Episode #131: PSI Sushi & Roll (Port Moody)

Port Moody, $ (Budget)
www.facebook.com/sushiandroll2

My favourite type of Nestle chocolate is Smarties because eating them makes me feel smarter. Last month, I went to Walmart and bought one of those boxes of bite-sized Nestle treats to hand out to the trick-or-treating kids, but unfortunately for me, the Smarties were the first to run out. To get my revenge, I went to Walmart again and bought an entire canister of Smarties so that I could stash it in my room and enjoy it "in moderation." However, in addition to indulging in excessive amounts of sugar, I also needed to indulge in excessive amounts of sushi, so I left Walmart to meet up with my dad at the newly opened PSI Sushi & Roll in Port Moody.

PSI Sushi & Roll is Korean-operated and runs a large, busy location in Surrey. Everything on their menu is quite affordable, and there is a good abundance of items on the menu. As their Port Moody location had just opened, there were very few diners when I entered the restaurant. I suppose the fact that I decided to eat at 3 p.m. also contributed to the lack of customers I saw.

Prawn Tempura - B+

One of my dad's favourite Japanese foods is Prawn Tempura, and he can never seem to get enough of it. This Prawn Tempura came with 6 soft, juicy prawns and two bonus pieces of green bean tempura. The batter was slightly thick for some pieces, but thankfully, it was crispy and not hard at all. The flavour of the prawns was preserved well.

Tuna Sashimi - A

Salmon Sashimi - A-

Ebi Nigiri - B+

Seared Tuna Nigiri - B

Seared Salmon Nigiri - A-

Masago Nigiri - A-

Chopped Scallop Nigiri - A-

Next, I got the Sashimi & Sushi Combo and had the tuna and salmon nigiri seared. Both types of sashimi were delicious and fresh, and the tuna was especially soft. Although the Ebi Nigiri was slightly chewy, it had a nice sweetness. The Seared Tuna Nigiri would have fared better with some dressing, but the Seared Salmon Nigiri had a nice drizzle of mayonnaise on top along with a nice smoky flavour. The Masago Nigiri had a soft, bubbly texture and a nice burst of flavour. The Chopped Scallop was soft, fresh, and sweet, but the rice was packed a bit too tightly for this one piece.

Awesome Roll - B

The Awesome Roll consisted of crab meat, cucumber, avocado, baked salmon, green onion, masago, and bonito, and is similar to Sushi Town's Awesome Roll. However, it was slightly rice-heavy, and the teriyaki sauce severely lacked impact. On the contrary, I did enjoy the spicy mayonnaise and the neat construction and presentation. Overall, Sushi Town is the clear winner on this roll (unless PSI Sushi & Roll was just having an off day).

Okonomiyaki - B

For $6.95, I was totally not expecting a 10-inch Okonomiyaki, so this was a very good deal! It was quite thick with lots of cabbage-based filling. There was a slight, appealing crispiness on the outside, and the mayonnaise worked well with the sweeter okonomiyaki sauce. Unfortunately, some of the pieces were a little burnt on the bottom.

We received friendly service and decent food for the most part. This is one of the most affordable places for sushi in the Port Moody area, and I would expect that it would gradually pick up more and more customers as it becomes more well-known in the area. However, previous restaurants that have occupied that building had significant trouble lasting more than about two or three years. Let's see if PSI Sushi & Roll can finally put a stop to the frequent changing of ownership. 

Episode #130: Kin Sushi

West Vancouver, $$ (Moderately Priced)

West Vancouver is one of the most beautiful places in Greater Vancouver, but on evenings where dusk falls early, the streets become dark and eerily quiet. It's as if everyone left the town so that they could join the exciting traffic jam at the Lions Gate Bridge. Not wanting to sit on the bus with nothing to do except twiddle my thumbs and ponder about which questions I might have bombed on my midterms, I decided to have dinner at Kin Sushi, a small Korean-operated sushi restaurant in Ambleside.

Even though I didn't see anyone having Tonkatsu (pork cutlet), the restaurant had a prominent scent of Worcestershire sauce. The restaurant was surprisingly busy when I walked in, and I was provided with tea, chopsticks, and everything else, but no menu. If only I had psychic abilities... However, the service was very friendly, and the waitress apologized sincerely when I asked for the menu.

Miso Soup - B+

Due to my addiction to special rolls, I ordered the $12.95 special roll combo, which came with a special roll, an appetizer, a salad, and a miso soup. The Miso Soup came with dark miso paste, tofu, green onion, and seaweed. It was a bit watery, but because dark miso is richer, the soup had sufficient flavour.

Salad - B+

Next came the salad, which was rather large and contained mostly lettuce dressed with a creamy, tangy Japanese salad dressing. It was nicely presented with bite-sized pieces. 

Salmon Sashimi - A-

Tuna Sashimi - A

For my appetizer, I opted for the Appetizer Sashimi, which came with Tuna Sashimi and Salmon Sashimi. The cuts were on the smaller side, but both types of fish were fresh with no stringiness. The salmon had a smooth sheen, and the tuna was deliciously melty with a soft texture.

Red Dragon Roll - A-

For obvious reasons, I picked the most expensive roll, the Red Dragon Roll, which contained prawn tempura, crab meat, avocado, cucumber, and sockeye salmon. Some of the pieces of sockeye salmon tasted like smoked salmon, while the prawn tempura inside was quite savoury. Overall, the roll was neatly constructed, and there was a very good harmony of flavours among the ingredients.

Chicken Karaage - C+

After finishing the combo, I went for the Chicken Karaage, and the whole restaurant smelled like KFC for a minute. There was a generous amount of karaage, but unfortunately, most of the karaage was just batter. I wish I could say it was finger lickin' good, but the small amount of chicken was also dry. The only part of the chicken I enjoyed was its aroma.

Toro Nigiri - B-

Unagi Nigiri - B+

Still not full, I ordered the Toro Nigiri and the Unagi Nigiri. The Toro Nigiri was slightly dry and not the softest, but the unagi was really soft, melty, and dressed with sweet teriyaki sauce that brought out the flavour of the BBQ eel well.

The service remained very friendly and polite throughout the course of my dinner, and the few mishaps that occurred were handled well. The food was surprisingly inexpensive, especially considering that the restaurant is located in West Vancouver, an area known for its high prices. Most of the items were prepared well, and I could see why the restaurant was one of the very few places in West Vancouver that actually had people that evening.

Episode #129: Sushi Maro

Vancouver (Yaletown), $$$ (Higher Priced)
www.sushimaro.com

Choosing a restaurant to try out in the second week of Taste of Yaletown 2015 wasn't a difficult task, as sushi was the only sensible choice. After all, if I chose anything else, I would neither be able to blog about it nor satisfy my sushi needs. Having tried Bistro Sakana last time, I decided to try the Chinese-operated Sushi Maro, which was just a few doors over to the left.

Sushi Maro is slightly less fancy than Bistro Sakana, but the prices are lower as well. When I entered the restaurant, I was surrounded by the fragrance of a freshly cleaned washroom. Was someone using bleach to clean up a booboo on the kitchen floor? Fortunately, the washrooms themselves smelled better, and it did not take too long for the scent of bleach to dissipate. I began to think about the enticing Aburi sushi that was featured in my Taste of Yaletown dinner instead. Being a voracious eater, I also incessantly browsed the menu to see if there was an interesting dish I could order to spice up my dinner.

Miso Soup - B-

The first item to arrive was a complimentary Miso Soup (it wasn't listed as part of the Taste of Yaletown dinner), and it was a surprising miss. It was very hot and contained green onion and tofu. There was an obvious lack of miso paste, so the soup tasted quite watery. 

Rainbow Roll - A-

Aburi Salmon Sushi - A-

Aburi Tuna Sushi - B+

Aburi Scallop Sushi - A

Aburi Toro Sushi - B

Aburi Beef Sushi - A-

Next came the Rainbow Roll and the Chef's Selection Aburi Sushi, both of which were many leagues better than the Miso Soup. The Rainbow Roll, with its zesty bits of onion and chili spice, provided a refreshing harmony of flavours. The real crab meat inside provided a soft texture and a richer flavour, and the fish on top were fresh, albeit sliced a bit thin. 

The Chef's Selection Aburi Sushi was generally well-dressed, and the sushi rice was not packed too tightly. The salmon was soft and had a nice, savoury flavour. The tuna and toro were a bit overdone and lacked juiciness. The scallop was sufficiently soft, and the sprinkles of black pepper on top complemented the sweetness of the scallop perfectly. The beef was a touch chewy in places, but it was juicy and came in a generous portion.

Sashimi Salad - A-

Grill Chicken - A

Chili Mayo Ebi - A

The Sashimi Salad came with sockeye salmon (A-), tako (A), and tuna (A). I especially enjoyed the tuna for its very soft, melty texture, and the seafood fared well when paired with the yuzu sauce. However, there was a bit too much sauce at the bottom, which overwhelmed parts of the salad. To the right, the cooked food did not disappoint, as expected of a Chinese-operated restaurant. The Grill Chicken had a smooth texture and a thin crispy layer of skin, and was very tender and juicy. The Chili Ebi Mayo came with large meaty prawns, and the drizzle of spicy mayonnaise was accented by the delicious herbs and spices in the batter. 

Unagi Age Dashi Tofu - A

The dish I ended up ordering separately was the Unagi Age Dashi Tofu. I love unagi tempura and kind of expected the unagi to be fused with the Agedashi Tofu, but it just came a separate part of the dish. Nonetheless, both parts of the dish were executed brilliantly. The Agedashi Tofu was cut into a thinner, flatter shape, which allowed it to absorb more of the savoury flavour of the sauce. The unagi came in three large, soft pieces and paired well with the sesame sprinkles and the small helping of wakame (seaweed) underneath.

Deep Fried Matcha Ice Cream - C+

Towards the end of my dinner, the three waitresses and one waiter were overwhelmed by a full house of customers, leading to an awkward 30-minute gap between the Unagi Age Dashi Tofu and the dessert. Things would have been much better if there was Shaw Open. The matcha ice cream had a sweet green tea flavour, but the cake-like deep-fried breading was a little hard to break down. I accidentally launched a substantial amount of ice cream onto my nose while trying to eat it. Also, the warm breading accelerated the melting of the ice cream and quickly cancelled out its matcha flavour.

The service was good at the beginning, but deteriorated substantially when the restaurant became packed. Nonetheless, they took the effort to make sure that my tea was always refilled in a timely manner. Food-wise, I found many of the dishes to be quite sauce-heavy (sometimes a little too much so), but my opinion on sauces is "better too much than too little." Overall, I thought that the quality of the food was fair for the price, and I wouldn't mind returning to try more of their special rolls in the future.