Episode #234: Hon Sushi

Burnaby South, $$ (Moderately Priced)
www.honsushibc.com

For the longest time, I did not have any data on my phone. While this meant rejuvenating, undisturbed naps on the bus and $15/month phone bills, there were also some drawbacks. I sometimes had to rely on the power of luck and random guessing to locate things, and meeting up with friends I had forgotten to get the numbers of sometimes turned into a nightmare. However, what really brought things to light was this one time I went to a restaurant with no Wi-Fi to enjoy some XLBs with my family when all of a sudden, I opened Snapchat to see an hourglass next to a three-digit streak. My world was about to fall apart.

I immediately dropped the XLB I was holding, ran out to the street, and then stood outside each restaurant to see if it had free Wi-Fi I could borrow for just one minute. Pedestrians were watching me with concerned looks on their faces. Fortunately, I managed to save said streak, and after a few awkward moments with my parents, I finished my dinner in peace. To prevent this from ever happening again, I went to Metrotown, got a data plan, and proceeded to nearby Hon Sushi to celebrate my victory against the no-data life.

Hon Sushi is a large Korean-Japanese fusion restaurant located on Kingsway near Old Orchard Shopping Centre. The dining room was not the only thing that was large. The menu was so big that it took me a good 10 minutes just to read through it. There were 3 pages of Korean dishes, and they even served the large Korean hot plates with toppings along the circumference of the plate (the kind found at Ta Bom).

Takoyaki - A

My lunch started off with a very delicious serving of Takoyaki (octopus balls). The balls were not very large, but they were soft and pillowy with an excellent crispy exterior. Inside each ball was a flavourful piece of octopus with just the right amount of chew. On top were well-balanced drizzles of sweet takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise.

Chopped Scallop Nigiri - B+

Unagi Nigiri - B+

Tuna Nigiri - B

Salmon Nigiri - B+

The rice in the Chopped Scallop Nigiri was a bit too tightly packed and under-flavoured (as with the rest of the nigiri), but the sweet scallop on top tasted fresh. The unagi had a smoky flavour and was amply dressed, while the tuna exhibited a decent soft texture. The salmon was pleasantly buttery and fresh.

Aburi Tuna Nigiri - B-

Aburi Salmon Nigiri - B+

The Aburi Tuna Nigiri lacked flavour and was a little over-seared. The rice here needed more flavour as well. However, the Aburi Salmon Nigiri had a delicious, smoky flavour, and the juiciness of the salmon was preserved through the searing.

Angel Roll - C

Hoping to end my meal with a heavenly roll, I chose the Angel Roll, which came with tempura prawn, imitation crab, scallop, cucumber, avocado, and cheese. The concept was promising, but the execution was flawed. The scallops were over-seared (and thus hard), while the crab meat ended up being mushy. The mushy crab meat was paired with mushy rice. The cheese was not melted into the roll properly, and the scallops kept falling off the roll. It was as if an angel constructed the roll after consuming 24 shots of vodka. The only thing this roll had going for it was the prawn tempura... after being pulled apart from the roll.

Service was not a problem during my visit, but the sushi rice clearly needed improvement. The one item that I had without any sushi rice (the Takoyaki) was very well executed. I did not try any of the Korean menu items, but perhaps (and hopefully) they are a little more angelic than the Japanese dishes.

Episode #217: Satomi Sushi (2nd Visit)

Burnaby South, $$ (Moderately Priced)

After a surprisingly good experience at Kimu last time, Emperor Weng, Kyle and I decided to make a revisit and bring Eugene along with us. We had everything planned out, until all of a sudden, we discovered that it took an hour to transit from SFU to Kimu and that the restaurant closes at 9 p.m. on Tuesdays. Since Kyle and Eugene had evening classes and we wanted to stick with something affordable, we relocated our adventure to Satomi Sushi.

Satomi Sushi is quickly gaining notoriety as a budget-friendly authentic Japanese restaurant near Metrotown. Even at 8:30 p.m., our planned meeting time, the restaurant was still quite busy. Unfortunately for me, Kyle, Eugene, and the emperor experienced an internal GPS malfunction, and they left me sitting alone at my table for half an hour. During this time, one of the waitresses kept peering out the window, wondering where my mates were.

Aburi Tuna Toro Nigiri - A-

Having tried many of the more standard items during my previous visit, I scanned the specials on the walls for something more adventurous to get and came across the Aburi Tuna Toro Nigiri. It scored an A+ for presentation, and the tuna was juicy with a nice, smoky flavour. The fish-to-rice ratio was correct, and the sushi rice was not packed too tightly.

Uni Motoyaki - B+

One special I had never seen before at any restaurant was the Uni Motoyaki (baked sea urchin). The texture of the uni was akin to a cross between masago and pudding. The motoyaki was very savoury, and the addition of sliced onions gave it some zing and some crunch. It tasted slightly heavy, but if you like motoyaki in general, you'll most likely enjoy this one.

Foie Gras Sushi - B+

Next, to ensure that my bill was impressive, I went for the sautéed Foie Gras Sushi ($5). Although there was a bit too much rice, the foie gras had a light crispiness as well as the characteristic, smoky flavour of freshly seared foie gras.

Scat Aburi Roll - A-

Because I'm a fan of all things aburi, I chose the Scat Aburi Roll for my special roll. This roll consisted of prawn tempura and seared spicy scallop. The spicy mayonnaise brought this roll to life, and the crispy, meaty prawn tempura was an excellent contrast to the sweet chopped scallop on top. I was pleasantly surprised at how well-executed this roll was.

Unatama Roll - A-

Another surprisingly well-executed roll was the Unatama Roll, which came with unagi, tamago, and a drizzle of unagi sauce. Both the unagi and tamago were well prepared, and together, they gave the roll a really soft, cake-like texture. 

Takoyaki - A-

With still some stomach room left, I went for the Takoyaki. It was served hot and came with twice the amount of tako as a regular takoyaki. The pillowy interior was balanced nicely by the crispy exterior of each ball.

Even though we stayed a hair past closing time (10 p.m.), the servers were still reasonably accommodating. Both the consistency and quality of the food were better than during my last visit, and I was most pleased with how well the rolls were prepared. With so many specials items for me to try, a third visit might very well be in the plans! 

Episode #187: Satomi Sushi

Burnaby South, $$ (Moderately Priced)

The class that I TA for was coming to an end, which meant that lots of final reports were coming in for me to mark. To brace myself for the ordeal of hundreds of pages of reading, I went to have hundreds of calories of sushi. Since I had Patrick with me on this adventure, I unleashed my mighty fury and ordered as many dishes as I imagined that we could possibly finish. In my head, I thought that the more sushi I had, the sharper I would be while marking.

Satomi Sushi is a new authentic Japanese restaurant located across from Metrotown that has replaced Yakko Sushi, which was a place for budget sushi. Satomi Sushi is priced slightly higher than Yakko Sushi, but surprisingly, after having been open for just a few weeks, it was already loads more popular than Yakko Sushi. Luckily, as we strolled in for lunch, we managed to snag one of the last available tables.

Between the two of us, we ordered two lunch sets, an appetizer, and a few different types of sushi to get a good sample of their offerings. For some reason, they decided to give us all of our food almost simultaneously, which meant that we had to also take up the table next to us and look like complete gluttons for a few minutes.

Goma-ae - A

Our lunch started off on a high note with an excellent helping of Goma-ae. The sesame sauce was spread evenly to create a well-rounded sweetness that reverberated throughout the salad. The spinach itself was fresh and cut into small pieces, which made it easy to digest.

Aburi Spicy Salmon Battera - A-

Onto our first sushi dish, the Aburi Spicy Salmon Battera was also successful. Patrick's comment was that the salmon just "melts in your mouth," and this time, I completely agreed with him. The salmon also projected a slight smoky flavour, and the jalapeño and spicy mayonnaise were well-balanced as not to overwhelm any of the ingredients. The texture of the rice was decent, and it was not too tightly packed.

Blush Roll - A-

Not knowing which special roll to try, I went for the Blush Roll, which consisted of crab stick, salmon, avocado, and mayonnaise. The mayonnaise did a great job of tying the ingredients together, and the crab stick provided a nice meatiness to the roll. I'm not sure why it was called the Blush Roll though, as neither Patrick nor I were successful at making ourselves blush via eating the roll. We tried!

Salmon Scud Nigiri - A-

Aburi Tuna Nigiri - B

Aburi Ebi Nigiri - B+

Another interestingly named piece of sushi was the Salmon Scud Nigiri. The word "scud" refers to wind-driven clouds, and yet, I failed to sense any wind coming out of the nigiri. I was mildly disappointed. However, the salmon was fresh and nicely seasoned, while the tempura crumbs added a pleasant crunch to the nigiri. I also liked the garnish of green onion on the Aburi Tuna Nigiri, but the tuna itself was slightly overdone. Lastly, the Aburi Ebi Prawn Nigiri had a nice chew to it and was dressed with spicy mayonnaise to produce a rich, savoury flavour.

Lunch Box B

After all the opening flourishes, it was finally time to move on to our lunch sets. Patrick had the Lunch Box B, which came with a Salad, Chicken Teriyaki, Edamame, Assorted Tempura, Tuna and Sashimi, and some Miso Soup.

Salad - B+

The Salad was fresh and contained sufficient moisture. If anything, it would be nice if the Japanese salad dressing was spread out more evenly throughout the mixed greens.

Chicken Teriyaki - C+

Unfortunately, the Chicken Teriyaki was a bit of a flop. The chicken tasted burnt in places and was overdone. The teriyaki sauce acted as a saving grace by providing much needed flavour to the bean sprouts and the chicken.

Edamame - B+

One item that rarely comes with bento boxes is the Edamame. I'll admit that I'm not the biggest fan of edamame because (a) it is not the easiest thing to grade, (b) the beans flew all over the place as I tried to squish them out, much to Patrick's amusement, and (c) you know how most youngsters feel about vegetables. This particular Edamame was in line with the edamame I've had at other places, and it had a nice nutty flavour to it.

Assorted Tempura - B-

The Assorted Tempura in the bento box came with two prawns and one piece each of carrot, yam, and zucchini. The batter was quite thick and had a prominent potato chip flavour. The prawns were meaty and juicy, and they were the best among all the pieces. The vegetable tempura tended to be either too dry or sliced too thinly.

Tuna Sashimi - B

Salmon Sashimi - B+

The Sashimi came in neat cuts and was sliced to just the right thickness. The two pieces of tuna were amply soft, but had a slightly fishy aftertaste. Meanwhile, the three pieces of salmon had a delightfully smooth texture, though it was rather weak flavour-wise.

Chicken Karaage Teishoku

For my lunch set, I had the Chicken Karaage Teishoku, which came with a salad (identical to the salad above), some Chicken Karaage, steamed rice, a Miso Soup, and a daily appetizer. It wasn't until I got to the steamed rice that I realized that I might have ordered just a little too much. 

Chicken Karaage - B

The Chicken Karaage came with tender chicken and a rich flavour, but fell a little short of our expectations because it was on the drier side. It would also be nice if the exterior layer was more crispy.

Miso Soup - B

Marinated Lotus Root and Green Bean - B

Towards the end of my epic meal, I had the Miso Soup, which came with seaweed and green onion. It was not too salty, but the consistency was too thin for my liking. Beside it was a common teishoku appetizer, the Marinated Lotus Root and Green Bean. I liked how the lotus root was not dry at all, and the green bean had a slight crunch to it, though neither of these had a strong impact flavour-wise.

The two of us managed to finish all of the food, but in the end, I felt like I had just eaten the whole Pacific Ocean. The waitresses saw what happened and gave us a very stunned look. However, my eating tendencies have attracted tons of stunned looks in the past, so this was nothing new to me. All in all, the quality of the food and service met my expectations considering the price range. If price is your main concern, head over to Sushi Garden, where you will see some of the best prices for sushi in the city. If you would like something a little more refined but still within a reasonable price range, Satomi Sushi is the place for you.

Episode #174: Sushi S Japanese Restaurant

Burnaby South, $$ (Moderately Priced)
www.sushisjapanese.com

Since I was quite free during office hours, I used the time to write a blog post, but of course, I got distracted as soon as my coworkers strolled into my office. It was all fun and games while we did some personality tests and discovered that I was the most extroverted out of all of us (which I was really surprised about). We then delved into some more somber topics such as how I should see a doctor about my horrible memory and my tendency to inadvertently distract others and be distracted. Afterward, it was time to make things more positive with a sushi adventure, but I had forgotten which restaurant I had wanted to go to and could not concentrate on searching for a restaurant online. Sigh... In the end, I just went to one of my favourites: Sushi S Japanese Restaurant.

I first discovered and tried Sushi S in 2013, and it has long since been my favourite Japanese restaurant in South Burnaby. It is a Korean-operated restaurant that offers a convenient choice of sushi for BCIT students. Sushi S was once a little-known restaurant, but has now become very popular. The restaurant was completely full as I walked in on a Tuesday. Their menu featured some new additions, and in a bid to sample as many of those as possible, I ordered six dishes of food, which garnered many strange stares and curious looks from the chefs, the waitresses, and the tables sitting around me. It sure felt wonderful to be a professional attention whore.

Wild Sake Nigiri - B+

Unagi Nigiri - B

Inari Nigiri - A-

The Wild Sake Nigiri (sockeye salmon) came with a generous amount of salmon, though it didn't have the brightest of flavours. The Unagi Nigiri, on the other hand, was quite small and would benefit from a more smoky flavour as well as a slightly thinner sauce. The Inari Nigiri was the best of the three, with the bean curd exhibiting an appealing chewiness and the rice delectably seasoned.

Ankimo - B-

The Ankimo (monkfish liver) came with four small pieces for $4. While it had a nice soft texture, I didn't really agree with the light teriyaki sauce dressing. Ponzu sauce is a much better dressing for this dish as it provides more moisture and a tangy flavour that complements the delicately sweet flavour of the ankimo itself. 

Seared Toro Nigiri - B

I apologize for possibly the crappiest picture on my blog thus far. The Seared Toro Nigiri was presented as an eye-catching mini tower, but the toro (tuna belly) was slightly overdone, so it felt cooked rather than seared. However, the light ponzu-soy sauce combo helped livened up the flavours.

Aburi Salmon Oshi - A-

Onto my favourite Japanese fusion dish, the Aburi Salmon Oshi here featured Atlantic salmon and avocado. Unlike Japanese Bistro Hatzu's version, which made me cry, this one featured the right amount of spiciness (in my opinion). The Atlantic salmon on top was soft and exhibited a hint of smoky flavour. The avocado brought a creamy feel to the oshi, but it did make the sushi rice seem slightly drier than it was supposed to be.

Kushiyaki - B-

The Kushiyaki consisted of skewered, grilled prawn, scallop, and butter garlic sauce. I liked how they used a sprinkle of herbs to spice up the flavours with this dish, and the prawns had a nice buttery flavour. However, the skewers were slightly overdone, so the scallops ended up tougher and chewier than expected.

Awesome Roll - A-

For my special roll, I went with the roll that matches my personality the best—the Awesome Roll. I mean, what is more awesome than a forgetful, distracted attention whore who has a love relationship with one very specific type of food? This roll came with baked salmon and yam tempura bits on a California Roll. The yam tempura bits had a sweet, spicy, wasabi-like flavour and would work as a nice Asian snack. In terms of the roll itself, the creamy crab meat and avocado inside went well with the soft baked salmon on top. The roll lost the distinctive smoky flavour it once had (possibly due to being prepared by a different chef), but nonetheless remained an above-average roll.

Considering the number of patrons at the restaurant, the servers did a remarkable job of being friendly and bringing out the food quickly. In fact, my dishes were brought out so quickly that my table literally looked like the Louvre Museum of food. My clumsy camera and note-taking skills just could not keep up with the pace! With its popularity, the quality of food has slightly degraded from what it was three years ago, but Sushi S still remains my favourite Japanese restaurant in South Burnaby. However, I must say that Sekai Udon Bar, with its continual attempts to improve, is slowly catching up.

Episode #163: Kiku Sushi

Burnaby South, $$ (Moderately Priced)
www.kikusushi.ca

This sushi adventure was another episode of Raymond's Accidentally-Going-to-a-Closed-Restaurant Adventures. My original plan was to try some purportedly decent budget eats at Yakko Sushi, but they were either closed for heavy renovations or being replaced by a new Japanese restaurant. Kiku Sushi was one of the closest Japanese restaurants that I have yet to try, so I used my epic ninja walking skills to maneuver through the never-ending traffic jam on Kingsway, almost caught a cold from the wind, and burnt roughly 5,000 calories walking the two or three blocks there. (I have no idea how much a calorie actually is.)

Kiku Sushi is a large Chinese-operated Japanese restaurant located in the same complex as the London Drugs near Metrotown. The menu is very extensive and features many different special rolls and appetizers. Since I arrived before 4 p.m., I was also able to take advantage of their Lunch Special Lucky Choice menu, from which you can choose three items and receive a miso soup for just $9.50. I'm not sure why they called it "Lucky Choice", but perhaps it refers to the idea that there are good and bad items on the menu, and you have to be lucky to choose the good ones.

Chicken Teriyaki - B+

The first item to arrive from the Lucky Choice menu was the Chicken Teriyaki, and I had above average luck with this one. The chicken was tender and the skin was appealingly crispy. There were lots of bean sprouts, though they were mostly undressed and not particularly special. The only odd thing with this dish was the teriyaki sauce, which had a rather thick consistency.

Goma-ae - C-

Unfortunately, I had horrible luck when it came to the Goma-ae. The sauce was both disgusting and disturbing. It had the consistency of toothpaste and tasted really off. No, adding water to the spinach does not help alleviate the problem. I also pulled out what looked like a large piece of dust from the spinach. Let's not think about this one anymore and just move on...

Coconut Prawn Tempura - C

With the Coconut Prawn Tempura, my luck epically failed on me a second time. In this dish, they tried to add minuscule pieces of coconut to the batter to give it a slight coconut flavour. This gave the batter a hard texture and a burnt appearance. The coconut and spicy mayonnaise did not really go together either. The only plus was that the prawns were sufficiently juicy. I appreciate the attempt to innovate, but tempura batter gone wrong wasn't exactly what I was looking for.

Miso Soup - A-

The Miso Soup was by far the best item from the Lucky Choice menu. I think I should have just let them choose all of the items for me. The Miso Soup came with tofu, green onion, and lots of seaweed, and it featured a pleasant balanced flavour.

Saba Nigiri - B

Toro Nigiri - A-

Sockeye Salmon Nigiri - B-

Unagi Nigiri - B

After the Lucky Choice menu, I sampled some of their nigiri. The saba was not too salty and had a rich flavour, though it was not very soft. The Toro Nigiri featured excellent soft and melty toro, and the fish-to-rice ratio was roughly correct. The Sockeye Salmon Nigiri had neither enough flavour nor a smooth texture. Finally, the unagi was sliced thin and had a bit of a bony texture, even though it was not actually bony. The sushi rice was average and would have fared better with more flavour.

Salmon Hana Sushi - A-

My favourite item from my visit was the Salmon Hana Sushi, which consisted of chopped scallop and sushi rice wrapped with Atlantic salmon. The fresh, creamy salmon harmonized perfectly with the sweet and savoury scallops. The addition of mayonnaise helped blend all the flavours together. They also took the care to make this special roll come with special presentation as well. It looked like the pieces were trying to get into the house to escape the evil wrath of my chopsticks and my teeth, which made me sort of feel bad for eating it...

I received attentive service during my visit, though this could be because they sat me right next to the cash register, where most of the waitresses were hanging out. There were several successful dishes, though I lost two lives during the Lucky Choice special. If you visit Kiku Sushi during lunch hours, make sure you bring your luck with you when ordering from the Lucky Choice menu. Don't fall into any of the traps!

Episode #154: Asakusa Sushi

Burnaby South, $ (Budget)

I was all set to go on another sushi adventure to Steveston, but unfortunately, my school day ran a little longer than expected. By the time I arrived at Metrotown, the skies were already darkening, and I was so famished that I didn't have the energy to sleep on any more buses (if that makes any sense). Perhaps having only a bowl of instant noodles for breakfast and a frappuccino for lunch wasn't a good idea after all. I had to cut my trip short and just dine at a random sushi restaurant near Metrotown. The first one I came across was Asakusa Sushi, and seeing that it was quite busy, I decided to step in and give it a try.

Asakusa Sushi is one of the few Vietnamese-operated Japanese restaurants in Greater Vancouver. The menu was filled with cheap lunch combos and dinner combos. Looking at the tables beside me, I also saw that the sashimi cuts were quite generous. Unfortunately, they didn't have an Appetizer Sashimi, so I went for the nigiri instead.

Miso Soup - B

I first had the Dinner #2 combo (Tempura, Beef Teriyaki, and a BC Roll), which came with a Miso Soup. The Miso Soup contained green onion, seaweed, and tofu. I liked how it was not too salty, but the miso paste tasted a little off. It reminded me of a broth rather than regular miso paste.

Tempura - B-

Beef Teriyaki - C+

When the first dish came, I was rather puzzled. Why was the tempura taking a dip in a pool of teriyaki sauce? Why was it even placed on the same plate as the teriyaki?! I tried to rescue the tempura from the sauce once I had taken a photo of it, but by that time, the zucchini tempura and the eggplant tempura had already fused together with a mush of soggy batter in the middle. Uh oh...

There were two pieces of prawn tempura and one piece each of zucchini, eggplant, and yam. The underlying ingredients were fresh, juicy, and savoury. The prawns were the best of the bunch, but they were coated with way too much batter. The vegetables, on the other hand, had soggy batter due to the teriyaki sauce. I couldn't really decide which I preferred. Moving on, the beef in the Beef Teriyaki was rather tough, although it was sliced thinly. There was an unsensible amount of bean sprouts underneath, which were drenched in teriyaki sauce. Overall, this was not a very carefully prepared dish.

The rest of my order arrived on a large plate. On the plate were some of the largest pieces of sushi I have ever seen. 

Inari Nigiri - B

Toro Nigiri - B-

Sockeye Salmon Nigiri - C-

Ikura Nigiri - C

I first went for the nigiri, and the Inari Nigiri was well-seasoned with sesame seeds inside to enhance flavour. The inari was on the thinner side, but it had a nice sweet flavour. Up next, the toro was fatty and enjoyable. However, the sushi rice was a big no-no. It was too tightly packed, bland, and rather dry. The sockeye salmon was mediocre and lacked a smooth texture, and to top it off, the fish-to-rice ratio was very wrong. The ikura wasn't much of a relief. The seaweed was very tough, and I actually had to use my teeth to bite open the salmon roe. Well, at least my teeth got its daily physical activity, though I wonder whether teeth need to be exercised.

Dragonfly Roll - C+

BC Roll - C+

The Dragonfly Roll was a large roll consisting of a dynamite roll with unagi and avocado on top. The roll was garnished with sesame seeds, masago, and some unagi sauce. The unagi was sliced thin and rather flimsy, but it did have a sweet flavour. However, the imitation crab meat inside was substandard and tasted a bit powdery. Finally, I got to the BC Roll, and each piece was literally as big as a hockey puck! I wasn't sure how I could tell whether the flavours worked together unless maybe I tried to do the chubby bunny challenge with it. The cooked salmon inside was soft and flaky. There was a bit of sauce on top, but the center part of the roll was quite weak in flavour. Oh, and how could we forget the bland, mushy rice on the outside?

I did not find the service particularly friendly, although it was passable and not rude either. Asakusa Sushi is a place for those who need to get full on a tight budget and aren't picky about quality. The quality of the food tends to be below average, but the portion sizes are some of the best in town. I did manage to finish all the food, but when I walked out, I felt like I would be full for days. That being said, my teeth did get a lot of exercise, so I think I should be fine...