After the Happy Hour specials expired (at 6 p.m.), I ordered the Toro Inferno and the Tiger Mayo from the regular menu.

Toro Inferno - A

The Toro Inferno is listed on the menu as being the first original version created in Vancouver, and is freshly box-pressed with shiso, burdock, shiitake, sesame and sushi rice. Once it was brought to my table, a server brought a torch to sear the whole thing at my table! Each piece was seared for about three seconds, and this allowed for a smoky taste on the top along with a delicious, creamy layer of naturally-flavoured toro at the bottom. The sushi rice was soft, well-formed, and seasoned to better match the toro on top. 

Tiger Mayo - A

The Tiger Mayo consisted of 5 deep-fried Black Tiger prawns accompanied by a sweet chili mayonnaise dip. When the dish came, each of the prawns were paired with red yam chips, which were like potato chips with a slight spicy and raisin-like taste. Each of the 5 prawns were large, meaty and juicy and paired with a tasty, mildly spicy, smooth dipping sauce. The batter was light and crispy and garnished with herbs, hence the green tint. 

The service was quite attentive and friendly once Happy Hour ended, and the food from the regular dinner menu was of a higher caliber. The restaurant has a rather boisterous atmosphere and appears to cater to those in their 20's. However, the price range is a little steep for people of that age, and I found myself spending over $40 (including tips) without really getting full. Maybe ordering a filler (a ramen or rice bowl) next time would help.

Episode #23: Sushi &

Coquitlam, $ (Budget)
www.sushin.ca

A friend of mine asked me to name a sushi restaurant in the Coquitlam or Port Moody area that the both of us could visit on a Sunday evening. Little did I know how difficult this could turn out to be. Fuji? Closed. Namoo? Closed. Kaya? Closed. Hanamori? Closed. Sushi Town Coquitlam? Nope, don't want to go there for a while. Seriously?! What the chocolatey fudge! I thought Sundays were a popular choice to have a family day and go out to restaurants? Nope, I guess not, or at least not in Coquitlam. Since Sushi & was one of the only decent and available choices close by, that was where we ended up going. In addition, our original party of 2 somehow turned into a party of 6, but hey, the more the merrier.

I visited Sushi & (pronounced "Sushi And" - I confirmed this with the staff) two weeks after it first opened, and it was very quiet, but I received very friendly service and decent food, so I returned ... again ... and again. This time, I was quite surprised to see that this Korean-run restaurant had turned into a busy one (though this could have been because the rest of the city was closed). There were four servers, lots of chatter, a shrieking baby who gave me two heart attacks (I'm sorry), and overall, a mostly full house. My group shared most of the sharable items, and I'll detail everything I tried below.

Red Roll - A-

The Red Roll consisted of cucumber, scallop and spicy tuna. This was quite a decent version of the Red Roll with scallop and tuna that melted in my mouth. The masago accented the flavour of the scallop. The roll was moderately spicy and for some reason, the spicy sauce had a rather salty aftertaste.

 Negihama Roll - B

Crunchy Spicy Salmon Roll - B

The Negihama Roll was a hosomaki ("thin roll") with hamachi toro (yellowtail belly) and green onion. The hamachi toro was fresh, but not a prominent feature inside the densely-packed rice. The Crunchy Spicy Salmon Roll came with cucumber, spicy salmon and tempura bits. I tend to enjoy crunchy tempura bits if used in moderation, and here, the tempura bits satisfy that criterion. The spicy salmon was equally soft compared to the spicy tuna, but had the same salty aftertaste.

Green Salad - A-

My table of six was presented with a large bowl of salad on the house. The slightly tangy sauce matched very well with the fresh greens, and this was one of my favourite items of the night (for reasons besides the fact that it's free). All of the vegetables were bite-sized too, which made it easy to eat. If only Chinese restaurants also thought of making vegetables bite-sized ...

&'s Roll - B+

The &'s Roll (formerly the Midnight Sun Roll) consisted of cucumber, avocado, crab meat, unagi, and wild salmon. In addition, it is decorated with a wakame salad as the centerpiece. The soft, buttery avocado was a great match to the sweet teriyaki sauce. The salmon was fresh, while the unagi was a touch too fatty. This would have been a very decent roll if it didn't constantly make me think, "Why is this mayonnaise so strong?" the whole time I was eating the roll.

Red Dragon Roll - A-

The Red Dragon Roll consisted of prawn tempura, cucumber, avocado, salmon, masago and tobiko, along with teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise. The batter on the prawn tempura was slightly crunchy without being hard, while the prawn provided adequate flavour. The salmon had a desirable, marbly texture and overall, the roll was served warm due to the freshly fried tempura (which is a plus). 

Awesome Roll - B+

The Awesome Roll is a California roll topped with salmon, masago, bonito flakes, teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise. The salmon was a bit too cooked and the bonito was slightly hard, but the California roll base was decent. The roll was served neither warm nor cold, and is similar to Sushi Town's version.

Ebi Mayo - C+

The Ebi Mayo came with 6 battered prawns and was served hot. The prawn was soft, but they were quite heavy on the batter, which wasn't spread out very evenly. There was also quite a bit of mayonnaise and it was quite greasy. I would have preferred half the amount of mayonnaise or even better, having the mayonnaise served on the side. I did like the seasoning on the top, which prevented the Ebi Mayo from tasting all buttery and creamy.

Yakitori - B+

The Yakitori came with two medium-sized chicken skewers which also contained peppers and onions. The Yakitori was hot when it came and wasn't over-grilled. The chicken was mostly tender except for a few tougher parts where no sauce was applied. However, the teriyaki sauce was visibly oily ... do they really need that much oil for Yakitori?

Salmon Nigiri - B

Tuna Nigiri - A-

Amaebi Nigiri - B-

Unagi Nigiri - C

Hotate Nigiri - B

After everyone else was finished eating, I still decided to order more food! What ensued among the rest of my table was a rock-paper-scissors loser-eats-wasabi match ... while I focused on sampling the nigiri. The nigiri were all served with soft sushi rice, which had a mild flavour to it. There was some confusion that occurred as not all the servers knew what "hotategai" was ... apparently I should have said "hotate" because that's how it was listed in the menu. After I explained the error, they switched the hokkigai they accidentally gave me with the hotate which I wanted.

Eating from right to left, I started with the Hotate Nigiri which slightly lacked flavour, but was fresh, jelly-like and had the same sweet aftertaste as geoduck. The Unagi Nigiri was grilled for too long, had a 1 cm bone in it and was rather fatty (I should've picked up the cue from the &'s Roll, but I am stubborn and never learn). The Amaebi Nigiri was soft and sweet, but there was a disproportionately large amount of rice under the shrimp. The Tuna Nigiri was very soft and melted in my mouth in a desirable way, with a minimal metallic taste. The Tuna Nigiri had the best fish-to-rice ratio out of all the nigiri. The Salmon Nigiri was a bit tough, but it had a smooth texture and tasted fresh. There was also an unidentified mysterious object (UMO) stuck to the rice of my Salmon Nigiri (it's the little dark red speck in the photo).

In terms of service, there wasn't much to complain about - we were provided with both iced water and tea which were refilled in a timely manner, and servers came promptly when I waved for them or made eye contact. The food wasn't necessarily light, but there wasn't a single item we ordered that tasted bad. If you are looking for affordable and decent sushi around Lougheed Station, Sushi & is most likely your best bet, especially on a Sunday.