Episode #240: Sushia

Burnaby North, $$ (Moderately Priced)
www.sushiarestaurant.com

Even though I don't TA at SFU anymore, I've still continued the tradition of bringing sushi trays into my office every so often and sharing them with my office mates. Just to keep things interesting, I try not to bring the same trays over and over again, but there are only so many places that are close enough to SFU that the sushi doesn't get cold on the ride there.

Production Station is only a 10-minute bus ride from SFU, but the previous sushi restaurant at the station, Sushi Kaku, was so dead and uninviting that I had second thoughts about going in. For the record, I don't have second thoughts about bussing home from a party at 3 a.m. from one side of GVRD to the other, so that says much about the restaurant. The new sushi restaurant at Production Station, Sushia, looks a lot more inviting, and I strolled in to see if it was a worthy candidate for my party tray adventures at the office.

Sushia is a Chinese-operated restaurant that seats about 25. The prices were rather reasonable, and business appeared to be healthy, with a steady stream of take-out orders and eat-in diners. The menu is quite large for a restaurant of this size, with a good assortment of appetizers, special rolls, rice/noodle bowls, nigiri, sashimi, and the new, trendy favourite—oshi sushi.

Ocean Roll - B-

The Ocean Roll consisted of prawn tempura, cucumber, avocado, imitation crab meat, and tobiko. It came in small but neatly constructed pieces, and the sauces (spicy mayo and unagi sauce) provided ample flavour to the roll despite the roll being slightly rice-heavy. The tempura batter, however, was really hard, and the rice vinegar was too strong, interfering with the sweetness of the imitation crab meat on top.

Salmon Sashimi - B+

Tuna Sashimi - C+

Tai Sashimi - A-

The Appetizer Sashimi, which came with 2 pieces of salmon, 2 pieces of tuna, and 1 piece of tai, was also presented neatly, with a small salad underneath. The salmon was pleasantly buttery and smooth, and the tai (snapper) was fresh with a delectable, sweet flavour. I also liked how the tai was not tough at all. However, I did not like the tuna, which was not soft at all and inexplicably dry. 

Unagi Oshi - B-

I wanted to try the Toro Oshi, but since they ran out of toro, I opted for the Unagi Oshi instead, which was the lunch special of the day (a $2 discount off the regular price). I was initially puzzled as to why there would be a random slice of lemon on my plate, but as soon as I bit into the oshi, I could see why. The unagi was overdone (with some burnt parts), and the lemon was required to give the unagi its necessary juiciness. At least the rice was not too tightly packed, and the creamy avocado inside prevented the rice from feeling too dry.

Amaebi Nigiri - A-

Hotate Nigiri - B-

Saba Nigiri - C

The Amaebi Nigiri did not disappoint, with deliciously sweet and creamy shrimp that had a light chew and a good rebound. The Hotate Nigiri (scallop) was moderately fresh, with a slight overage of rice underneath. However, the one piece that really disappointed was the Saba Nigiri, which was so dry and salty that it might as well have been labelled Dried Anchovy Nigiri. 

I experienced friendly service during my visit, but the food was very hit and miss. They are able to stock fresh seafood and have some appealing menu items, but the consistency will have to improve before this restaurant can attract the vast population of students commuting to SFU. In the meantime, I'm sticking with my top picks on Hastings (Take, Kilala, and Osaka) for my party trays.

Episode #229: Hong Sushi

Burnaby North, $ (Budget)
www.hongsushi.ca

The first restaurant that I ventured to after I had become bored of SFU's campus food was Sushi Town. At that time, I was aware that Hong Sushi was even closer to campus than Sushi Town. However, I ended up going to Sushi Town because it seemed the more popular of the two, and more importantly, I was too lazy to cross the street prior to eating. Hong Sushi ended up in my list of restaurants I wanted to try but forgot to, until Jeff from my office mentioned how he used to regularly order their very cheap and filling combo: 18 pieces of sushi + miso soup for just $6.95 (now $7.95).

Thus, the two of us went to Hong Sushi during one of our lunch breaks to try out their $6.95 combo among other things. Hong Sushi is Chinese-operated, and although it is rather small in physical space, its menu is not small at all. There were enough appetizers and special rolls to give me a hard time deciding how to construct my ultimate tasting experience.

One notable thing about Hong Sushi is that they serve everything on foam dishes, which complements their budget-friendly focus. Another notable thing about the restaurant is that you order using tablets (there's one at each table). Given the low volume of dine-in customers, I'm not sure if the tablets really contribute to improving the restaurant's efficiency. However, they are great if you find human interaction terrifying and are mortally afraid of actually having to talk to a server.

Salmon Roll - B

California Roll - B+

Yam Roll - B

The $6.95 combo comes with a Salmon Roll, a California Roll, a Yam Roll, and a bowl of miso soup (not pictured). The rolls turned out better than I had expected. The California Roll featured sweet imitation crab, while the lightly fried tempura yam in the Yam Roll had a decent amount of crispiness. The Salmon Roll came with fresh, buttery salmon, although we thought the sushi rice could have been a little more flavourful. All three rolls were neatly constructed and came in rather large portions. 

Salmon Sashimi - A-

Toro Sashimi - B-

Next up, the Salmon Sashimi was creamy and buttery and came in neatly cut, generous slices. I also liked how the pieces were not too thickly sliced. The toro did not fare as well, as it was slightly fishy and not especially melty. 

Appetizer Tempura - B

The Appetizer Tempura came with one prawn and one piece each of kabocha, zucchini, sweet potato, and carrot. Some of the vegetable tempura was well-prepared and turned out savoury and juicy. However, the batter tended to be quite thick.

Scorpion Roll - B+

Next, we had the Scorpion Roll, a massive roll with deep-fried prawn, spicy tuna, salmon, cucumber, imitation crab meat, soft shell crab tempura, and masago. Despite their colossal size, the individual pieces actually held together quite well. The soft shell crab was remarkably well-prepared and contributed a nice crispiness to the roll. The spicy zing from the spicy tuna also went well with the other savoury ingredients in the roll.

Chopped Scallop Nigiri - B+

Unagi Nigiri - B

Saba Nigiri - B-

Tai Nigiri - B-

Hotate Nigiri - B-

After our large roll, I was presented with some rather large nigiri. The nigiri were more about size than quality. The sushi rice was dry and too tightly packed. However, some of the toppings were decent. The chopped scallop had a pleasant, creamy sweetness, while the unagi was soft and dressed with ample sweet unagi sauce. The saba was too salty and not smooth in texture, while the tai and hotate lacked flavour. 

The service was very minimal, as the server seemed to expect us to interact with the tablets more than himself. However, the food was decent given the budget prices. Hong Sushi is not a place I would frequent, but it is a place I can fall back on if I ever felt the need for a change of taste from the other budget sushi restaurants on Hastings. 

Episode #218: The Grand SFU Sushi Crawl

Contrary to popular belief, I'm actually very tolerant of crappy sushi. If you present to me a plate of sushi that is worth a C in one hand and a juicy, freshly smoked burger from a fancy restaurant in the other hand, I'd pick the sushi perhaps 8 out of 10 times. I often indulge in some delicious freezer burnt sushi on campus during my breaks and after my classes.

As an SFU student, one question that I often get asked is "What's the best place for sushi on campus?" For years, I never had a very good response to that question because I had not tried all the sushi places on campus. It was time to settle the matter once and for all. With five different places to go through on SFU's Burnaby campus, I enlisted the help of food blogger Vancity Noms because she can really eat... or so I thought.

The Five Sushi Places on SFU's Burnaby Campus

• SFU Dining Hall
• Nesters Market
• Spicy Stone
• Ichibankan Express
• Mackenzie Café

SFU Dining Hall

We chose to start our crawl at the Dining Hall to avoid having the good stuff run out. During lunch hours, it costs only $8.95 plus tax to enter the hall for an all-you-can-eat buffet, which is an excellent deal if quality is not your utmost concern. There is pizza, sushi, veggies, vegan food, chicken or beef (depending on the day), fried goodies, desserts, and more.

Those who know me well will know that my brain does not exactly function in the morning and early afternoon. It didn't take long for disaster to strike. After taking 15 minutes to figure out where the plates were even stored, I looked at a tub of strawberry jam, pointed at it, and exclaimed, "OMG they have ice cream here!" Unfortunately, Vancity Noms developed such a bad stomachache from laughing so hard that she became unable to consume anything other than tea. We were off to a great start—one of us was down before we even started.

Salmon and Avocado Roll - B

As soon as the clock struck 11:30 a.m., the chefs started rolling out the sushi, and the sushi of the day was the Salmon and Avocado Roll. It consisted of soft, flaky salmon accented by a dash of herby spiciness. The rice could have been more flavourful, but this was already much better than what I had expected. I have been told that the rolls are pre-made, but they do not taste like something that just came out of the fridge. 

Nesters Market

Our next stop was Nesters Market, which was all the way on the other side of campus. I would often come here after my late evening lectures for some of their pre-made dinner bowls, many of which are decent compared to the other available food choices in the area. However, I have never tried their sushi before.

California Roll Combo

Having downed two entrees and six pieces of sushi at the dining hall, I had to choose wisely to avoid stuffing myself and subsequently failing the crawl. I chose the California Roll Combo so I could sample three different types of sushi in one box. Meanwhile, Vancity Noms was still dying from her stomachache and could not eat anything. Who needs martial arts when you have your non-functioning brain to use as a lethal weapon?

California Roll - F

Vegetable Salad Roll - C-

Spicy California Roll - C-

The second disaster of the day struck when my mouth met with the horrors of this roll combo. The pudding-like texture of the rice made the California Roll the most disgusting sushi roll I have ever had. The sushi rice tasted like it had been tossed into a high-speed blender and pulverized for five minutes before being wrapped around the roll. The California Roll also came with some dainty portions of bland crab meat, while the Vegetable Salad Roll contained bits of bell pepper for a nice unauthentic touch. The spiciness of the Spicy California Roll helped mask the blandness of the crab meat just slightly.

Spicy Stone

Just steps away from Nesters Market lies Spicy Stone, a restaurant I used to visit almost exclusively while at SFU due to its low prices. I suppose not all good things last forever, because they eventually raised their prices significantly to more closely match what their neighbours were charging. With the new poke bar at SFU, I have been going to Spicy Stone much less than I used to, although the cashier-server still recognizes me and continues to give me great service.

California Roll - B-

Dynamite Roll - C+

Unless you order your sushi as part of a bento box, you will most likely be told to get your sushi from the display refrigerator. Such was the case with my California Roll and Dynamite Roll. However, these rolls still tasted decent. With the California Roll, the imitation crab meat was sweet, and you could actually discern the individual strands of crab meat, unlike with the California Roll from Nesters Market. The Dynamite Roll was larger and more filling, but Spicy Stone's weak tempura skills were evident here.

Ichibankan Express

Ichibankan Express is currently the only restaurant at SFU that focuses on sushi. However, like Spicy Stone, the rolls typically come from the display refrigerator. The sushi at Ichibankan is not cheap either, and despite the word "Express" in its name, the restaurant actually has one of the slowest kitchens on campus. Nonetheless, I'm still a frequent patron since I don't really have much of a choice when I'm on campus and am craving something more than a standard California or Dynamite roll.

Negitoro Roll - C+

The Negitoro contained slightly fishy tuna that was somewhat balanced out by the green onion. The rice was tightly packed, which made the roll quite chewy.

California Roll - C

I guess the moral of the story is that you can only expect so much from refrigerated pre-made sushi. The California Roll ended up strangely bland due to the lack of mayonnaise in the crab meat. The roll was also not very neatly constructed and fell apart very easily.

Mackenzie Café

Our final destination was Mackenzie Café, which operates much like a small-scale food court with choices ranging from Subway to poutine to Asian stir-fried rice. Once again, the sushi was stored in a display refrigerator, and once again, it was quite pricey. I opted for a 5-piece Dynamite roll because it looked the most colourful and appealing.

Dynamite Roll - C

At $6.19, this roll was very expensive for the quality, but at least they put two deep-fried prawns inside. The crab meat had a nice pleasant creaminess to it, while the sauces were thick and had an interesting gluey consistency.

Vancity Noms ended up fasting the entire 10 hours of the crawl (I'm not sure how she did it), but evidently, she didn't really miss out on much. Towards the end of the crawl, I was so stuffed and sick from consuming unreasonable quantities of soy sauce that I desperately advertised free sushi to my Snapchat friends. However, they either were not on campus or commented on how unappetizing my sushi looked. I sure have some wonderful, appreciative friends. 

And finally, after developing mild PTSD from campus sushi for a few days, I can now present to you SFU's five sushi vendors from best to worst:

• SFU Dining Hall
• Spicy Stone
• Ichibankan Express
• Mackenzie Café
• Nesters Market

Episode #209: Hastings Sushi

Burnaby North, $$ (Moderately Priced)
www.hastingssushi.com

Every time I pass by 3978 Hastings St., a different Japanese restaurant seems to have sprung up there. This place is the chameleon of sushi restaurants. Not too long ago, it was once Little Tokyo's Sushi, and soon after, it became Ting Sushi. Now, Hastings Sushi has now taken its place. I was up at SFU to mark some assignments and needed some sushi for fuel, so I paid Hastings Sushi a visit. Needless to say, I'm quite sure I got more sushi done than actual marking that day.

Hastings Sushi is a small Chinese-operated sushi restaurant just steps away from Boundary Road. When I entered the restaurant, there was literally nobody in sight. Not only were there no diners, but there was nobody at the sushi counter and no server in the dining area. About a minute later, the sushi chef, a young man in his 20s, emerged from the back kitchen and sat me down at a table. He proceeded to take my order. I told him the list of things I wanted, which he promptly forgot, so I had to repeat my order from top to bottom.

Hokkigai Nigiri - B

Salmon Nigiri - B

Despite me reciting my order twice, the sushi chef still got my order wrong right from the start! I had ordered a piece of Hotategai Nigiri, not Hokkigai Nigiri (Hokkigai Nigiri is something I never order). I notified the server-chef of this, and only then did he tell me that they did not have hotategai in stock. Whatever the case, I just took what I had and left it at that. The Hokkigai Nigiri had a strong seaweed flavour, while the salmon was fresh and buttery. The rice was quite dry and did not have sufficient flavour.

Seared Toro Nigiri - B

Seared Tai Nigiri - B-

Spicy mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce were used to enhance the flavour of the Seared Toro Nigiri, while the Seared Tai Nigiri was creamy with a slight seared flavour. There was a little too much rice under the Seared Toro Nigiri, and as a result, the dryness and blandness of the rice were quite noticeable.

While choosing a special roll, something on the back page of the menu caught my eye...

... yes, the one and only "Fired Shirmp Roll." Interestingly, the sushi chef did in fact say "fired" when referring to the roll. I decided to order it, since there is hardly anything more satisfying than munching on poor shrimp that have just lost their jobs.

Fired Shrimp Roll - B

The Fired Shrimp Roll consisted of seared tuna on top of a Dynamite roll. The seared flavour on the tuna was prominent and worked well with the spicy mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce combo. Everything on top of the roll worked well. Unfortunately, the batter on the prawn tempura was quite hard, and the flavour of the prawn tempura was somehow overpowered by the small slices of avocado inside the roll.

Bacon & Scallop Skewers - A-

By far the best item of my lunch was the Bacon & Scallop Skewers. The scallops had a great rebound and were not tough. The bacon was on the fattier side and had a wonderful sweet flavour, and this was nicely accented by the sprinkling of sesame seeds on top.

Ten Don - C

The Ten Don came with 4 pieces of yam tempura and 3 pieces of prawn tempura. Surprisingly, the sushi rice this time had quite a bit of vinegar in it. Some sauce or dressing for the rice would have helped bring the rice and the tempura together. Tempura-wise, the frying oil was very overused, and the batter turned out hard. While the prawns were still juicy, the yam was sliced quite thinly so that parts of it ended up tasting like potato chips.

The sushi chef was friendly, albeit a little unenthusiastic. The food was hit-and-miss, and integrating the different ingredients together seemed to be a challenge in some of the dishes. Although the food was not expensive, there isn't much that makes this restaurant stand out from the myriad of other restaurants on Hastings St. 

Episode #207: Sushi UOmo (2nd Visit)

Burnaby North, $ (Budget)

As the Fall 2016 semester came to an end, it was time to celebrate by having an epic sushi dinner with the TAs who shared the office with me. By virtue of SFU not really having enough TA offices, I had quite a few companions for this adventure: Ashton, Gaby, Jeff, Raymon, Sean, and Vy. Ashton, Jeff, and I were at an escape room that afternoon, and Ashton thought it would be a splendid idea for the three of us to have bubble tea right before dinner. How could I say "no" to bubble tea? Needless to say, I ended up marching into Sushi UOmo splendidly half full.

My first encounter with Sushi UOmo was in Episode #4 when it was the new kid on the block (nearly two and a half years ago), and lots of things have changed since then. The restaurant has become extremely popular, the quality has gone up, and the menu had been expanded. It has become the one restaurant I would recommend for budget sushi in North Burnaby.

Miso Soup - B+

The servers were quick to provide us with complimentary bowls of miso soup. In fact, they were so quick that my miso soup arrived at my table before I even got to the restaurant. You can't really beat that! It was slightly on the saltier side, but that was mostly balanced out by a good amount of miso paste, some tofu, and some green onion.

Drunken Tiger Roll - A-

Next, Gaby and I shared the Drunken Tiger Roll, which consisted of crab meat, avocado, cucumber, boiled prawn (ebi), unagi, BBQ sauce, and wasabi mayo. Overall, this roll had an enjoyable soft texture, and the flavours went together well. Soft, sweet unagi topped the roll, and the wasabi mayo was mild and unobtrusive. Unfortunately, I did not end up drunk, much to the disappointment of those at my table.

Sockeye Salmon Nigiri - B

Red Tuna Nigiri (Bluefin) - B+

Aburi Salmon Nigiri - B

Aburi Toro Nigiri - A-

The Sockeye Salmon Nigiri came with a generous piece of fresh salmon, though the rice was slightly bland and too tightly packed. The server eagerly suggested the Red Tuna Nigiri (i.e. bluefin), so I gave it a try, and it had a rather rich flavour compared to the red tuna nigiri I've had at other places. The Aburi Salmon Nigiri was slightly too creamy and chewy, but the Aburi Toro Nigiri was delightfully juicy and much softer.

Red Dragon Roll - A-

After the nigiri came the Red Dragon Roll that Jeff and I decided to split, and this roll came with wild salmon, unagi tempura, cream cheese, avocado, and BBQ sauce. This roll was another success. The cream cheese was melty and well-integrated into the roll. You could still feel the heat from the freshly made unagi tempura, whose light crispiness was an excellent complement to the soft, buttery wild salmon on top.

Tempura Udon - B+

By this point, I was already near capacity and ended up having to stuff some of my Tempura Udon at Sean. The udon was accompanied by mushrooms, carrots, and various veggies and was nothing extraordinary. The batter on the tempura was on the thicker side, but it was crispy with sufficient moisture inside.

Although they left out one of my items by mistake, the service was otherwise on point. I was actually somewhat glad about this since I was already very full. However, being very full was apparently not enough to stop me from spontaneously suggesting that we should have dessert afterward. That's one bubble tea and two large scoops of sorbet all in one evening, which I'm sure is totally healthy.

Episode #202: Sushi Bar Kilala

Burnaby North, $$ (Moderately Priced)

Sushi Bar Kilala is perhaps one of the most understated sushi bars in Greater Vancouver. Despite serving sushi that rivals locally acclaimed places such as Sushi by Yuji, it typically does not see many customers on any given day. Its hole-in-the-wall appearance does not really help. However, Puzzlefighter and I both knew about Sushi Bar Kilala's merits, so we arranged to have lunch there together. Unfortunately for me, Puzzlefighter claims that he only remembers appointments when they involve good-looking girls, and sadly, I don't exactly fit that description. Needless to say, it took some reminding for this sushi adventure to happen.

Once inside, we were greeted warmly by the authentic staff. Inside, the decor is very basic and does not look like much more than a take-out place. It looks just about as fancy on the inside as it does on the outside. The menu stays true to the restaurant's name and includes very few items besides sushi and sashimi. 

Futomaki (half order) - B+

Negi Saba Shiso Roll - A-

Surprisingly, I have never had Futomaki until now, even though it is such a common roll. Those fancy rolls and Aburi choices on the menu always get the better of me. The Futomaki here came with shiitake mushroom, egg, spinach, kanpyo (cooked gourd), cucumber, and sweet fish powder. The roll had a homemade feel, with the sweetness of the tamago being one of its most prominent features. The mushrooms provided a well-rounded, savoury flavour to the roll, and I enjoyed how the rice was not packed too tightly.

On Puzzlefighter's recommendation, we got the Negi Saba Shiso Roll (pickled mackerel, green onion, and oba leaf), which was also successful. It came with generous chunks of saba, and the light application of wasabi gave the roll a nice moderated spicy kick.

Deluxe Nigiri Combination

Next, to get a sample of their fresh seafood, I ordered the Deluxe Nigiri Combination. More importantly, I ordered this to make my Snapchat friends hungry, because nothing says "bon appetit" quite like a colourful array of beautifully plated nigiri sushi. 

Kanpyo Maki - B+

Tekka Maki - B+

The Deluxe Nigiri Combination typically comes with Kappa Maki (cucumber), but since I'm "just a child" (a reference to Episode #162) and not a fan of crunchy vegetables, I substituted it with Kanpyo Maki (cooked gourd) instead. The Kanpyo Maki had a rich flavour somewhat like that of mushrooms. The Tekka Maki (tuna) contained soft tuna, which was slightly overpowered by the wasabi.

Uni Nigiri - A

Hotategai Nigiri - A-

Hokkigai Nigiri - B+

Amaebi Nigiri - A

Tamago - A

With the uni (sea urchin), we were in for a treat as we learned from the sushi chef that the uni had just arrived earlier that morning. There was a generous amount of uni in the nigiri, and it was very rich and creamy. The sushi rice was well-packed and had ample flavour. The Hotategai Nigiri (scallop) had a sweet flavour and a very slight tinge of the stringiness typically found in cooked scallops. The Hokkigai (surf clam) had a nice rebound, though it was rather thin and accompanied by too much wasabi. The Amaebi Nigiri (sweet shrimp) had a pleasant, sweet flavour, while the Tamago was soft, fluffy, and cake-like. 

Hamachi Nigiri - A-

Salmon Nigiri - A-

Tuna Nigiri - A

Saba Nigiri - A-

Tako Nigiri - B+

Unagi Nigiri - A

Moving onto the second row, the Hamachi Nigiri had a soft, smooth texture, though it tasted slightly salty. Both the Salmon Nigiri and the Tuna Nigiri were fresh and featured pleasant, soft textures. The use of a shiso leaf in the Saba Nigiri helped balance out the characteristic fishy flavour of saba, and I liked how the saba was not too salty. The Tako Nigiri featured too much wasabi, but the tako had a good amount of chewiness, and the Unagi was soft with an excellent torched flavour.

Unagi Battera - A

One of my favourite things to get at Sushi Bar Kilala is the Unagi Battera (eel pressed with sushi rice). The heavenly smoky flavour of the unagi was accented by sesame seeds and small bits of tamago. I was already full by this point, but I wouldn't have minded eating another order of this if it was placed in front of me.

Cream Caramel - A-

Who says you can't have dessert when you're already full? I went full sugar vacuum mode and opted for the Cream Caramel pudding. The consistency of the pudding was slightly on the thicker side, and it came in a rather generous portion. It was topped with an appropriate amount of caramel and did not end up being too sweet.

Overall, we were more than satisfied with the quality of the food and service at Sushi Bar Kilala. Here, you can experience well-crafted authentic sushi for reasonable prices, as long as you don't mind the very basic decor. The unagi is a must-try and is consistently among the best in Greater Vancouver.

Episode #143: Kita Sushi

North Burnaby, $ (Budget)
www.kitasushi.ca

A long time ago, in the very beginnings of my quest to seek the finest seared sushi in Greater Vancouver, I stumbled upon Kita Sushi and noted it for its tasty, well-crafted seared sushi. Its Scallop Tataki Roll, being heavenly and very affordable, resonated in my mind for several years. With only a short lunch break (3 hours), I decided to venture back to Kita Sushi and see if the seared sushi had withstood the test of time.

Kita Sushi is Korean-operated and is not a full-service restaurant. Many customers order takeout, but if you dine in, you would order and pay at the front and then wait for them to bring the food to your table. Ordering at the front has always been one of my biggest life challenges. First of all, I take so long to order that the cashier has to frantically find ways to relieve the awkward moments that ensue. Second, my vision is terrible, and actually being able to see the menu items on the board happens about as often as me successfully convincing myself to commit one of the eight deadly sins: the sin of not eating sushi for a week. Of course, I avoided all of the above by taking one of their plastic menus to my table.

Miso Soup - B+

I ordered an Unagi Don, which comes with a Miso Soup with some seaweed and copious amounts of green onion. It had a thin consistency, but it was not too salty.

Unagi Don - A

This was surprisingly good! Presented in a beautiful bucket thingy, the unagi was freshly seared, and I could hear and smell the blowtorching as I was waiting for my food. The unagi was graced with an excellent grilled flavour, and the unagi was very soft with a bit of fattiness, which made it all the more juicy. The steamed rice was above average, and the unagi sauce brought a savoury flavour to the rice. I will also add that due to the large portion size, this was quite a filling dish.

Salmon Sashimi - A

Tai Sashimi - B-

Tuna Sashimi - A-

Next, I had the Appetizer Sashimi, which came with two pieces of salmon, one piece of tai, and two pieces of tuna. The Salmon Sashimi tasted very fresh and had a mouthwatering creamy, buttery flavour. As a bonus, it was also cut to exactly the right thickness. The Tai Sashimi did not have a smooth texture and was weak in flavour. The Tuna Sashimi, on the other hand, was well-balanced in terms of flavour and did not exhibit any fishiness. 

Seaweed Gunkan - B+

Aburi Saba Nigiri - B-

Aburi Toro Nigiri - C+

Of course, I decided to sample some of their nigiri sushi, and the sushi rice erred on the dry side and was rather mediocre. I always try to resist having wakame (seaweed) because the strands keep getting stuck between my teeth, but evidently, resistance is not one of my virtues. The Seaweed Gunkan came with lots of seaweed and was not tough to chew. The Aburi Saba Nigiri was not too salty, but it did not really have any seared flavour, nor was it soft. There was also too much rice underneath. The Aburi Toro Nigiri was overdone, although the marinade provided some sweetness to the weak flavour of the toro.

Scallop Tataki Roll - B-

At last, I had the Scallop Tataki Roll, which consisted of seared scallop on top of a California roll. The scallop was creamy with a soft texture, but other than that, it was not very reminiscent of what I remembered it to be. The sushi rice was again mediocre, and some of the pieces were rice-heavy. The sweet imitation crab was flavourful but overpowered the weak seared taste of the scallop. The hot sauce, which greatly livened up the flavour, was daintily applied to only a few of the pieces. It was as if they couldn't get the sauce out of the bottle after a few drips and just gave up.

There were a number of enjoyable items during my visit, especially the Unagi Don and the fresh sashimi, but it appears that sushi rice is one of their weaknesses. The service consisted only of bringing to you your food and your eating utensils, which I was fine with considering that this is not a full-service restaurant. The male cashier at the front was friendly, so after finishing my food, I went up to the counter to deposit some coins into the tip jar. Imagine my frustration when all the larger-valued coins went in the coin slot in the blink of an eye, and this one nickel in my pile just refused to go in. Next, imagine the awkwardness as the cashier watched me struggle to get that measly nickel into the jar. In the end, I just bolted out the door...