Episode #139: Maple Sushi

Maple Ridge, $ (Budget)

Once again, my dad and I ended up with a free afternoon, so he asked me what I would like to do to pass the time. Since the correct answer to that question is always sushi, we ended up travelling to one of our favourite places: the land of the inexpensive and sometimes decent sushi (a.k.a. Maple Ridge). It turns out that Maple Ridge is also the land of unending traffic jams, especially during the daytime, so we stopped our car as soon as we encountered the gorgeous backlog of cars radiating from Haney Place Mall.

Right ahead of us was Maple Sushi, and we were lured in after seeing the "20% off everything" sign in front of the door. The restaurant is Korean-operated, and the menu is rather extensive. As there were virtually no other diners, the food arrived astonishingly quickly. My dad, feeling extra nice, decided to take care of the bill and let me use his point-and-shoot camera. However, after witnessing my extreme clumsiness, he became worried that I would drop the camera into the food or cover the lens with steam, so he decided to take over the duty of photographing the food. If only cameras came with accident-proof cases...

Miso Soup - B

We received a Miso Soup along with our order of Chicken Teriyaki, and the soup came with green onion and tofu. It was steaming hot and had a thick, almost milky consistency. There was a rich miso flavour, but there was also a rich salt flavour.

Tuna Sashimi - A

Salmon Sashimi - A-

The Appetizer Sashimi came with three pieces of tuna and two pieces of salmon. I had absolutely no complaints about the freshness of either type of fish. The three pieces of tuna displayed neat knife skills and had an excellent soft texture. The two pieces of salmon were cut to just the right thickness and exhibited a delicious creamy, buttery flavour.

Chicken Teriyaki - B

Next, the Chicken Teriyaki came with a generous portion of tender chicken. The skin generally had a nice crispiness, but was a bit hard in some places. They attempted to create a smoky flavour, but they slightly overdid it, so the chicken came dangerously close to tasting burnt. The steamed rice, however, was above average in quality.

Tempura Udon - A-

The Tempura Udon came with a large bowl of udon noodles and two tempura prawns and one piece each of yam, sweet potato, and zucchini tempura on the side. The prawn tempura was excellent as the prawns were very fresh and the batter had an appealing crispy texture. The vegetable tempura was well executed with adequate moisture in each piece, though the zucchini was cut a little too thick. The udon noodles were on the softer side but tasty enough that my dad could not stop eating them even though he was full, which is a very rare occurrence.

Dragon Roll - A-

The Dragon Roll came with two tempura prawns, avocado, cucumber, crab meat, seared eel, tobiko, green onion, and unagi sauce. Once again, the prawns were fresh and had a good snap. The roll had a soft texture overall, and there was a good harmony of flavours. The appropriately thin layer of rice allowed for a better projection of the flavours of the eel, the avocado, and the prawns.

The service was especially friendly, and the waitress constantly made sure that our tea was refilled. Overall, the food was consistently better than what my dad and I had expected, and even though we could not finish all of the food, our bill came to less than $30 (before tips). This is quite remarkable considering that I often exceed $30 on my solo sushi adventures (thanks to fancy nigiri), but then again, my dad only ate about $5 worth of food, like usual. 

Episode #127: Sushi House (Maple Ridge)

Maple Ridge, $$ (Moderately Priced)

Having an afternoon to spare, I decided to go on a sushi adventure with my dad rather than catch up in my classes. Neither of us had a restaurant in mind, so we just went around town randomly to see if we would pass by a seemingly good sushi restaurant that I had not reviewed yet. About half an hour into our trip, we passed by Sushi House and decided to dine there since we saw a police officer ordering takeout. Police officers must have refined taste buds, right?

The restaurant is not large, but there was a good assortment of items on the menu. Furthermore, the food appeared to be affordable, with the exception of the sashimi, which was slightly higher priced.

(menu - click to enlarge)

 Chicken Teriyaki - B

Of course, we ordered my dad's favourite food - Chicken Teriyaki. The chicken was moderately tender, albeit a touch dry. The chicken meat itself was of average quality. The addition of copious amounts of sesame oil helped to enhance flavours, and the steamed rice was above average. 

Miso Soup - C+

The Chicken Teriyaki came with a Miso Soup, which contained a good amount of green onions and tofu. Unfortunately, the Miso Soup was one of the saltiest I have ever encountered.

Wild Salmon Sashimi - A-

The Wild Sashimi was the only type of sashimi that did not appear to be higher priced to me. Sashimi is one of those foods where more expensive does not necessarily mean better (if it's cheaper, more people will order it, allowing the restaurant to get fresher supplies of fish). Here, the Wild Salmon Sashimi displayed neat cutting skills and was fresh. It also had a nice smooth texture.

Prawn Tempura - B

Yam Tempura - C-

The Appetizer Tempura contained two prawns and two pieces of yam, which made it easy for my dad and I to share, Oh wait, they threw in an extra piece of yam, making it three pieces of yam! The prawns were quite skinny but had a decent savoury flavour. The yam, on the other hand, was horrible. Why couldn't we get one more prawn instead? The batter was very thick and hard, and the yam itself was as thin as a potato chip. My teeth cried a little on the inside while trying to break it down.

Aburi Nigiri - C+

As Aburi sushi is one of my basic needs for survival, I ordered the Aburi Nigiri (seared tuna). Unfortunately, it wasn't very well executed as the searing was overdone, making the fish dry and rather tasteless.

Tiger Roll - B+

Since I was still as hungry as a tiger, I had the Tiger Roll all to myself (my dad is not the biggest fan of sushi rolls, so it worked out fine). This large roll came with seared eel, salmon, ebi, prawn tempura, salmon, crab meat, cucumber, and avocado. There was quite a bit of mayonnaise smothered over the roll, but it helped harmonize the flavours of the prawn tempura and the avocado. With regard to the toppings, the ebi was slightly chewy, the unagi was sweet but a bit bony, and the salmon was smooth and buttery. The spicy mayonnaise gave the roll a subtle spicy kick.

The restaurant was rather quiet, and for most of our meal, we were the only diners in the restaurant. However, the server was very nice and friendly during our visit. Food-wise, it is quite apparent that Sushi House's strength lies in raw fish and sushi rolls, not cooked food. Perhaps that's why the restaurant's name is Sushi House, not Cooked Food House.

Episode #106: Sushi Tengu

Maple Ridge, $$ (Moderately Priced)
www.sushitengu.com

While browsing through the various menus of sushi restaurants in Maple Ridge, I came across Sushi Tengu's eclectic mix of special rolls. One that particularly caught my attention was the 4 in 1 Roll, which featured half orders of four of their special rolls. When I saw that roll on the menu, I had two thoughts. First, I would get to blog about four special rolls instead of just one. Second, the 4 in 1 Roll would almost certainly make a good photo for my blog. With that in mind, I enlisted the help of my dad so that my sushi adventure would consist of more than just the one dish.

Our car indicated an outdoor temperature of 36 degrees, so I was itching to get indoors, while my dad claimed that he felt very comfortable in the heat and wanted to enjoy it in full blast. After the two of us were both nicely cooked, my dad said that he no longer needed to eat Chicken Teriyaki, which was a bit of a relief to me.

Inside was a very clean and comfortable dining area with appealing modern decor. The jazz music in the background and the friendly service from the Korean staff complimented the classy vibe of the restaurant. It would be nice if a few more of the tables were occupied, but since we came at four in the afternoon, I wasn't expecting much in this respect.

Miso Soup - B+

The Miso Soup was served very hot and was made with a rich, dark miso paste. My dad consumed the entire bowl of Miso Soup because I couldn't tolerate any more heat. He told me to give it my average score for Miso Soup, saying that it was decent and that he wished for a bit more of the seaweed and tofu inside. 

Salmon Sashimi - A-

Tuna Sashimi - B

The Salmon & Tuna Sashimi were beautifully arranged on a large plate so that the pieces looked smaller than they really were. In reality, the cuts were generous with the right thickness. The Salmon Sashimi was the fresher of the two and had an appealing smooth and buttery texture. The Tuna Sashimi was a little less outstanding, but it was adequately soft.

Appetizer Tempura - A-

Overall, the Appetizer Tempura had a good amount of crispiness to it. The batter was a little thick and uneven on the two prawns, but it was better elsewhere. The prawns had a nice snap and a good burst of flavour. The green bean was quite juicy, while the sweet potato and kabocha both had enough moisture.

4 in 1 Roll 

The 4 in 1 Roll was beautifully arranged on a glass plate and consisted of half orders of the TNT Roll, the Salmon Tataki Roll (you can opt for the Tuna Tataki Roll instead), the Popcorn Roll, and the Caterpillar Roll. Examining the individual components...

TNT Roll - A-

The TNT Roll was comprised of Califoria Roll topped with prawn tempura, tobiko, and a special sauce. The crab meat inside the TNT Roll was soft and sweet, while the prawn tempura was tasty and accentuated by the spicy chili sauce drizzled on top.

Salmon Tataki Roll - B+

The Salmon Tataki Roll consisted of salmon (in sashimi form inside the roll), cucumber, avocado, salmon tataki, and green onion. There wasn't much of a seared taste as the spicy sauce took center stage, but overall, the roll had a decent, soft texture.

Popcorn Roll - A-

Perhaps the most creative of the four special rolls was the Popcorn Roll, which came with a California Roll base, prawn tempura, deep-fried scallops, yam bits, and tobiko. The fried scallops had a decent amount of moisture, and the yam fries added some crunch to the roll. I also enjoyed how there was a dash of mustard among the sauces, which gave the roll a unique taste. 

Caterpillar Roll - A-

Finally, the Caterpillar Roll consisted of cucumber, unagi, crab meat, avocado, and tobiko. Being the great help that he was, this was the only roll that my dad was willing to try, and he only ate one piece of it. The unagi had a prominent sweet flavour, and one of the pieces was stuffed with a random piece of salmon sashimi (this worked fine for me). Ideally, this roll should be eaten first as it is the mildest in flavour.

The service was quite attentive, and we found that the food was prepared with care. When the waitress caught sight of me trying to copy down all the components of the 4 in 1 Roll, she promptly offered me a takeout menu. Both my dad and I got the feeling that the restaurant was trying its best in every aspect. Along with Shinobi and Sushi Bar Iori, I dub Sushi Tengu one of the kings (or queens) of sushi in Maple Ridge.

Episode #88: Sushi Umibe

Maple Ridge, $$ (Moderately Priced)

During the days in which I don't have the luxury of a U-Pass, my dad often drives me to the sushi restaurant I am about to visit on the condition that I pay for his food as well. On the surface, this does not sound like a good deal at all. However, he is my dad and he eats so little food that my bill only goes up by about $5. This $5 was easily saved by venturing to the land of the inexpensive and sometimes decent sushi, also known as Maple Ridge.

On our way there, my dad accidentally drove just a hair past 207 St. and it took us almost 10 minutes to rectify this mistake. This involved so many tricky twists and turns that my dad started to believe this was a bad omen telling us not to visit the restaurant. The fact that the air quality in that area of town was particularly foul that day and the fact that the restaurant looked almost deserted didn't help. (Note that this was at 2:45 p.m.) When we hesitantly walked in, I quickly noticed that there was one diner in the restaurant who was alive and enjoying his meal, which helped me convince myself that everything was probably going to be alright.

Miso Soup - B+

The Umibe Combination came with a Miso Soup, Gomae, a California Roll, Tuna Nigiri, Salmon Nigiri, Ebi Nigiri, Tempura, and Chicken Teriyaki. My dad remarked that the Miso Soup was garnished with a small amount of green onion and tofu, and that it was served at a hot tempurature with rich miso paste.

California Roll - A-

Sushi Umibe nailed the basics with the California Roll, which was neatly constructed and enhanced by sesame seeds. The mayonnaise and crab combination was tasty with the right textures. My dad really liked this roll too and wanted my mom to be able to try it, so he had to keep telling me again and again to stop eating the whole thing.

Tuna Nigiri - B+

Salmon Nigiri - B

Ebi Nigiri - B+

The Tuna Nigiri was fresh and sufficiently soft, while the Salmon Nigiri exhibited a mild, buttery flavour. The Ebi Nigiri was my favourite as it was fresh and quite meaty. The sushi rice was adequately seasoned but packed a bit too tightly.

Assorted Tempura - C+

The Assorted Tempura was rather disappointing because it was fried using old oil and the batter was quite thick. The one piece of prawn was quite tasty and would have been a decent piece of tempura had it been fried with better oil. The kabocha was sweet but rather dry and the sweet potato was harder than expected. The yam was sliced into a peculiarly thin piece that resembled a potato chip.

Chicken Teriyaki - B+

The Chicken Teriyaki came with tender, juicy chicken dressed with a good amount of teriyaki sauce. It didn't come with rice, so I had to pay an extra $1.25 for a bowl of steamed rice. My dad enjoyed the Chicken Teriyaki and so did I, although it would be nice if the pan-fried skin was slightly thinner.

Gomae - B-

The Gomae was dressed with copious amounts of sesame sauce and fresh spinach. The sesame sauce could be ground more finely and spread out better throughout the spinach. 

Lobster Roll - B

The Lobster Roll consisted of cucumber, avocado, crab meat, prawn tempura, lobster, and tobiko along with 2 spring rolls and a salad. The spring rolls were dressed with spicy sauce and the pastry was a little hard, but there was enough flavour. Although this was the cheapest Lobster Roll I have had ($13.95), it was also the most stingy in terms of the amount of lobster provided. There was barely any meat in the tail and it was next to impossible to taste the small bit of lobster on top of each piece of the roll. Although the roll tasted decent, I would have enjoyed it much better if they had given it a different name, such as "The Splendid Roll That Comes With Glamorous Spring Rolls and a Beautiful Salad".

The service was decent and the waitress didn't appear to mind the fair number of times I changed my mind while ordering. The food came out quickly and there was a number of enjoyable dishes during our visit. The prices were on the lower side like many of the other Japanese restaurants in the vicinity. Overall, my dad and I found the restaurant neither very bad nor very good. Judging from the other online reviews, it appears that the restaurant either had better days in its past or happened to be jinxed along with my dad and I from the bad omens.

Episode #69: Sushi Bar Iori

Maple Ridge, $$ (Moderately Priced)

Touted by many to be the best in Maple Ridge, Sushi Bar Iori, a small Korean-operated Japanese restaurant, became my next target for my series of Maple Ridge sushi adventures. As their name suggests, they focus mainly on sushi and do not serve cooked items or noodles. Unfortunately, I was stuck in a traffic jam and arrived exactly when their break (from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m.) started. I had to temporarily keep my palate entertained at Yumi's Frozen Yogurt next door. Afterward, since I was in a hurry, I snapped a photo of the menu that was taped to the door and proceded to think about my order inside the small shopping mall to which the restaurant was attached.

Appetizer Tempura - B+

The Appetizer Tempura came with 3 prawns and 3 pieces of yam (even though the menu only says 2 pieces of yam). I was surprised that this would be the first item to arrive, but I was glad that it came out in less than 10 minutes. It wasn't fine-dining quality, but the tempura was mostly decent. The prawns were meaty enough and the yam was cut to the right thickness with sufficient sweetness. The dipping sauce has a nice mild hint of ginger.

Barbie Roll - A-

I wanted to try their seared stuff, so I went with the Barbie Roll, which consisted of prawn, crab meat, asparagus, seared wild salmon and avocado. The roll was cleanly cut and well-presented. The sesame added flavour and the salmon was seared the right amount. The sauce applied was just barely enough, and it helps if you slide the pieces around in the teriyaki and spicy mayonnaise sauce to capture more of its flavour. Despite its name, I think it tastes better than a Barbie, though I can't say for sure because I have never actually tasted a Barbie before. Maybe one day ...

Tuna Sashimi - B-

Sockeye Salmon Sashimi - B

Tai Sashimi - A-

Hokkigai Sashimi - A-

The Half Assorted Sashimi came with 3 pieces of Tuna Sashimi, 2 pieces of Sockeye Salmon Sashimi, 2 pieces of Tai Sashimi, and 2 pieces of Hokkigai Sashimi. The Tuna Sashimi was cut to the optimal thickness, but when I bit into it, I realized why it came last. In fact, they had been trying to thaw it on the counter for the duration of my meal, but when it came to me, two of the pieces were still half frozen. At least they tried. The Sockeye Salmon Sashimi was fresh, albeit sliced a little thick, making it a bit tough. The Tai Sashimi and the Hokkigai Sashimi were both decent and fresh. 

The one waitress was enough to provide sufficient service to all of the tables. I enjoyed the freshness of the food and the neat presentation of each dish. The food at Sushi Bar Iori has a slightly more traditional Japanese feel than Shinobi. However, it is a bit questionable whether Iori or Shinobi serves better food overall. I would say that Iori has better consistency due to its limited menu, but there are some spectacular items at Shinobi that make neither restuarant a clear favourite over the other.

Episode #67: Shinobi

Maple Ridge, $$ (Moderately Priced)
www.shinobisushi.com

For this episode, I decided to go to Maple Ridge, the land of the inexpensive and sometimes decent sushi. The first time I had sushi in Maple Ridge was at Shinobi, and that visit eventually led to many re-visits. With a large selection of items, where they serve everything from kanisake tempura to ahi tuna sashimi to seared rolls, I constantly find new things to try with every visit. They also serve a variety of lunch boxes from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Since I have never had a lunch box from Shinobi before, I fled from my class as soon as it ended and made it to the restaurant with just enough time to place my order at exactly 3:00 p.m. Score!

Miso Soup - B

The lunch boxes come with your typical miso soup. I found this miso soup to be slightly heavy on the salt.

The Teriyaki & Tempura Box came with Appetizer Tempura, Chicken Teriyaki (with rice on the side), Spring Rolls, California Roll (4 pcs.), and Green Salad, all for just $8.95! I apologize for the inconsistency in lighting as I had to use flash for certain dishes and not use it for others.

Appetizer Tempura - A-

The Appetizer Tempura came with 2 prawns, and 1 piece each of yam, sweet potato, and kabocha. The prawns were sufficiently meaty and coated with a nice crispy batter that was not too hard. The vegetable tempura was also executed well, demonstrating good moisture and flavour preservation.

Chicken Teriyaki - B+

The Chicken Teriyaki came with thin pan-fried strips of chicken. The chicken was mostly tender, but I found the crispy skin to be a little thick. 

Spring Rolls - C+

The Spring Rolls were the only real flop of the day, as parts of the pastry were hard to chew. The sweet teriyaki sauce helped to liven up the flavours as there was barely enough filling.

California Roll - B

The California Roll came in the basic version with avocado and crab meat. It tasted pretty average, but there was enough sweetness from the avocado and the crab. The most memorable part of this roll was that while I was eating it, the sign for the Honey Valentine Roll fell down on me. Laughter ensued. However, I didn't need to be reminded that I was dining by myself, so err ... no, thank you.

 Green Salad - B+

The Green Salad came in the form of fresh greens dressed with a mild, tangy Japanese dressing. The dressing was a thin one rather than the typical thicker vinaigrette.

Oxygen Fitness Roll - A

The Oxygen Fitness Roll consisted of seared salmon, green onions, bonito flakes, masago, crab meat, cucumber, avocado, spicy mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce. The salmon had an excellent soft and silky texture while the spicy mayonnaise helped to project the nice smoky flavour of the roll. This has been and remains one of my favourite rolls in the suburbs, and yes, this is the reason why I listed Shinobi under my favourites. I believe this roll is named after the Oxygen Yoga and Fitness center down the block, but I am not 100% sure.

Tuna Sashimi - A

Salmon Sashimi - B+

I was in the mood for more food so I decided to order the Appetizer Sashimi, which came with 3 pieces each of tuna and salmon sashimi. The Tuna Sashimi was very fresh with a decent soft texture and the salmon sashimi had the fresh, creamy flavour that I was looking for.

Overall, it was a satisfying visit as the service was sufficient and there were successful dishes across the various categories of Japanese food that I had. The quality-to-price ratio at Shinobi is significantly better than the average Japanese restaurant in Vancouver. Maple Ridge's southern counterpart, Langley, doesn't seem to fare so well in this respect. I will never forget that time I had sushi in Langley where I genuinely liked the iced water better than the sushi.