Last Tuesday, I decided to go to all the way to Ladner Sushi because it was reading break, which meant a whole week free of suffering. Both my dad and my sister also happened to be free, so the three of us gleefully participated in the perpetual city-wide traffic jam of New Westminster and then coasted down the truck-filled South Fraser Perimeter Road. Unfortunately, my plan turned into a magnificent fail as I found out that the "Open" sign was not lit up. However, it was a nice day, so we took a walk in the village and wandered into the Delta Museum instead. The museum's numerous historical exhibits turned out to be surprisingly entertaining, and by the time we were out of the museum, lunch hours were already coming to an end.
Since we had already spent a fortune on gas, we decided to head over to Tsawwassen and have lunch at the first Japanese restaurant we sighted. This turned out to be Eko-ya Sushi. We were a little hesitant about dining at the restaurant because of the cracked "E" on the store front signage (okay, that was just me). However, once we entered the restaurant, we found out that the interior was about ten times fancier than the exterior of the restaurant. Furthermore, they were playing classical music on the speakers, so we had no choice but to settle into one of the small Japanese-style dining rooms inside.
Tuna Tataki Salad - A-
Things started off nicely with the Tuna Tataki Salad, which was beautifully presented with a carrot flower on top. The tuna had a soft center, a pleasant smoky flavour, and a nice hardening around the edges. The salad was mainly lettuce-based, and the light ponzu sauce did not overwhelm the flavour of the tuna (though it was a bit too tangy and savoury for the salad itself).
Miso Soup - B+
Next, we had the Chicken Teriyaki Lunch Box, which came with a small Miso Soup garnished with some green onion. Despite its small size, we still managed to share it between the three of us. The Miso Soup was not too salty, but I felt that it could have a richer miso flavour.
The Chicken Teriyaki Lunch Box was neatly presented, and the portion sizes were in line with what we expected.
Salad - A-
This Salad was one of the better salads I have had as part of a lunch box. There was plenty of Japanese vinaigrette salad dressing to give the salad a nice tangy flavour.
Appetizer Tempura - A-
My dad requires one whole piece of prawn tempura every time he goes for sushi with me (especially when the tempura is good), so in order for me to try everything, we had to order a separate Appetizer Tempura. The Appetizer Tempura came with two prawns and one piece each of sweet potato, yam, and zucchini. The prawns were a touch greasy but tasted rich and delicious. The sweet potato and yam were savoury with sufficient sweetness, while the zucchini was juicy.
Chicken Teriyaki - B
The Chicken Teriyaki was quite standard fare. The chicken was semi-tender with a slight smoky flavour. It was also skinless, so there wasn't any crispiness.
California Roll - B
Another item that tasted quite standard fare was the California Roll. The mix of avocado and crab meat was as creamy as your standard California Roll.
Sockeye Salmon Sashimi - A
My dad and my sister could not decide whether to order sockeye salmon or Atlantic salmon, since my dad prefers sockeye and my sister prefers Atlantic. After a five-minute conference on this matter, I took the matter into my own hands and ordered both the Sockeye Salmon Sashimi and the Tiger Roll (which has plenty of Atlantic salmon on top). Well, there goes $30. Fortunately, the sockeye salmon was very fresh, and the cuts were generous. The delectable soft and smooth texture of the sockeye salmon was worth the obliteration of my wallet.
Tiger Roll - A-
The Tiger Roll consisted of Atlantic salmon, sockeye salmon, avocado, and spicy tuna. I am guessing that it resembles a rare species of tiger with orange and green stripes, hence the name. The roll was neatly constructed, and the smooth textures of the salmon and the avocado blended nicely together. The spicy tuna inside was soft, and its spiciness did not overwhelm the ingredients on top.
When I received the bill, I was very surprised to see that they had charged each of us $1.25 for tea. How dare they! While I don't have any complaints about them charging extra for tea, I do think they should have told us about it beforehand because it was completely unexpected. We were all so focused on the food that our tea was barely touched. On the positive side, we were satisfied with the service itself and the quality of the food even after taking into consideration the higher prices.
