Episode #210: Benkey Sushi

Langley (Aldergrove), $$ (Moderately Priced)
www.benkeysushi.com

Despite the fact that I publish many of my posts at 4 or 5 in the morning, I have never actually pulled an all-nighter before, up until recently. Feeling the need for a break after my final exams, I decided to take two days off (to have sushi, of course) before starting to mark the final reports for the class I TA at SFU. Little did I know that this would result in me having to sleep only an hour and a half on one day and pull an all-nighter the next in order to get everything done before the deadline. Rather than reward myself with sleep for accomplishing this "impressive" feat, I decided to venture as far as I possibly could for some sushi, because that was totally what I needed. That's right—I went all the way to Aldergrove just for sushi.

As luck would have it, it was bitterly cold and very, very windy in Aldergrove. Although Benkey Sushi is just an 8-minute walk from the nearest Translink stop, that walk took me almost an hour because I constantly had to slip into shops and pretend to be a customer in order to keep myself from turning into a human icicle. By the time I got to the restaurant, my eyes were hurting from the cold, my nose transformed into a faucet, and I couldn't feel my hands anymore. Perhaps gloves would have helped. I sat at a table, let myself be a shivering train wreck for a few minutes, and enjoyed the elegant design of the dining area before mulling over what to order.

Miso Soup - B+

I ordered the Sashimi Set B, which came with a miso soup. The soup was rich both in flavour and in salt. It was garnished with green onion and tofu and had a good consistency.

Sashimi Set B

The portion sizes for the Sashimi Set B were quite a bit bigger than I had imagined. Just this would be a filling meal for your standard sane person.

Tuna Sashimi - B-

Salmon Sashimi - B

The Tuna Sashimi came in neat cuts and had a soft texture, but there was also a slight fishy aftertaste. The Salmon Sashimi was weak in flavour, albeit with a nice smooth texture and decent-sized cuts. Overall, the sashimi was serviceable (and probably good for the area), but not as fresh as what you would find in restaurants closer to the coastline.

Beef Teriyaki - B+

The Beef Teriyaki was adequately dressed with teriyaki sauce, which provided the stir-fry veggies underneath with enough flavour. The beef was quite tender, although not the most tender I've had.

Tempura - B+

The Tempura came with an assortment of green bean, prawn, kabocha, yam, and sweet potato. The batter was crispy and just the right thickness in virtually all the pieces. The prawn was juicy, and most of the vegetables had enough moisture too.

Salad - B+

The Sashimi Set B concluded with the Salad, which was lettuce-based and came with lots of tangy vinaigrette. The tanginess was well-balanced and didn't overwhelm the salad.

Hot Night Roll - B+

To relieve myself from the cold, I went for the Hot Night Roll, which consisted of crab meat, cucumber, avocado, shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, crispy powder and spicy sauce. When the roll arrived, I learned that "Hot Night" doesn't mean that the roll comes hot. I suppose "hot" refers to spicy here, and the roll was moderately spicy thanks to a mixture of chili sauce and spicy mayonnaise. The crispy powder on top was essentially chopped up yam fries. The prawn tempura inside was quite savoury, and everything worked well together.

Salmon Flower - B

My final dish was the Salmon Flower, which came with salmon, chopped scallop, rice, avocado, and tobiko on top. The salmon and chopped scallop were both pleasantly sweet and buttery. While the toppings were tasty, the sushi rice was completely bland. Did they forget to put the vinegar in or something?

The service was friendly and welcoming during my visit. I found the food above average compared to other Japanese restaurants in Langley. Even compared to Japanese restaurants in Vancouver city proper, Benkey Sushi would not fare poorly. The prices were quite reasonable too. After finishing all the food, I felt just right and was ready to explore the rest of Aldergrove in the face of the fierce winds once again.

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.

Episode #118: Tokyo Hon Sushi

Langley, $ (Budget)
www.tokyohonsushi.ca

Those of you who are well-acquainted with my previous posts may have noticed my subtle (or perhaps not-so-subtle) expressions of disdain for sushi in Langley. Unless I acquire amnesia someday (knock on wood), I will never forget the "fascinating" experience of having Worcestershire sauce on unagi. However, Vancouver food blogger Miss Vancouver Piggy recently brought to my attention a restaurant that would possibly alter my overall perception of Langley's sushi restaurants. That restaurant is Tokyo Hon Sushi, a rather large Korean-operated sushi restaurant a little off the beaten path in Langley.

After my mom and my sister finished picking blackberries from Krause Berry Farms (I tried to join them but I think I picked more insects than berries), we headed over to Tokyo Hon Sushi. As soon as I entered the restaurant, the first thing I saw was a nice, comfortable sofa that took up what could have been dining space for 30 customers (there's a photo of it on the restaurant's website). That's when you know the land prices are too cheap. Nonetheless, their actual dining area was still very spacious, and we were seated by a very friendly waitress with an awesome attitude.

Awesome Roll - A-

Since the waitress had such an awesome attitude, we decided to order the Awesome Roll, which consisted of avocado, crab meat, seared salmon, yam flakes (which turned out to be yam fries), and a special sauce. The special sauce was unique and quite sweet, and I could taste teriyaki sauce, mayonnaise, and a hint of sweet mustard in it. There may have been a minute amount of melted cheese as well. The seared salmon was sufficiently moist and melty, and the soft texture of the roll was nicely contrasted by the crunch of the yam fries.

Salmon Sashimi - A+

Tai Sashimi - A

Sockeye Salmon Sashimi - A

Tuna Sashimi - C+

Tako Sashimi - A-

Ika Sashimi - A-

Tamago - B-

Toro Sashimi - B

The Assorted Sashimi tasted nearly as spectacular as Sushi Hachi's Chef's Choice Sashimi (in Richmond). However, this sashimi platter came with about three times the amount of sashimi at just 60% of the price (I even received four more pieces than what was stated on the menu). The Atlantic Salmon Sashimi was the best I have ever eaten. It had a remarkably fresh and buttery flavour, and a slightly toro-like melty texture that made it virtually perfect. Also very fresh were the tai (snapper), sockeye salmon, tako (octopus) and ika (squid). Unfortunately, the tuna had a fishy flavour and the toro was not very soft. The Tamago was missing the fluffier, lighter texture I had expected. This wasn't the perfect plate of Assorted Sashimi, but overall, it exceeded my expectations.

Tempura Udon - A-

The tempura for the Tempura Udon was well executed. The batter was light and crunchy, and the prawn had a good snap. The zucchini tempura and the green bean tempura were both juicy, and the sweet potato tempura was quite rich in flavour. The only piece I found a bit dry was the yam tempura. Moving on to the left side, I enjoyed the udon broth, which was neither too rich nor too watery, as well as the udon noodles, which I found to be on the softer side but with a good rebound.

Chicken Teriyaki - A-

The chicken in the Chicken Teriyaki was tender, and my dad remarked that the steamed rice was above average. I also enjoyed the stir-fry bean sprouts, which absorbed the teriyaki sauce well. The teriyaki sauce was well-balanced and not too salty.

Seared Salmon Nigiri - B-

Due to the supreme freshness of the salmon in the Assorted Sashimi, my sister and I decided to try their Seared Salmon Nigiri. The two pieces of nigiri arrived on a hot plate. The seared salmon was juicy (though lacking a smoky flavour), but whatever flavour the salmon had was masked by the strangely sweet sushi rice. It tasted a bit like they took some of the berries from Krause Berry Farms and mashed it into the sushi rice. Did they make a mistake somewhere?

Prawn Tempura - A

Since we were quite impressed with the Prawn Tempura from the Tempura Udon, my dad called for an additional order of Prawn Tempura. The prawns were juicy, meaty, and undoubtedly fresh. 

At last, I have found in Langley what I can call a good Japanese restaurant. The service was good, the prices were very good, and the quality of the food was good (other than the Tuna Sashimi, which my dad kept calling a fail). Something I found quite surprising was how the restaurant was nearly empty at dinner time on a Saturday evening. Am I missing out on an even better restaurant in Langley, or does location really matter that much?

Episode #107: Miraku Japanese Restaurant

Langley, $$$ (Higher Priced)
www.facebook.com/pages/Miraku-Japanese-Restaurant/124044004304355

Looking for a way to occupy my 100th day of summer vacation, I asked my dad whether he wanted to go to Miraku Japanese Restaurant in Langley or Sushi Bella in South Burnaby for sushi. Without any hesitation, he opted for sushi in Langley despite the extra bridge crossing fees we would incur. I had read many positive reviews about Miraku online, so I was hopeful that Miraku would produce a miracle.

The exterior of the restaurant is very unassuming, but inside, the modern decor is appealing and the seating is comfortable. The waitress gave us a very polite welcome. However, despite the positive reviews, there were no diners in the restaurant at 1 p.m. other than us. In fact, for almost our entire stay, no one came into the restaurant.

As soon as I opened the menu, things came to light. The prices were higher than what most people in the area would be willing to pay for Japanese food. The sashimi was so expensive that I decided to skip it in my initial order. *Gasp!*

Miso Soup - B+

We ordered the Miraku Box D, which came with a Miso Soup. The waitress was nice enough to give us two Miso Soups so that we would each have one. The Miso Soup was garnished with green onion and tofu. Although the consistency was on the thinner side, the soup had a well-balanced flavour. 

The Miraku Box D also came with four pieces of Prawn Tempura, Chicken Teriyaki, a Salad, a California Roll, a Spring Roll, and a bowl of rice. At $13.95, this is one of the more affordable things on their menu and is available for both lunch and dinner.

Prawn Tempura - C+

I wasn't a big fan of the Prawn Tempura as the batter was overdone. The prawns were chewy and tasted like they had been stored for too long.

Chicken Teriyaki - B-

This was supposed to be my dad's filler, but it became my filler instead. My dad did not like either the rice or the chicken, so he wouldn't eat more than a third of it. I found it passable. The rice was substandard, but the sautéed bean sprouts were well-executed. The chicken was tender, but it was not the freshest and tasted overly salty.

Salad - C+

The Salad consisted of mixed greens dressed with an apple-flavoured vinaigrette. The dressing had a heavy mirin flavour as well, which I found slightly overwhelming.

California Roll - C

The California Roll was about as good as the average California Roll from a supermarket. The only good thing about it was its neat formation. The sushi rice was mediocre, and the large pieces of cucumber were obtrusive to the overall texture of the roll. Also, the avocado looked very unappetizing in the top-right piece, so I just handed that piece back to the waitress. Since she had been so friendly the entire time, I told her not to worry about it.

Spring Roll - A-

The best item of the entire Miraku Box D was the lone Spring Roll. Dressed with a dab of mildly spicy sweet chili sauce, the pastry was crispy and not hard. The filling was moist and juicy. I would gladly exchange the Salad and the California Roll for a few more Spring Rolls. 

Torched Roll - A-

For the same price as the Miraku Box D, I got the Torched Roll, which came with prawn, crab meat, avocado, salmon, torched tuna, green onion, and tobiko. Rating this roll was a real head-scratcher for me. Yes, the sushi rice and prawn tempura were once again mediocre, but they managed to showcase just the right ingredients to create a wonderful burst of flavours. I could taste the seared tuna, the avocado, the prawn tempura, and the rich crab meat all in one bite. The teriyaki sauce and spicy mayonnaise were applied in just the right amounts and made for a very tasty combination of sauces. My dad and I both enjoyed this roll, and I decided to award more points on the basis of beautiful presentation and a well-crafted harmony of flavours.

Friendly service, a refined atmosphere, and special rolls seem to be Miraku's good points. However, due to low traffic, freshness became an issue, and the higher prices were largely unjustified. As a result, I decided against ordering any more food. Plus, I was quite full since my dad only ate about $5 worth of food.

Episode #98: Akane Japanese Restaurant

Walnut Grove, Langley, $$ (Moderately Priced)

Trying to find a good sushi restaurant in Langley has been one of my greatest challenges for me since starting this blog. My previous sushi excursions to Langley were quite eye-opening, featuring unagi topped with Worcestershire sauce, Tai Sashimi that I could confuse with mashed potatoes, and this one rare incident in which my favourite item of the meal ended up being the iced water. Still hopeful that I would be able to find an above-average sushi restaurant in Greater Vancouver's city of rich farmlands, I decided to visit Akane Japanese Restaurant, reportedly one of the best Japanese restaurants in Langley.

Akane Japanese Restaurant is a moderately small Korean-operated Japanese restaurant in Walnut Grove (which spans the north part of Langley). When I walked into the restaurant, I was quite surprised to see that all of the tables were occupied by diners who were busy enjoying their lunches. This was the first time I had ever encountered a near full house at a sushi restaurant in Langley, which made me hopeful that I was going to get good food this time. I managed to avoid a wait by grabbing one of the last remaining seats at the small sushi bar.

Miso Soup - B

I ordered the Akane Lunch Special Combo ($12.95), which entitled me to a Miso Soup and allowed me to choose a special roll and an appetizer (from a small list). The Miso Soup came with tofu and green onion and was served at the right temperature. The miso paste was quite rich, but it was a notch too salty for me.

Hot Night Roll - B

Merely seconds after I had finished taking a picture of the Miso Soup, the Hot Night Roll arrived at my table. I chose this roll simply because it was the most expensive special roll out of all the choices under the lunch special. This roll consisted of prawn tempura, yam tempura, avocado, cucumber, spicy tuna, and crispy tempura crumbs along with their signature hot sauce. The sauces worked well together to create a creamy, sweet accompaniment to the roll. However, the "crispy crumbs" (which were actually yam fries) were rather hard and obtrusive and I had to pick them out of the spicy tuna in order to enjoy the soft texture of the tuna. For those who mind, the roll is a bit sauce-heavy. 

Yam Tempura Roll with Hot Sauce - B+

While I was eating the Hot Night Roll, the sushi chef presented me with a complimentary one-piece Yam Tempura Roll with Hot Sauce! I liked the nice tang of spiciness as well as the crispiness from the yam tempura.

Tempura - B+

The Tempura came with one prawn, one green bean, and one piece each of carrot, sweet potato, and yam. The oil used to fry the batter was slightly overused, but besides that, the Tempura was quite well-executed. The dipping sauce was the non-gingery kind (I don't have a preference for one over the other) and went well with every piece of tempura. The prawn was quite soft, the green bean was juicy (for a green bean), and the vegetables were sweet with ample moisture.

Toro Tataki Nigiri - B

Unagi Nigiri - A-

Sockeye Salmon Nigiri - B

Tuna Nigiri - A-

Atlantic Salmon Nigiri - C+

Tai Nigiri - B+

I wasn't expecting first-class sushi rice, but the sushi rice here was adequately seasoned and not too tightly packed. The Toro Tataki was soft and juicy. Although I could see the sushi chef blowtorch the toro, it still lacked a seared flavour. The Unagi Nigiri, on the other hand, had a nice smoked flavour. The Sockeye Salmon Nigiri was a thin slice of mediocre freshness, while the Tuna Nigiri was surprisingly soft (to the point that I could confuse it with toro). The Atlantic Salmon Nigiri was weak in flavour and consisted of two pieces of salmon stacked on top of each other (the cutting was flawed). The Tai Nigiri was not tough at all, but it didn't have the smoothest texture.

Salmon Toro with Masago Nigiri - B

Saba Nigiri - A-

Oh my goodness ... I was presented with two more pieces of nigiri on the house! I got eight pieces of nigiri for the price of six! Now, this is a restaurant that truly tries to make its customers happy! I'm not a big fan of salmon toro (it's not even listed on the menu) due to its tougher texture, but here, they tried to alleviate that issue by slicing it thin. The masago on top was a nice touch. Out of all the nigiri, I would say that my favourite was the Saba Nigiri due to its excellent soft and silky texture. It had a surprisingly well-balanced taste too!

The service was definitely on the friendlier side, and the servers were quite attentive except for the clearing of plates. However, they weren't totally at fault for this as I was sitting in a position that would have made it hard for them to clear off the dishes without distracting me from enjoying my meal. So far, this is the highest standard of food that I have experienced from a Japanese restaurant in Langley. At last, I have found a sushi restaurant in Langley that can compete with its sisters and brothers in Vancouver!

Episode #84: Sushi Momo

Langley, $$ (Moderately Priced)

After hearing about my plan to take a 90-minute bus trip to Hanako Japanese Restaurant (beside Guildford Town Centre), my dad offered to help me save an hour by driving me there. Somehow, we got cursed by the wrong turn fairy and ended up in the middle of Langley instead. My $15 phone plan unfortunately does not include 3G, so we had to select a Japanese restaurant based on outside appearance alone. We couldn't use the heuristic of choosing the restaurant with the most diners because every restaurant that we passed by happened to be almost empty. In the end, my dad chose Sushi Momo because it had the most comfortable seating.

Sushi Momo is Korean-operated and offers a 10% discount to seniors. The interior decor had a clean feel and they were playing 80's pop music on the stereo, which added to the "un-urban" feel of being in Langley. While I was combing through the large assortment of dishes and combos, my dad noticed something peculiar about the washrooms. To get to the men's washroom, you have to go through a long, winding path, which leads to a flight of stairs to the second floor on which the washroom is located. The women's washroom, however, is located on the main floor. Do men really need more exercise?

Miso Soup - B

I ordered the Dynamite Combo, which came with a Dynamite Roll, nigiri sushi (5 pcs), and a Miso Soup. The Miso Soup was garnished with tofu, green onion, and a few small pieces of bean curd. The temperature was good but it was overly salty.

The rest of the Dynamite Combo was nicely presented. It's also the first time I've seen unagi in a roll and nigiri combo!

Dynamite Roll - C+

The Dynamite Roll consisted of yam fries, tempura yam, tempura prawn, crab meat, and lettuce. Although I liked the extra crunch provided by the yam fries at the top, I was bugged by the sauce, which was as sweet as canned cherries.

Unagi Nigiri - C-

Tuna Nigiri - B

Salmon Nigiri - B

I was initially excited to have unagi in my combo, but that excitement disappeared when the unagi tasted like they mixed up their unagi and Worcestershire sauces. How am I supposed to like tangy unagi?! Oh, the horror! The Tuna Nigiri and Salmon Nigiri were substantially better. The salmon was fresh and buttery and the tuna was sufficiently soft. However, I had to deduct some points since the sushi rice was lacking in flavour and the fish looked like it was cut using a miniature pair of scissors.

Baked Salmon Roll - B-

The Baked Salmon Roll came with crab meat, cucumber, avocado, baked salmon, mayonnaise, green onion, and sweet soy sauce. The salmon has a seared look but it tastes baked, and I thought that the salmon and green onion combination was nice. The roll itself is not baked and is substantially cooler. The crab meat inside was rather coarse with a bit of a powdery texture and the roll was slightly heavy on the rice.

Salmon Teriyaki - B

Carrot Tempura - B-

Zucchini Tempura - B+

The Salmon Teriyaki also came with a Miso Soup and two pieces of tempura (carrot and zucchini). It wasn't a big portion, but the salmon was fresh. The sauce was overly sweet and started to overwhelm the salmon. The Carrot Tempura was a bit hard and dry, but the Zucchini Tempura was nice and juicy with the right amount of batter. It would be nice if they provided tempura dipping sauce.

Then, the waitress caught me taking notes and actually came to my table to confront me about it. My dad and I told her that I was taking notes so that I could introduce the restaurant on my blog. Instead of being any help at all, she just said "That doesn't help" and walked away. I thought she was really enraged, but one minute later ...

Raspberry and Tempura Banana Dessert - A-

... she brought back a complimentary dessert for both my dad and I! She didn't apologize or anything, but she suddenly remained quite friendly for the rest of my meal. I'll definitely add this to the list of things I don't understand about women. The Raspberry and Tempura Banana Dessert was the best-executed item of the entire meal. The tempura was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside and went especially well with the sweet raspberry. 

The service was decent for our entire stay except for the moment disaster struck when the waitress saw me taking notes. The food was not expensive, but not cheap either, and the portions are not large. It helped that my dad was able to get us the 10% seniors' discount. The quality of the food was in line with the standards for sushi in Langley. The sauces were the biggest issue, and by not constantly using the wrong sauce, they have the potential to become one of the best sushi restaurants in Langley.