Episode #158: Kaide Sushi Bar

Vancouver (Downtown), $$$$ (Luxury)

www.vancouverkaidesushi.com

In addition to some of the most expensive sushi restaurants in Vancouver, Yaletown also offers a few comparatively affordable options for sushi, such as FRESH Japanese Restaurant. I went into Kaide Sushi Bar thinking that it would be one of the more affordable options, but it didn't take me long to realize that this was not the case. The restaurant was also not as small as I had expected, and outside the restaurant was a gorgeous, stunning view of a construction scene.

Kaide Sushi Bar has some of the highest online ratings for any sushi restaurant in Vancouver. It is a sushi bar (as its name suggests), so there was a very limited number of non-sushi, non-sashimi items. The staff are Japanese and the menu exhibits a clear focus on traditional Japanese food, though there were a few innovative fusion-type items as well. The waitress was very friendly, patient and welcoming. Somehow, I noticed that her voice was lower than mine, which made me feel a little self-conscious for some reason...

First to arrive on my table was the Kaide Assorted Sushi, which was beautifully presented and featured nine pieces of fancy nigiri. What else could I ask for?

 Sockeye Salmon Roll (half order) - B+

Tekka Roll (half order) - B+

Kaide Sushi Bar only servers sockeye salmon, and the Sockeye Salmon Roll had an appealing soft texture. The Tekka Roll (tuna) came with a good amount of soft, melty tuna. Freshness was apparent in both types of hosomaki, though there wasn't anything mind-blowing in terms of structure or richness of flavour here.

Hokkigai Nigiri - A-

Uni Nigiri - A

Chopped Scallop Nigiri - A

Unagi Nigiri - A+

Tamago - A-

Lucky for me, the nigiri was a hit. The sushi rice was especially well-prepared and well-seasoned and tasted good by itself. The Hokkigai Nigiri was rather small, but it had a pleasant sweet flavour and an appealing chewiness. The Uni Nigiri was fresh and really melty with a mild, sea-like, savoury flavour. The Chopped Scallop Nigiri featured creamy, sweet scallop, and the conservative amount of sushi rice allowed the nigiri to be easily consumed in one bite (the way it should be). The highlight of the combo was the Unagi Nigiri, which had an irresistible, well-rounded grilled flavour. Yes, this was the best Unagi Nigiri that I have ever eaten. As a bonus, I was also given two pieces of tamago, which were sufficiently sweet with a soft, puffy texture.

Toro Nigiri - A+

Sockeye Salmon Nigiri - A-

Katsuo Nigiri - A-

Butterfish Nigiri - A

Hamachi Nigiri - A

Could it really be? Multiple A+'s in one meal? With the heavenly Toro Nigiri, the answer was a definite yes. The toro looked good and tasted good. It had a marvelous melty texture and was so fatty and juicy that it literally took me to fish heaven. Okay, that sounded a little wrong. Next, the Sockeye Salmon Nigiri came with a generous cut and was soft, but not especially rich. The Katsuo Nigiri (skipjack tuna) had a very distinct flavour that mildly resembled saba. Apart from the green onion on top, I could also taste a slight green onion essence within the fish itself. The Butterfish Nigiri was melty, soft, and buttery with a texture akin to high-quality albacore tuna. Finally, the Hamachi Nigiri was rich and fatty and even came with its own dipping sauce! The sauce was soy-based but had a bit of a vinegary accent to it, which went quite well with the sushi rice. 

Tofino Roll - A-

Special Inari - A

Obviously, I couldn't leave without trying a special roll, so I went for the Tofino Roll, which was named after a small city that I have never been to. The Tofino Roll featured spicy tuna, takuan (pickled daikon), and seared tuna. The tuna on top had a wonderful seared flavour, and the clever use of unseared tuna inside the roll allowed them to sear the tuna on top a bit more for a richer flavour while preserving the juicier texture of tuna sashimi within the roll. The avocado did not disappoint, and the very mild and gentle spiciness emanating from the spicy tuna did not overwhelm any of the ingredients.

The Special Inari came with just one piece and consisted of smoked salmon, ebi, and avocado in a sweet tofu pocket. The smoked salmon was wrapped around the rice to create a richer well-balanced flavour. The inari came with ample moisture and sweetness, and some green onions were added for some extra zing.

It has been quite a while since I have had this many good things to say about a sushi restaurant. Kaide Sushi Bar clearly excels in service, freshness, and execution. Yes, it was quite expensive, and after tax and tips, I ended up paying a total of $50. I have never ever spent $50 on lunch before, but the quality of the food made this a very worthwhile sushi adventure. 

Episode #157: Bay Sushi Cafe

Vancouver (Downtown), $$ (Moderately Priced)
www.baysushicafe.com

Bay Sushi Cafe is one of downtown Vancouver's most popular express sushi establishments, and I went in thinking that cheap prices would be the biggest attraction. This was not the case. There were both rolls and bento boxes over $10, but despite that, there were hardly any free tables left for me to sit at. Since the prices weren't exactly cheap, I got my hopes up for some quality food.

It took me some time to realize that you actually order and pay at the front. This usually means Raymond-taking-so-long-that-the-cashier-and-the-other-people-standing-in-line-get-frustrated time. However, being a polite gentleman, I went over to the menu that was taped to a wall near the front entrance, where I could take as many hours as I wanted to formulate my order.

Paying at the front also meant that I got to see how much of a fatty I was compared to other people. While everyone else was ordering about $10 to $15 of food, my order easily busted the $25 mark. I overheard some of the staff members discussing how to actually put my food onto a tray. They ended up giving me two trays instead.

Miso Soup - B

I received a Miso Soup as part of my Chicken Teriyaki & Sashimi Bento. The Miso Soup came with seaweed, green onion, tofu, and a rather generous helping of salt. There was also quite a bit of miso paste, and for once, I think this Miso Soup actually contains a bit too much miso paste.

Gyoza - B-

Moving on to the bento box itself, the Gyoza had a mild tangy flavour, and the wrapping was so crispy that it bordered on being hard. There wasn't quite enough pork filling to give the Gyoza a well-rounded flavour.

Chicken Teriyaki - C

The Chicken Teriyaki looked very appealing, but it turned out to be the low point of my meal. The chicken tasted bland, and the skin on top was soggy. Did they accidentally drop it into a bucket of water before serving it to me? The rice ended up being decent, though the bean sprouts were unevenly dressed with teriyaki sauce.

Salmon Sashimi - A-

Tuna Sashimi - B-

The sashimi fared slightly better. The Salmon Sashimi was delectable, fresh, and cut to just the right thickness. I also liked how there were four generous pieces of it. The Tuna Sashimi was soft, but it was also slightly watery and mushy. Did they accidentally drop this into a bucket of water too?

Salad - B-

The Salad came with lots of different ingredients, including edamame, shelled sunflower seeds, daikon, and mixed greens. There was not quite enough dressing for the salad, so it tasted a bit dry. However, I did appreciate the variety in this salad, which made it less mundane.

Croquette - A-

Besides the bento, I also had a large croquette, which came with lots of soft potato-based filling. The interior reminded me of a well-executed mashed potato salad, while the exterior had an appealing amount of crispiness. I'm not sure about the squiggly presentation of the dipping sauce, but the Worcestershire sauce and mayonnaise combination did liven up and harmonize well with the croquette.

Dragon Roll - B-

My final item, the Dragon Roll, consisted of two tempura prawns, unagi, avocado, and masago. The flavours went well together (as is typically the case with a Dragon Roll), and I was pleased with the soft, sweet unagi on top and the fresh avocado. Unfortunately, the prawn tempura was severely over-fried, and my teeth did not exactly appreciate the workout from the hard batter.

The staff at the front were friendly and energetic, and there were a considerable number of chefs working on the food. A trend I noticed here was that the food tended to look better than it tasted. All of the food was beautifully and neatly presented, yet texture and taste issues seemed to be rather abundant. I'm pretty sure this place did not get its popularity based on food appearance alone. Was there something that I missed?

Episode #156: Sushi Hiyori

Vancouver (Downtown), $$ (Moderately Priced)
www.hiyorisushi.ca

Writing blog posts was originally not supposed to be hard, but when my computer randomly presents me with the blue screen of death multiple times a day and crashes whenever I click the Start button, things get a little different. It sure is annoying when my computer gets more and more messed up each time it undergoes the evil Windows Updates. I was so exhausted after dealing with my computer's idiotic idiosyncrasies that I slept heavily through pretty much my entire one-hour bus ride to Sushi Hiyori.

Sushi Hiyori is a Chinese-operated sushi restaurant on the south side of downtown Vancouver. I first visited the restaurant a few years ago when the cheap prices were what lured me in. The prices have gone up, and the restaurant looks a little more worn out than it did back then. There was also an ominous microwave situated right next to where I was sitting. However, the Japanese-themed decor and the wooden chairs and tables still made for a cozy atmosphere.

Salmon Sashimi - B+

Tuna Sashimi - A-

Saba Nigiri - B-

Toro Nigiri - C+

Sockeye Salmon Nigiri - B

The Salmon Sashimi was sliced into thick pieces, and although it did not have the richest flavour, it did have a nice smooth texture. The Tuna Sashimi was fresh and soft, but it was served a bit too cold. The sushi rice on the nigiri wasn't exactly the best since it was a bit dry and weak in flavour. The saba was a bit salty, while the toro was not fatty and tasted just like regular tuna, On the plus side, the sockeye salmon had a delectable smooth texture.

Energy Roll - B-

There was a large variety of special rolls on the menu, including a Memory Roll, which I considered getting in hopes of improving my terrible memory. However, it was a vegetarian roll, and since I didn't feel like being a vegetarian for a few minutes, I went for the Energy Roll instead because I desperately needed more energy. This roll was essentially a dynamite roll with fried unagi on top. The flavours of the ingredients worked well together, but the tempura was not crispy and tasted soft and bread-like. The roll tasted like it was microwaved. It also failed to provide me with much energy, as I fell asleep like a log on the bus again right after leaving the restaurant.

Tempura Udon - B-

For my filler, I ordered the Tempura Udon, and thankfully, the tempura was not soaking in the udon broth. The lettuce and broccoli in the udon gave it an unauthentic flair, and the broth was rather weak with insufficient depth of flavour. The tempura was again soft and floury, just like the tempura in the Energy Roll. However, there was a generous amount of tempura, and the underlying ingredients, especially the two prawns, were fresh.

The service was quite friendly, and at one point, the waitress even went around to help a few tables take group photos. The quality of the food had declined somewhat since my previous visit, but the raw fish has remained fresh. Overall, the prices are fair given the quality and the location, though I wouldn't say that this restaurant is a must-visit.