Episode #101: Okoman Sushi

Burnaby North, $$ (Moderately Priced)

After writing blog posts for Sushi California, Sushi &, and Hanamori Sushi, I was on a quest to find another sushi restaurant near Lougheed Town Centre to try out. Browsing through the online reviews did not provide me with a clear target, so I decided to just go for the restaurant with the lowest prices. That way, if the sushi was good, I would not have to pay as much, and if the sushi was bad, I would not have to pay as much either. It was the perfect strategy, or as some of my professors call it, the "dominant strategy."

Okoman Sushi is just a short uphill walk from the Walmart at Lougheed Town Centre, but somehow, I manage to get totally exhausted by the time I got to the restaurant. I blame the heat. When I stepped into the restaurant, the first thing I noticed was that most of the dining tables were separated by wooden dividers for enhanced privacy. For added elegance, each of these dining tables were illuminated by a bright Japanese lantern above. There is a button that you can push whenever you require service.

I was originally seated next to the sushi bar, but since I kept peering at the lantern-lit private "rooms" like a curious animal, they offered to seat me in one of those rooms. I gladly accepted the offer as it would allow me to take as many pictures of my food as I wanted with privacy. I slowly combed through their extensive menu, which included an array of appetizers and robata dishes in addition to the typical Japanese items.

Yakitori - B+

Interestingly, the first item to arrive was the Yakitori, which came with two skewers of barbecued chicken and vegetables. The bell peppers were juicy, and the chicken was slightly breaded so that it had a bit of a crunch. I enjoyed this unique touch. There was some slight charring, but the chicken remained tender. 

Salmon Sashimi - A

Tuna Sashimi - A-

The Appetizer Sashimi came with two pieces of Salmon Sashimi and two pieces of Tuna Sashimi. The salmon was buttery, soft, very fresh, and cut into good-sized pieces. Yes, I am fully conscious of the fact that I am giving this the same grade as the Salmon Sashimi I had from Octopus' Garden. The Tuna Sashimi was delightfully soft as well with a decent, rich flavour. This was definitely the highlight of the meal!

Ebi Mayo - C-

Unfortunately, the Ebi Mayo was a roaring disaster. The batter was thick and chewy like gummy candy. Did they accidentally drop glue into the frying oil?! Even though the shrimp inside tasted good, I was mildly disgusted by the gross, gummy batter. Not wanting to waste food, I peeled off all of the batter and ate the shrimps. Let's not think about the batter anymore and just move on to the next item.

Okoman Roll - C

The Okoman Special Roll (10 pieces) consisted of deep-fried scallop, eel, cucumber topped with crispy powder, tobiko, and unagi sauce. Presentation-wise, the roll looked promising with the colourful abundance of panko crumbs on top. However, I had a lot of trouble chewing the tough seaweed and tasting any of the ingredients inside the roll. There was no way I would have noticed the deep-fried scallop had I not seen it listed as one of the ingredients and subsequently picked the roll apart.

Sitting at the private rooms came at the price of very minimal service. I understand that I should press the button when I am ready to order, but I don't think I should have to press the button to have my tea refilled occasionally or have the server ask me how my food was, especially since the restaurant was mostly empty at the time. At the end, I just took $2 off the tip so I could buy myself some iced tea at Lougheed Town Centre instead. 

Episode #100: Octopus' Garden

Vancouver (Northwest), $$$$ (Luxury)
www.octopusgardensada.com

In order to celebrate my 100th sushi adventure since starting this blog, I decided to make it very special by taking my mom to an omakase dinner at Octopus' Garden. My mom is an excellent cook, but for all these years, she's been having bang-for-your-buck sushi and enjoying sashimi for its quantity rather than its quality. I decided that it was time for her to experience something a little more refined and sophisticated. As expected, she was very shocked to learn about the rather hefty price tag: $75 per person! Up until this point, she had never had any food remotely close to that price range. She spent nearly an hour getting dressed up and making sure that her appearance was immaculate for the dinner!

Octopus' Garden is located just west of the Burrard St. Bridge and is owned by the head chef Sada-san. Octopus' Garden is one of the few sushi restaurants in Vancouver to serve omakase (literal translation: "I'll leave it to you"), a special dining experience in which the diner leaves the selection of dishes up to the chef. At Octopus' Garden, there are two types of omakase, one priced at $75 and the other priced at $100 (we went for the $75 one). A few food bloggers have mentioned that the omakase at Octopus' Garden can take upwards of two hours, so I snacked on gummies for the entire car ride there to ensure that I wouldn't be starving while I waited for my food. When I arrived, I was courteously seated next to the window (as the bar was completely booked), and I had a few moments to enjoy the Beatles music in the background before the first dish came.

The restaurant was not as large as I had expected. In addition to the regular tables, there is a bar that seats six people as well as a wooden boat (pictured above) that seats two. The boat is set up like one of the short tatami tables you would find in a traditional Japanese room, so you can either sit in a seiza position or sit cross-legged. I cannot sit in either of these positions (yes, elementary school assemblies were a form of torture to me), and would probably end up eating my meal in a sleeping position instead if I were seated at the boat. That would not look very graceful. However, for those who can sit cross-legged, it might be an interesting experience.

Grapes and Cashews

At the very beginning, we were given a small dish of grapes and cashews to entertain our palates. The omakase also includes the choice of a tea ($3 if ordered à la carte), so my mom chose the Matcha Genmai (green tea with roasted brown rice). I'm no tea connoisseur, but I wasn't heavily impressed by the tea. It also took a while for the tea to absorb the flavour of the brown rice.

'Sada's Own' Nomu Uni Shooter - A

'Sada's Own' Nomu Uni Shooter consisted of sea urchin, mountain potato, quail egg, and wasabi in a small glass of dashi broth, mirin, and rice. You're supposed to mix all of the ingredients together and then consume the whole thing in one gulp. The result is a highly pleasant savoury smoothness from the uni and quail egg, which blends perfectly with the broth. The rice prevents the shooter from tasting too much like a slimy, slippery concoction. On the side were two miniscule pieces of hamachi neatly placed on artichoke petals. The piece of hamachi is to be eaten along with the folded portion of the artichoke petal at the same time. I had an epic fail moment and accidentally consumed them separately even though the waiter told me not to.

Scallop and Ankimo Salad - A-

The Scallop and Ankimo Salad came with mixed greens, green beans, a few pieces of cucumber, a juicy grape tomato, quinoa, some lightly cooked scallops, and ankimo (monkfish liver). Seasoning was used to enhance the flavour of the ankimo, which had an excellent briny sweetness itself. The scallops had a nice bounce to them, and overall, the salad was a nice light and refreshing prelude to the heavier dishes which were about to arrive next.

Carrot Soup - A+

The first thing I noticed about the western-style Carrot Soup was the rich, irresistible aroma of melted cheese. I got a little ahead of myself and started savouring the soup before taking a photo of it, until my mom suddenly stopped me and asked, "Did you take a photo yet?" Oops! Well, this is what the carrot soup looks like after about 10 sips. With its flavour enhanced by the melted cheese and the small bits of green onion, this was one freaking delicious Carrot Soup! 

Blue Fin Chutoro Sashimi - B+

Salmon Sashimi - A

Hamachi Sashimi - A+

Managatsuo Sashimi - A+

I found the Blue Fin Chutoro Sashimi quite average as it was leaner than I had expected. The Salmon Sashimi, however, had a nice smooth sheen and an amazing buttery flavour. The pieces were sliced to the perfect thickness and size so that each piece provided a delicious bite-sized burst of flavour. The Hamachi Sashimi had the perfect smooth texture and was very fresh. The Managatsuo Sashimi (Japanese butterfish) came from a Japanese fish that I have honestly never heard of. With its delicate cod-like flavour and satin-like texture, this was my favourite type of sashimi from the whole platter. While I was enjoying the sashimi, my mom gave me a good laugh by saying that all of the sashimi tasted the same to her. Oh mom...

Scallop and Tobiko Nigiri - A

Albacore Toro Nigiri - A+

Blue Fin Otoro Nigiri - A+

Shima-Aji Nigiri - A+

Butterfish Nigiri - A-

With just five pieces of nigiri, I was blown away three times, and this was undoubtedly the climax of the omakase. The scallop was delightably soft and had a delicate briny flavour, while the tobiko on top added a nice crunch. The Albacore Toro Nigiri was simply amazing. The mouthwatering, buttery flavour of the toro and the masterfully constructed sushi rice just melted exquisitely in my mouth. The same goes for the Blue Fin Otoro, with its unmistakable fattiness and juiciness. The Shima-Aji Nigiri was also a huge delight, with its subtle, sweet flavour and perfectly smooth texture. The Butterfish Nigiri was decent and had a soft flakiness to it.

Teriyaki Buri - B+

Spinach - B-

Tempura Spot Prawn - B+

The cooks in the kitchen weren't as talented as Sada-san. The Teriyaki Buri (yellowtail) was tastefully dressed with some light teriyaki sauce, but it was overcooked. The Spinach was rather mature and both my mom and I had a bit of trouble chewing it. The spot prawns were very fresh and meaty with an excellent snap, but the tempura batter was a bit greasy and hard.

Black Sesame Ice Cream - A

Pistachio Macaron - A-

Red Bean Crème Brûlée - A

Next, the small dessert platter arrived. The Black Sesame Ice Cream was great with a sweet and distinct sesame flavour. The Pistachio Macaron had a soft, sweet filling, but it didn't have a prominent pistachio flavour. The sweet custard of the Red Bean Crème Brûlée blended smoothly with the small dab of red bean paste at the bottom. I would have preferred a thinner layer of hard caramel on the top, but overall, I still enjoyed the crème brûlée the most out of the three sweets.

At the very end of the omakase, we received our gummy octopi! What a great way to incorporate the name of the restaurant into the meal! My mom took one look at them and exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! They're spiders!" I immediately felt the need to do a facepalm, although I could see where she was coming from.

For the highest price I have ever paid for any meal, I received some of the best sushi I have ever had. If the kitchen staff had executed the cooked dishes well, this would have been a nearly flawless meal. My server wasn't very proficient at English, but he was very patient even when I asked him to say managatsuo over and over again while I wrote down "nanagatsuo" in my notebook (a complete fail on my part). He was also very attentive, and the arrival of the dishes was well-timed. I look forward to experiencing the more luxurious $100 omakase someday!

Episode #99: Tokyo Joe's Sushi Factory

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

The 410 bus route from 22nd Street Station to Richmond is one of my favourite routes to catch up on missed sleep due to its long travel time and relatively few stops. This time, however, disaster struck as I failed to fall asleep while riding the 410 and began to feel carsick about 15 minutes into the ride. By the time I arrived at Richmond's Sea of Malls, I was terribly dazed and nauseous. I haphazardly stumbled into the closest Staples and looked at their clearance sections until nausea subsided to hunger. There's no better medicine for curing nausea than looking at sale items!

Tokyo Joe's Sushi Factory resembles a cheap place to get some quick sushi, but after looking at the menu, I thought to myself, "This ain't cheap at all." The staff were Chinese and seemed to be receiving a high volume of calls for take-out orders, which made me hopeful that the food was going to be fresh and delicious. I tried to order a good variety of items that looked interesting to me, but perhaps I got a little too excited while doing so because the waitress had to warn me that I might be ordering too much food. However, I was rather hungry, so I insisted on my initial order.

Miso Soup - B

I ordered one of their teriyaki sets, which came with a Miso Soup, a Chicken Teriyaki, and four pieces of sashimi. The Miso Soup was garnished with green onions and tofu. The green onions were coarse and a little crunchy. The consistency of the Miso Soup was quite light, but there was no overdose of salt. If you're a dine-in customer, the Miso Soup is free!

Chicken Teriyaki - A

Now, this is one huge Chicken Teriyaki! (If it doesn't look big to you at first, compare it to the size of the orange slice.) I can see why the waitress was concerned after all. For a normal person, this alone would be a complete and rather filling meal. I really enjoyed the large pieces of perfectly cooked tender white meat as well as the seaweed and green onion on top. There was ample teriyaki sauce, which went well with the rice. The salad on the side was refreshing and came with a small dab of dill sauce.

The rest of my food was neatly arranged on a large, round dish. All of the portion sizes turned out to be slightly larger than average. I found it amusing how they provided me with a huge amount of wasabi, which was in quite an unnatural colour. 

Salmon Sashimi - B

Tuna Sashimi - C+

Unfortunately, the sashimi did not really live up to my hopes for freshness. Both types of sashimi were lacking in flavour, and the Tuna Sashimi wasn't particularly soft. At the very least, the Salmon Sashimi was sufficiently soft and both types of sashimi came in generous cuts.

Salmon on Fire - C+

To match the weather, I ordered the Salmon on Fire, which consisted of two pieces of seared salmon sushi. I found the seared taste of the salmon quite weak. The sushi rice was also quite disappointing. Not only was it bland, but the grains of rice formed a few small clumps. The only redeeming factor was the large size of the nigiri.

Red Dragon Roll - B+

Soo Special - A

The Red Dragon Roll came with unagi and salmon on top of a California roll. Interestingly, they decided that one piece of unagi and seven pieces of salmon was the proper ratio. The unagi had a perfect planked-grilled flavour and the salmon was adequately dressed with teriyaki sauce so that I could no longer tell that it was lacking in flavour. The Soo Special consisted of an inari pocket filled with spicy tuna. This was my favourite item of the entire meal. The inari was especially tasty with a prominent sweet flavour, and it went surprisingly well with the generous helping of soft tuna, which provided a nice spicy kick. I don't know where they got the name from, but this was definitely better than Soo Beef Jerky!

The service wasn't abundant, but I found it friendly. I enjoyed my visit since the hits made up most of my meal in terms of quantity, but I was a little concerned that the sushi rice and the sashimi were below average on the day that I visited. When I went to pay the bill, the waitress looked at me with a truly astonished expression after seeing that I had finished all of the food. Well, gluttony isn't exactly a problem, right?