Episode #237: Sushi Fu

Port Coquitlam, $ (Budget)
www.sushifu.ca

One restaurant in Port Coquitlam I have wanted to visit for a long time is Sushi K Kamizato. My dad and I visit Port Coquitlam for leisurely purposes every so often, sometimes to try out new sushi restaurants. Unfortunately, my dad works most evenings, and Sushi K Kamizato is only open for evenings. In order to satisfy my Aburi cravings on this particular occasion, we went to Sushi Fu, one of the newest additions to Port Coquitlam's constantly evolving sushi scene.

Sushi Fu is Chinese-operated and features a large, budget-friendly menu with a special that allows diners to choose 3 items (from a select list) + a bowl of miso soup for $8.50. The interior was cleanly and comfortably decorated for the most part, except for the oddly coloured walls, which were green enough for me to camouflage some wasabi without anyone noticing. Don't worry, I'm more well-behaved than that.

Salmon Sashimi - A-

Tai Sashimi - B+

Tuna Sashimi - A

Starting off with the Appetizer Sashimi, the salmon was soft and buttery with an excellent smooth texture. The tai was slightly tough but came with ample flavour. The tuna was the freshest, with a wonderful soft texture and a rich, non-fishy flavour.

Appetizer Tempura - B

The Appetizer Tempura came with two prawns and one piece each of sweet potato, carrot, and yam. The batter was average and a bit heavy in places. The prawns were juicy though a bit thin, and the vegetables retained good flavour and moisture. 

Seared Salmon Nigiri - A-

Seared Toro Nigiri - A

Seared Saba Nigiri - B+

The seared nigiri was surprisingly well-executed. A thin layer of mayonnaise applied to each piece of nigiri really helped bring out a smoky flavour, and this was supported by a sprinkle of aromatic sesame seeds. I highly enjoyed the freshness of the salmon and the very juicy toro. The saba, besides being cut a bit too thick, was also deliciously juicy. This was one of the dishes that would make me alter my response to "excellent" instead of just "good" when asked how my food is.

Hawawii Roll - B

Since my eyes tend to gravitate towards oddly spelled things on a menu, I naturally went for the Hawawii Roll. Perhaps they were trying to replicate the very relaxing experience of playing on a Wii in Hawaii in a sushi roll rather than making a typo (although really, who actually does that on vacation?). This roll, with prawn tempura, cucumber, avocado, imitation crab, mango and fish roe, came in large, neatly constructed pieces. The roll was visually appealing, although I thought the sweetness of the mango sauce wasn't a good pairing for the savoury prawn tempura. The prawn, however, was meaty and delicious.

Overall, I was more than satisfied with my visit to Sushi Fu, especially given the affordable pricing. The service was also very friendly during my visit. If it weren't for the fact that Port Coquitlam isn't the most convenient for me to transit to, I can see this being a place I would visit regularly.

Episode #224: Kisoya

Port Coquitlam, $$ (Moderately Priced)

I've always been confident that I knew about all the sushi restaurants within a 15-minute drive from my place, until Linda managed to come up with one that had completely slipped from my radar. After I got through a few moments of utter shock and horror, we agreed to have lunch at Kisoya.

Kisoya is a rather large (yes, I don't know how I missed it) Korean-operated Japanese restaurant located in the north part of Port Coquitlam. It is one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in Port Coquitlam and features an extensive menu with a wide array of special rolls. However, there is no modern Japanese fusion on the menu, so you won't find any Aburi-type sushi here.

Crabmeat Mushroom Salad - B+

One thing on the menu that caught my eye was the Crabmeat Mushroom Salad. On the menu, it looked like an imitation crab sundae topped with colourful berries for decoration. Most of all, it was served in a wine glass, and I don't pass up things served in wine glasses. The berries didn't make it into the final product, but there was an abundance of sweet crab meat. It erred on the drier side, and a little more mayonnaise might have helped.

Power of Love Roll - A-

Since sushi is always a good way to experience things, I decided to get the Power of Love Roll. This roll came with unagi, deep-fried salmon, cucumber, avocado, tobiko, and unagi sauce. With crispy deep-fried salmon on top and crispy unagi inside, this roll was a good mix of flavours. 

Spicy Chicken Box

When choosing lunch boxes, I always like to choose the box with the least vegetables, the most meat, and the most special items possible. This led us to the Spicy Chicken Box.

Miso Soup - B+

The Spicy Chicken Box came with a Miso Soup. The consistency was on the thinner side, but there was sufficient miso paste to give the soup a rich flavour.

Ebi Mayo - C+

The Ebi Mayo was made with panko batter and dressed with a mix of mustard and mayonnaise. The batter was slightly hard, and the prawns were noticeably overdone.

Washington Roll - B+

Next up, the Washington Roll consisted of crab meat, cucumber, avocado, fresh salmon, wasabi and peanut sauce. Like the Power of Love Roll, the ingredients in the Washington Roll worked well together. The salmon and avocado topping created a nice creamy texture, and the wasabi provided a subtle hit of spiciness to the roll. 

Salad - B+

Dressed with a tangy vinaigrette, the lettuce-based salad was fresh and sufficiently flavoured.

Spicy Chicken Teriyaki - B+

The Spicy Chicken Teriyaki came with tender chicken and savoury bean sprouts underneath. The chicken had a pleasant grilled flavour, though parts of it were a bit oily. The spicy sauce was quite spicy, but not overwhelmingly so.

Prawn Tempura - A

Yam Tempura - B+

Sweet Potato Tempura - B

Without a doubt, the best part of the lunch box was the Prawn Tempura, which came with crispy, juicy prawns that had a nice snap to them. Interestingly, the batter on the yam and sweet potato was considerably thicker.

Overall, considering that this was a restaurant that I had never even heard of, the quality of the food surpassed my expectations. However, the service was a little sparse even though we were pretty much the only ones in the restaurant. The atmosphere ended up rather quiet as a result, but then again, once you wander east of Coquitlam, bustling sushi restaurants are like sunny November days in Vancouver.

Episode #164: Hiroba Sushi

Port Coquitlam, $$ (Moderately Priced)

Port Coquitlam is a delightful place to visit, but it is basically a Bermuda Triangle if you are travelling by bus. The bus routes in Port Coquitlam look like something I would get if I spammed the buttons on my graphing calculator in one of the obscure modes. As much as I enjoy and survive on Translink's services, something might need to be fixed if an "intelligent" university student like me cannot figure out what's going on. That being said, after a few eons of Raymond's Wrong Way Adventures, I managed to land myself at Hiroba Sushi.

Other than the handful of bright, colourful signs advertising the restaurant's special deals, the restaurant has one of the most elegant settings for any Port Coquitlam sushi restaurant. Hiroba Sushi is Korean-operated, and the extensive menu features many special rolls, including Aburi rolls.

(specials schedule - click to enlarge)

They also have a 20% discount on a particular category of items every day of the week. I came on a Monday and was pleased to see that the discount was on my favourite category: fancy nigiri. It's always nice when a restaurant cares about my personal preferences.

Cod Tempura - B

On the list of new menu additions was the Cod Tempura. Although the menu said there would be six pieces, I only received four. I guess the dipping and the paper lining also count as pieces. The cod had a sufficiently soft texture and a nice aromatic flavour when coupled with the creamy dill dipping, while the batter was slightly dry and overdone. Overall, it wasn't the best fried fish that I have come across, but it was decent.

Toro Nigiri - B+

Sockeye Salmon Nigiri - B+

Unagi Nigiri - B

Aburi Salmon Nigiri - B+

The Toro Nigiri had a rich flavour and a melty texture, and it would be excellent if there was more of the toro to accompany the rice. The Sockeye Salmon Nigiri was fresh with a pleasant smooth texture, while the Unagi Nigiri was not particularly soft and a bit dry. The Aburi Salmon Nigiri was creamy and accompanied by some pesto purée. It would be nice if the sushi rice had slightly more flavour.

Tuna Aburi Roll - B+

Next, the Tuna Aburi Roll consisted of cucumber, avocado, tuna, seared tuna, ponzu sauce, and purée. The cheese-flavoured purée was delectable and accented the flavours of the roll eloquently. I also enjoyed the interplay between the soft tuna inside the roll and the slightly rougher smoked tuna outside the roll, though I would have liked more of a smoky flavour from the smoked tuna. The ponzu sauce, the sliced daikon, and the red onion contributed a good amount of tanginess to the roll.

Yakitori - B-

The lowlight of my meal happened to be the Yakitori. It was overdone and therefore, the chicken was tougher than expected. However, the leeks were still juicy, and the teriyaki sauce was applied appropriately.

Flower Nigiri - A-

The food came in rather small portions, so I was still not full after my initial order. Since discounts are one of life's greatest pleasures, I decided to indulge in the fanciest piece of nigiri they had: the Flower Nigiri. Shaped like a luscious rose with a gorgeous white liquid coming out of it, the Flower Nigiri consisted of chopped scallop, salmon, and sushi rice. The sweet scallop was dressed with a chowder-like sweet creamy sauce, and the Atlantic salmon was seared. There was more of a smoky flavour here than in either the Aburi Salmon Nigiri or the Tuna Aburi Roll. 

The service was friendly and complemented the stylish atmosphere inside the restaurant. While there were no very spectacular dishes, the quality of the food was quite consistent. The prices are not especially cheap, and the smaller portions mean that you may need to spend more here than in other nearby sushi restaurants. Once out of the restaurant, I found myself on another quest to find the right bus stop, but this time, the difficulty level was set to "Mission Impossible" because I simultaneously had to escape from a lady who was loudly claiming that the entire sidewalk was hers and that no one else belonged on it. I suppose this is what happens when people don't eat enough sushi.

Episode #55: Sushi 990

Port Coquitlam, $$ (Moderately Priced)
www.sushi990.com

Very rarely does my dad ever agree to join me on my sushi adventures if it is less than room temperature outside, but exceptions do occur from time to time. Thank you, above average temperatures. You're always welcome anytime. We ended up picking Sushi 990, a new Korean-run Japanese restaurant in the northern part of Port Coquitlam. The restaurant gets its name from the various combos that it offers for $9.90 each. I've always wanted to try the $19.90 special roll combo here, but I've been holding it off because I kept worrying that I wouldn't be able to finish the whole thing.

Of course, my dad wanted to order some hot dishes, but he didn't want to read the menu. He first asked me if there was BBQ Salmon Gama on the menu, to which I replied "no". Then, he asked me if there was tempura on the menu, and to my great surprise (and disappointment), I also had to reply "no". He then thought for a while and asked for two pieces of red tuna nigiri, to which I replied, "Dad, you're not going to be full ..." It was on the menu, but apparently it was sold out. Since there were practically no other choices left (as he isn't the biggest fan of udon), I had to make the call for him and ordered the Chicken Teriyaki.

Miso Soup - B+

The Miso Soup came with the Chicken Teriyaki and contained green onion and tofu. I gave it to my dad, who said it was very standard and told me to give it the most average grade for Miso Soup, which happens to be a B+. Apparently, it was also not too salty.

Chicken Teriyaki - A-

The Chicken Teriyaki came with a very generous portion of chicken and was plated quite nicely. The chicken was tender while the sweet teriyaki sauce was applied in just the right amount. I also enjoyed the sesame seeds and thin slices of green onion on top. The rice was soft and well-prepared. We both agreed that this was definitely an above-average Chicken Teriyaki.

Next came the slightly gigantic Special Roll Combo, which featured half orders of five of their various special rolls. It looked marvelous with all the different colours. Fortunately, my dad decided to help me out in finishing the dish. Unfortunately, he got full after one piece (*facepalm*).

Crispy Crunch Roll - B-

The Crispy Crunch Roll consisted of prawn tempura, avocado, and tempura crumbs. It did live up to its name, but I didn't really enjoy the sour tinge of the sauce. Furthermore, I realized that if Sushi 990 did serve tempura by itself, it wouldn't have been very good, as the oil was overused and the batter was a bit harder and crunchier than necessary.

Philadelphia Roll - A-

The Philadelphia Roll, on the other hand, was quite successful and looked really appetizing to begin with. The smoked salmon had a delicious, vibrant flavour and the cream cheese was nicely melted for better integration with the crab meat. It's very difficult to make me like any roll with cream cheese, but this one was successful at achieving just that.

Black Tiger Roll - B-

The Black Tiger Roll consisted of cream cheese, avocado, crab meat, and cooked shrimp. Interestingly, a small amount of mustard was added to each piece of shrimp. I found the crab meat to be a bit dry and the roll to be a bit too sour overall. On the plus side, the cooked shrimp had a nice natural, sweet flavour.

Hot Night Roll - B

The Hot Night Roll consisted of crab meat, avocado, spicy tuna, and tobiko. The tuna was soft and moderately spicy while the batter on the prawns was very crunchy. Each individual piece was quite large and filling, and sadly, I failed to finish the platter of special rolls as a result. Looks like I'll have to be rescued by the take-out boxes again ...

Poco Roll - B+

The Poco Roll had a very distinct appearance and contained prawn tempura, cream cheese, and avocado with crab meat and tobiko on top. I appreciated the novelty of having the crab meat on top, but it would be nice if the crab meat wasn't significantly cooler than the rest of the roll. Overall, the flavours worked well together and this was one of the better special rolls on the platter.

Our server had a friendly attitude and the sushi chef took the effort to greet every customer. However, we did have to ask for our tea to be refilled, although I wish they would have just served the tea in larger cups. The decent Chicken Teriyaki was the most memorable dish, though I'll have to confess that my eyes kept getting drawn up to the girls in the Korean music videos they were playing on the TV. Don't blame me ... I have a lot of excuses.

Episode #49: Sushi Koo

Port Coquitlam, $ (Budget)
www.facebook.com/pocosushikoo

Last Sunday night, after completing a particularly difficult final exam which I needed to forget about, I had my mind set on either Sushi Koo or Sushi Ikoi (the contingency plan in case the buses didn't line up). Fortunately, they did line up, and when I arrived in Port Coquitlam, all was eerily quiet except for the bowling place on McAllister and the Giggle Dam Theatre. Well, I suppose that's what it's like far out into the suburbs. Sushi Koo is on the same block as the bowling centre and is a new Chinese-run Japanese restaurant that opened up earlier this year.

I went inside to find a brightly lit restaurant with a seating capacity of just over 50. Breaking the Chinese stereotype was the fact that the service was actually quite friendly. The decor wasn't particularly fancy or anything, but it appeared to be clean. Also a plus was the fact that I wasn't the only diner - there were a few other tables around to liven up the atmosphere.

Scallop Bacon - A

The Scallop Bacon came with two skewers, each with three small scallops individually wrapped with bacon. It was tastefully grilled and the teriyaki sauce accentuated the flavours of the bacon. The bacon had a slight crispiness to it and the scallop was soft and juicy. The salad was dressed with a light vinaigrette as well. This was a wonderful start to the meal.

Tuna Sashimi - C-

Salmon Sashimi - A-

The Appetizer Sashimi came with 3 pieces of tuna and 2 pieces of salmon. The cuts were very generous and it looked quite promising. I started with the salmon, which was fresh, smooth and not overly chewy despite the thickness. I then proceeded to pick up the tuna, which fell out of my chopsticks and hit my soy sauce dish with a loud "kaplunk", catapulting the soy sauce all over my table. Terribly embarrassed and in shock, I then bit into the tuna which made a crunching sound (WTF?) - it was still frozen! No wonder it was so heavy!

BC Blazer Roll - B+

The BC Blazer Roll consisted of crab meat, avocado, seared salmon, tobiko, green onion and bonito. They did a good job of balancing the ingredients to create a nice, harmonized roll. The roll was a bit above moderately spicy and I wish they indicated this on the menu, though I felt the spiciness was well-integrated and was a plus. There was a good amount of creamy, delicious salmon on top though I highly doubt they actually seared the salmon because it had exactly the same texture as the salmon sashimi.

Wild Salmon Nigiri - B-

Unagi Nigiri - B+

Chopped Scallop Nigiri - B+

The Wild Salmon Nigiri had a mild taste akin to smoked salmon. It would be better with a smoother texture and I found the rice packed too tightly. The Unagi Nigiri was dressed with a savoury unagi sauce and displayed clean cutting skills. My favourite was the Chopped Scallop Nigiri, which had a good amount of mayonnaise. Furthermore, the seaweed wasn't too tough while the nigiri still held together well.

Most of the food was tasty and well-prepared, and the prices are very reasonable. They are also very generous with the portion sizes and the various combos on the menu can result in decent savings. Service was friendly for the most part, though I wish they took action when they asked me how the food was and I told them about the frozen tuna (I was just given an explanation). Oh well, I just made the best of the situation and left the tuna sitting on my table until the end of my meal, when it had thawed enough to be edible ... kind of.

Episode #16: Asahi Japanese Restaurant

Port Coquitlam, $ (Budget)

After completing a 7-hour editing spree for my report which is due in less than 48 hours, I decided to take a little trip to Port Coquitlam for some sushi. Asahi Japanese Restaurant is located in the corner of a small plaza in the southeastern corner of downtown Port Coquitlam, close to the Port Coquitlam West Coast Express station. As I walked into the restaurant, I was quite surprised by how big the restaurant actually was. There were at least 15 tables, each of which can seat 4 or more people. Some of these tables were housed in small private tatami rooms.

Right away, I could sense that service was one of the priorities of the restaurant. I was seated promptly, and received apologies for even the slightest of errors, such as taking a few seconds longer to walk to my table to take my order. The servers were literally running (or at least doing a quick shuffle) constantly, trying to get all the food to the diners as quickly as possible.

Edamame - B

Wow, I even got a complimentary Edamame (soybeans) to start off my meal while I was waiting for my food. I enjoyed the cashew-like flavour of the beans, and although they were a bit dry, I could easily pop them into my mouth.

Yakitori - A-

At $1.25, this was some of the most inexpensive Yakitori I have ever had. The sauce was especially savoury and the leeks provided juiciness to this carefully prepared skewer. The chicken was not tough, but it would be nice if they let the sauce seep into the chicken a little more. 

Just as I finished the Yakitori, I received the Starter Sashimi, which came with 3 pieces of tuna and 2 pieces of salmon.

Tuna Sashimi - B

Salmon Sashimi - A

The Starter Sashimi displayed commendable knife skills and had quite a visually appealing sheen. Here is a side view:

The Salmon Sashimi was not only fresh, but also had a soft texture without being fatty. The Tuna Sashimi also had a perfectly soft texture, but was quite bland, and this was especially noticeable in the absence of soy sauce.

Oyster Motoyaki - B-

The Oyster Motoyaki came with quite a bit of oyster - about two or three large ones to be precise. The tasty oysters were the prominent feature in terms of taste, and the custard surrounding them was a bit thick, being almost sticky. Of particular interest is the layer of cheese on top of the motoyaki. It was quite crispy, and was almost an exact replica of the cheese layer found on a pizza.

 

Next, the three different kinds of rolls I ordered came all on the same dish. Oh my, that's a lot of sushi! Asahi does provide half orders on special rolls, but when they came, it was evident that "two-thirds orders" was a more accurate term to describe the sushi. Each of the "half orders" of special rolls I ordered came with 6 pieces instead of the regular 9 pieces. The prices of each of the special rolls ended up being about two-thirds of the regular price as well. 

 BC Roll - A-

The description next to the BC Roll said "grilled salmon skin". This was not listed as a special roll, but clearly, it is equally elaborate compared to the rolls in the Special Rolls section. In addition to grilled salmon skin, there was avocado, cucumber, crab meat, masago and teriyaki sauce. The teriyaki sauce was drizzled quite evenly over the roll and successfully amplified the harmony of crab meat and avocado. There was slightly more salmon meat than salmon skin, and although the skin was not crispy per se, the salmon itself was tastefully grilled.

1/2 Dragon Roll - B

The half order Dragon Roll came with 6 pieces containing crab meat, avocado, and cucumber with barbequed eel, avocado and unagi sauce on the outside. Unfortunately, the eel on top was a little dry and under-seasoned, even though the rest of the roll contained the right amount of moisture. The crab meat had a good amount of mayonnaise and went well with the avocado. The Dragon Roll was remarkably similar to the BC Roll, but was not as well executed as the BC Roll, considering the choice of ingredients.

1/2 Crispy Crunch Roll - C+

The half order Crispy Crunch Roll consisted of 2 pieces of prawn tempura, yam tempura, crab meat, cucumber, crispy crumbs, mayonnaise and unagi sauce. The crispy crumbs were ground very finely and provided a soft and crispy topping to the roll. The roll itself was a little dry and the tempura prawn was overshadowed by the sweet yam tempura, giving the roll a sweet taste overall. The other issue was that the unagi sauce was too strong and didn't go very well with the tempura yam (one being very savoury, the other being very sweet), which resulted in a clash of flavours. 

After my meal, I also received a complimentary orange dessert! That's two complimentary items in one meal! Needless to say, service remained attentive and pleasant up to the end, when I was thanked several times for the tip I gave. The most satisfying part of my visit was that for every aspect of my meal, I got more than what I expected. The restaurant was larger than expected, the yakitori was bigger than expected, the service was better than expected, the BC Roll was fancier than expected, the bill was higher than expected (oops, I forgot to count as I was ordering) ...