Episode #19: Kiriri Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar

Richmond, $$$ (Higher Priced)
www.sushiinrichmondbc.com

I happened to be in Richmond trying to find a mini notebook and a mini pen so I could conveniently take notes during my sushi adventures. Let's just say that the mini notebook took 10 minutes to find, while I could not find a mini pen with a clip after searching for 5 hours. During my search, I found mini highlighters, mini permanent markers, and even mini pencils with a clip! Wow, who ever thought it could be so hard to find the right pen?

In the midst of my search, I was hungry for lunch so I went to Kiriri Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar. Kiriri is run by Japanese servers and Japanese chefs, and is frequented by both Japanese and Chinese customers. It was funny to hear the diners sitting next to me muttering about how high the prices were, but in my personal opinion, the prices were justified. I ordered the Kaiseki Lunch Set, which takes approximately 20 minutes to prepare, as well as the Starter Tempura, which would help me pass some time as I waited for my lunch set.

Starter Tempura - B

The starter tempura came with 2 prawns, and one piece each of carrot, eggplant and zucchini. The pieces are smaller than what you would normally expect, and if I could ever complain about tempura having too little batter, this would be it. The two prawns were decent, minus the fact that the batter had an uneven crispiness throughout. The carrot had too little batter, and this is evident from just looking at the photo above. The eggplant was a bit stiff and overly chewy. The zucchini was my favourite, as it was very soft and juicy. The dipping sauce was very carefully made with light soy, very finely grated ginger, a hit of mirin, and as the waitress described, "many things." This was one of my favourite tempura dipping sauces, so I asked for another bowl of it, and ended up drinking it as a soup. (I know I'm not supposed to do that, but it was hard to resist!)

Then, the Kaiseki Lunch Set came ...

Kaiseki refers to a multi-course meal which allows the chef to demonstrate his exceptional preparation techniques and showcase his presentation skills using Japanese aesthetics standards. It is like a taste-testing set. The chef who prepares the Kaiseki lunch sets at Kiriri maintained a very focused, concentrated look on his face, rarely smiling or speaking to anyone (unless you attempt to talk to him). As you can see, the presentation of this Kaiseki lunch set is quite impressive. All of the items pictured below, including the Crème Brûlée, are part of the Kaiseki lunch set.

Taro Appetizer - A

Taro and me typically do not get along, and I always struggle to understand why it is so popular. However, this dish made me re-think my dislike for taro. The ball-shaped pieces of taro were accompanied by a small amount of miso sauce, which allowed the taro to be soft and full of moisture. The thin outside layer was soupy, crispy and delightfully savoury.

Kobachi Grilled Fish - A

The Kobachi Grilled Fish had a velvety smooth texture and a distinctly sweet flavour. It could be more juicy, but I found it very tasty nonetheless.

Clear Soup - B-

The clear soup came with 2 Manila clams and some green onions. The flavouring of the clams was nicely distributed throughout the soup. The clams themselves were a bit small, lacking in flavour, and noticeably sandy.

Pickled Vegetables - B

The Pickled Vegetables (described as "Pickles" on the menu) came with two small pieces each of carrot, celery and daikon (I accidentally ate a bit of it before taking a picture!). The pickled vegetables had a crunchy texture to them, and there wasn't anything remarkably special about their taste.

Tako Sunomono - A-

The Tako Sunomono came with thinly sliced pieces of tako, a slice of pineapple, some extraordinarily thin slices of cucumber and some crystal vermicelli. I really liked how the tako was sliced thin, so that it was chewy but not unchewable. The vinegar in the sunomono was adequately strong and did not overpower any of the ingredients.

Carrots & Bamboo Shoots - A

The Carrots & Bamboo Shoots (not listed on the menu under the Kaiseki lunch set but included as part of the set) consisted of a few pieces of sliced carrots and bamboo shoots decorated with sesame seeds. I found these sweet and savory, and the slices were seasoned like the Chinese recipe of jellyfish. 

The gourd-shaped container has three layers, each filled with one or two small courses. Opening it, I found ...

Kakuni - A-

Unagi and Friends - A-

The Kakuni (Japanese braised pork) came in a small container and consisted of well-braised lean meat. It would have been nice if it was served a little warmer (it ended up being cooler than the sashimi). The Unagi and Friends (name is made up by me) came with a thin piece of unagi on fish cake, a piece of kamaboko (the pink and white piece) and tamago. The fish cake completely overpowered the unagi, which was sliced quite thin. However, I enjoyed the very soft and chewable kamaboko and the tamago was rich in flavour, being the best out of the three. 

Toro Sashimi - B

Sockeye Salmon Sashimi - B

Tai Sashimi - A-

The sashimi course came with two pieces of Toro Sashimi, one piece of Sockeye Salmon Sashimi and two pieces of Tai Sashimi. The Toro Sashimi was a bit stringy, but had a nice mildly salty taste. The Sockeye Salmon Sashimi was cut so that it resembled a mini mountain range, and was a bit tough but tasted fresh. The Tai Sashimi was buttery and had a nice glossy finish. It felt like there was a dash of mayonnaise added to it, which helped to enhance its creamy flavour.

Sushi Tower - A-

The Sushi Tower came with salmon, masago, mango and avocado on rice, along with some wakame (seaweed) and ginger to the side. The Atlantic salmon had a smooth teture and was very fresh. It was the best out of all the sashimi I was served in this meal. The textures of the mango and avocado blended very well with the sashimi, so that it would all taste like a tower of distinctly sweet sashimi if you weren't looking!

After I finished all of the courses on the tray, I received a Crème Brûlée for dessert (which is included as part of the Kaiseki lunch set). 

Green Tea Crème Brûlée - A+

OMG ... I completely had a foodgasm at how immaculate this crème brûlée was in terms of both presentation and preparation! The fruits and berries were all fresh and very juicy, and went surprisingly well with the custard base. The custard itself was smooth, creamy and sweet with a rich green tea aroma. It was covered by an irresistible thin and crusty layer on top. This was hands down the best item of the entire meal.

The Kaiseki lunch set was highly unique in presentation and I haven't found anything else quite like it throughout my sushi adventures all around Greater Vancouver. Almost all of the items in the lunch set show careful preparation from the lone sushi chef who made all of the sets. And I will almost certainly be back for more of that delicious crème brûlée!

Episode #18: Toshi Sushi

Vancouver (Northeast), $$ (Moderately Priced)

"San-nin desu ka?" The sounds of the busy authentic Japanese restaurant could be sensed all the way from Main St. When I arrived at the restaurant with my family at 5:45 p.m. late Saturday afternoon, a small crowd had already gathered outside the restaurant. After waiting 45 minutes in which we strolled all around the Main St. and 16th Ave. area, we finally got a table. All the while, my parents were wondering why people would choose to wait such a long time for a table at Toshi than to just visit one of the nice-looking sushi restaurants in the vicinity (there were actually quite a few, and most of them were almost empty).

Despite being so busy, everyone who ate at the restaurant had ample space to do so. They did a superb job of making sure that the diners would remain comfortable throughout their dining experience.

Ten minutes after placing my order, the first item to arrive was the House Combo, which came on a large plate and consisted of a House Roll, a Salmon Roll, and 6 pieces of chef's selection sashimi. The sashimi included two pieces each of Sockeye Salmon, Albacore Tuna and Hamachi (Yellowtail).

Hamachi Sashimi - A+

Albacore Tuna Sashimi - A

Sockeye Salmon Sashimi - B+

Toshi Sushi managed to wow me with the very first dish that came out. The Hamachi Sashimi was some of the best hamachi I have ever had, and it had a smooth toro-like texture. The softness of it was just perfect, as it was almost soft enough to melt in my mouth. The Tuna Sashimi tasted very fresh too, and was mildly salty with just the right amount of flavour. The Sockeye Salmon Sashimi was a bit chewier than the other two, and both my sister and I agreed that it was the least tasty out of the three.

Salmon Roll - B

House Roll - A-

The Salmon Roll came with chopped smoked salmon, and the pieces were quite large. However, the rolls stuck together and fell apart quite easily. In addition, I would have preferred if they used Sockeye Salmon or even Atlantic Salmon instead. The House Roll, which came with shrimp tempura, cucumber and avocado. There was a small amount of chili sprinkled on top to give the roll a spicy tinge, which I felt was tastefully added and in the right amount. The abundance of avocado made the roll sweet and buttery overall, and blended nicely with the shrimp tempura.

Dragon Roll - B

Alaska Roll - A-

The Dragon Roll consisted of unagi, cucumber and avocado on top. I prefer some amount of unagi sauce every time I have unagi, as the sauce greatly helps enhances the taste of the unagi. There was a severe lack of sauce with the Dragon Roll, and as a result, the whole roll ended up being quite dry. However, they were quite generous with the unagi, which made up half (if not more) of the inside filling. The Alaska Roll, which was a California roll with salmon slices on top, used an imitation crab stick which was almost as soft as snow crab. The roll was garnished with a small lemon slice on top and used mayonnaise in the right amount, which helped the roll achieve a delightfully melty texture.

Chicken Miso Yaki - A+

My dad had a look at what others were having and insisted that I order something grilled, saying that it was very well done from what he saw. From the Yakimono (grilled food) section, I randomly picked the Chicken Miso Yaki, which came with grilled chicken, sweet miso sauce and a mini salad. Now, I must say, whoever came up with that sweet miso sauce is a genius, certified by me. It was extremely savoury and was an excellent coating to the juicy chicken, which came with a very thin layer of slightly crispy skin. Well, by sheer luck, I managed to pick one of their must-trys!

Tempura Udon - A

At $5.95, the Tempura Udon is probably the most inexpensive way to get yourself full at Toshi. The tempura consisted of two prawns and one piece of yam. The soft, buttery shrimps were coated with a light, crispy layer of batter. The piece of yam, although quite small, was tasty as well. The dipping sauce that came with the udon was a weak soy sauce with a hint of ginger. The udon noodles were quite easy to chew (with no sign of being mushy) and were surrounded by a very well-balanced broth.

Throughout my meal, my parents and I both agreed that there were indeed no misses. Toshi Sushi puts out excellent grilled food and their tempura is usually a solid choice. Their main weakness seems to be maki sushi (rolls) - sometimes the pieces stick together or the roll ends up being a bit dry. The service wasn't first-class, but was friendly and sincere for most of my visit. From the carefully-prepared grilled/fried food to the fresh sashimi, I could understand why people were willing to endure a 45-minute wait for a table at Toshi Sushi.

Episode #17: Kami Sushi

Surrey Southeast, $$$ (Higher Priced)
www.kami-sushi.ca

My summer semester at SFU has finally come to a close, and to celebrate, my dad offered to take the family to sushi somewhere in Surrey. Kami Sushi sprang to mind, and I told my dad the addresses for both of their locations. He ended up choosing the one in South Surrey (the Grandview Corners one) in order to avoid the direct glare of the sun from the west. Now, from the outside, Kami Sushi looks like just another cheap sushi joint. I really wish they could do something to make the outside of the restaurant match the ambiance of the inside.

Inside, the decor more closely resembles that of an upscale Japanese restaurant. There is a sushi bar, a high table with 8 seats, and about 8 regular tables, each seating about 4 people (but they can be adjusted to accommodate larger groups). Business was bustling inside, and we were told to wait 10 minutes for a table. The actual wait turned out to be 3 minutes. One funny thing I noticed - at Japanese restaurants, if they say the wait time is 10 minutes, the actual wait is usually less than 10 minutes. At Chinese restaurants, if they say the wait time is 10 minutes, the actual wait can be 15 minutes, 20 minutes, or even an hour! (That's when I just gave up and walked out ...)

Ebiyonnaise - B+

The Ebiyonnaise consisted of 5 tempura prawns with a lemony mayonnaise sauce. The prawns were served hot with a slight amount of lemony mayonnaise drizzled over them. The mayonnaise added some desirable sweetness to the prawns, but I would have preferred more of it. The batter on the prawns was flaky, crunchy and a bit too thick, while the prawns themselves were sufficiently voluminous and fresh.

Fighting Shrimp Roll - A

The Fighting Shrimp Roll came with shrimp tempura and crab crowned with cooked shrimp. They were quite generous with the cooked shrimp on top, and they also did a good job of making sure that the cooked shrimp retained a soft, bouncy texture. The shrimp in the tempura had almost exactly the same texture as the cooked shrimp. The slightly sweet teriyaki sauce helped to bring out the flavour of the shrimp and was sufficient in making the crab meat and avocado quite savoury.

Negitoro - A

The Negitoro came with 6 pieces of negitoro nigiri sushi. I was most impressed with the sushi rice, which was compact, but remained soft and not mushy. The toro was mashed and was very soft, while the onions were chopped into pieces small enough so that they added flavour but did not intrude with the softness of the toro.

Mad Man Roll - B+

Deep-fried California rolls aren't my thing, but this was one of the best ones I've had. The tempura batter was crunchy, but was thin enough to remain soft. I also liked how the crab meat was not mushy, as is often a problem with deep-fried California rolls. The roll was also cut slanted to increase visual appeal.

Mary Kim - B-

This dish was named Mary Kim, and I wasn't quite sure why. Did Mary Kim come up with this dish? Was this dish designed in honour of Mary Kim? Or did someone decide they wanted their name to show up on the menu but couldn't decide where? In any case, Mary Kim consisted of salmon and asparagus wrapped in seaweed and then deep-fried. The sauce that came with it had an unusually thick consistency, and resembled a mixture of teriyaki sauce and soy sauce. The asparagus was soft and juicy. Unfortunately, the asparagus and salmon cancelled each other out. Maybe Mary Kim can re-design her dish so that it contains three pieces of asparagus tempura and three pieces of salmon tempura?

White Snow Roll - A-

I'm always tempted to read this as the Snow White Roll, particularly because of the Disney font used on the menu. The Snow White Roll (oops! I meant White Snow Roll) consisted of a California roll topped with red snapper, spiced cheese, teriyaki sauce, and then baked. The melted spiced cheese tasted heavenly while the teriyaki sauce accentuated the sweetness of the crab and avocado inside. The tai (red snapper) was cut so thin that I almost forgot it was even there.

Kami Sushi pays excellent attention to the presentation of their dishes and I noticed that the dishes served to the tables around me looked very visually appealing as well. The food was generally well-prepared and my dad approved of this Japanese restaurant, particularly because they excelled in their warm rolls (he doesn't like cold food). Despite being seated in one of the nooks and crannies of the restaurant, service was considerably attentive. Well, looks like I'll be back for more creative sushi!