Episode #169: Nao Sushi

Coquitlam, $$ (Moderately Priced)

With significant wait times during peak lunch and peak dinner hours, Nao Sushi started out as one popular restaurant in South Burnaby with too many customers. Now, with a new location in Coquitlam, Nao Sushi has become two popular restaurants with too many customers. The first time I tried to dine at Nao Sushi with my family, the line-up was so long that I led my family to Jimoco Cafe & Pasta instead, which is a miracle because (a) Jimoco Cafe is rather famous for its lengthy wait times and (b) I actually made a conscious decision to give up sushi for something else. I must have been a little high that day. Needless to say, the four of us came back to try Nao Sushi the next weekend.

Luckily, we got a seat one minute before a line-up started to form. Seriously, I had never known that there were this many sushi lovers in this part of town. There were about five chefs and three waitresses working non-stop to meet the diners' demands, and even then, the food came out very slowly. For 20 minutes, we had the pleasure of watching everyone around us get their food while our hunger raged on. This felt exactly the same as seeing all my friends graduate and land amazing careers while being stuck at SFU myself trying to decipher the mystic "foreign language" in my textbooks and growing a dozen new zits in the process.

Aburi Toro Nigiri - B

First to arrive was the Aburi Toro Nigiri for my sister and me. Both of us were not especially pleased with the Aburi toro because it lacked a seared flavour and was drier than usual. However, the sushi rice was well-constructed and above average. The portion size was quite generous too.

Atlantic Roll - A

My mom ordered the Atlantic Roll, and it was a great success. My mom has this uncanny luck when it comes to ordering, and she manages to order the good stuff even when she has no clue about what the menu actually says. The Atlantic Roll consisted of Atlantic salmon, masago, and avocado, and it was covered in a thin layer of Japanese salad dressing for some creaminess. The creamy flavours of the salmon and the avocado, along with the bubbly masago, provided an excellent harmony of flavours. 

Amaebi Sashimi - A

Tuna Sashimi - C+

Salmon Sashimi - A-

Tsubagai Sashimi - A-

Madai Sashimi - A-

Hokkigai Sashimi - A-

Tako Sashimi - A

Next, we had the Assorted Sashimi, which came with one piece of amaebi, three pieces of tuna, three pieces of salmon, one piece of tsubagai (whelk), two pieces of madai (sea bream), three pieces of hokkigai, and two pieces of tako. The sashimi was generally very fresh, with the amaebi and the very juicy tako being the highlights. The only real fault was the excessively cold temperature of the Tuna Sashimi, which made it come dangerously close to turning into a tuna popsicle.

Aburi Spicy Tuna Roll - B+

The Aburi Spicy Tuna Roll consisted of a California roll, seared tuna, and spicy tuna. It was moderately spicy with a good amount of chili sauce on top. The crab meat was rather soft, but the tuna can be a little softer. I couldn't really taste any Aburi flavour under all the spiciness and didn't see the point of searing the tuna, but I suppose putting "Aburi" in the name would get more people to try the roll.

Chicken Kamameshi - B+

The Chicken Kamameshi was a steamed rice hot pot with chicken and vegetables. The rice had lots of moisture and absorbed the flavour of the bamboo shoots well. The steamed chicken was very tender. However, this tasted a little too much like comfort food to me. Even my dad, who ordered this dish, said it tasted too healthy for him. I don't think I've ever heard my dad say that before. 

Kawari Battera - A-

Our final item was the Kawari Battera, which featured anago (sea eel) on one side and ebi on the other. The anago was cut thinly and didn't have much impact, but they were clever enough to use avocado to help enhance the flavours here. On the other hand, the ebi had an appealing chewiness and contained a surprising burst of richness. The rice was again well-made, just like in the nigiri sushi earlier.

Overall, the service was friendly, and the food was well-prepared, perhaps even more so than at the South Burnaby location. The sushi rice is clearly one of Nao Sushi's strengths. After we finished all the food above, I was still hardly full (as expected). Not wanting to wait a long time again for my food to come out, I went to stuff myself at Starbucks, where I could indulge in bank-breaking beverages and experience the joy of having my name spelled wrong.

Episode #168: Sushi Mori

Surrey Southeast, $$$ (Higher Priced)
www.surreysushimori.com 

Semester breaks always give me an excellent opportunity to relax, refresh my brain, and become nocturnal. As soon as midnight strikes, my refrigerator and my cabinet of snacks suddenly turn into huge Raymond magnets, and moments later, I'm sitting at the dining table with a pile of cookies, chocolates, jello, ice cream bars, etc. in front of me. After a nice calorie overdose, my energy level goes off the charts until I feel hungry again, and the cycle continues until sunrise. Besides the sun, there is only one other force powerful enough to stop this vicious cycle: the thought of going on a sushi adventure the next morning.

Miraculously, by harnessing the power of sushi, I managed to get myself up at 8 in the morning. With plenty of time to spare, I ventured all the way to South Surrey to have lunch at the newest Sushi Mori location. I found it ironic that there was a sign outside the restaurant that said "Taste the true Japan," given that the restaurant is in fact Korean-operated. Furthermore, the extensive menu contains a lot of fusion dishes and even some Korean dishes. The typical menu items were priced regularly, while special or innovative dishes came at a significant premium in general.

The Sushi Mori chain is also quite well-known for its highly elaborate dining areas. As you can see, my seat featured a marvelous view of a wooden fish-shaped object dangling from a raised log.

Barbie Doll Roll - A-

Named after one of the greatest inventions of the twentieth century, the Barbie Doll Roll featured crab meat, prawn tempura, cucumber, avocado, seared sockeye salmon, orange sauce, white wine, and ponzu sauce. The prawn tempura was rich in flavour and noticeably crispy, while the orange sauce was a good match for the sweet flavour of the crab meat. A mysterious seasoning (that apparently neither the server nor the chef could identify) played an important role in livening up the flavours of this roll. Overall, the combination of flavours was unique and worked very well. This roll tasted just as good as a date with Barbie. Oh wait, I've never even gone on a date...

Salmon Ceviche Goma-ae - B

Next up was the Salmon Ceviche Goma-ae. The salmon sashimi had a soft, smooth texture and was dressed with a citrusy salad dressing. The spinach was also decent but covered with perhaps too many sesame seeds. Sitting at the bottom was a large dose of overly thick sesame sauce, which didn't exactly mix well with the tangy salad dressing. 

Aburi Tuna Nigiri - B

Toro Nigiri - A

Sous Vide Lobster Nigiri - A-

A few years ago, I visited the Sushi Mori in Langley and was not very impressed with their Aburi (seared) sushi. Unfortunately, the Aburi sushi here does not seem to be any better. The Aburi Tuna Nigiri was dressed with salt and pepper, which completely eliminated the seared flavour (if there was any to begin with). There was also too much salt on the tuna. However, I'll give them credit for the above-average rice formation. The Toro Nigiri was excellent and came with a mouthwatering melty texture. The Sous Vide Lobster Nigiri had a nice chew to it and was dressed with sweet chili sauce, which provided a refreshing zing. 

Crab & Oyster Crab Cake - B+

The Crab & Oyster Crab Cake consisted of two plump croquettes with real crab meat, onion, bell pepper, and oyster as filling (in addition to a salad). The crab cakes came with two dipping sauces (sweet chili and orange), which I did not photograph because I did not realize their importance until biting into the crunchy but weakly flavoured batter. Both dipping sauces were good companions for the croquettes. A delicious seafood flavour emanated from the crab meat and oyster inside. The crab meat and oyster were very finely cut, making the filling extremely soft (it borders on being mushy).

Bulgogi Rice Bowl - B+

I don't know about tasting the true Japan here, but at least I could taste the true Korea with the Bulgogi Rice Bowl. This rice bowl featured Korean-marinated AAA beef with rice and Japchae noodles (sweet potato noodles). The beef was tender and high-quality, but for some reason, some of it was bunched up together into chunks. The Japchae noodles were on the softer side and absorbed the flavour of the bulgogi sauce well. Overall, this dish was good enough to stand up to the bulgogi beef at an average Korean restaurant in Vancouver.

I received friendly service during my visit, and I was a little surprised to see that the large dining space did in fact become substantially filled up during the peak lunch hours on a weekday. After tips, my lunch did traverse the $50 mark, but other than the weak Aburi sushi, the food was generally prepared with care. I also ended up so full that I had to walk over to Walmart and browse through the skinny Barbie dolls to convince myself to be a little more conservative with the ordering next time.

Episode #167: Takumi Japanese Restaurant

Vancouver (Northwest), $$$$ (Luxury), $$$ (Higher Priced) with the lunch specials
www.takumisushi.com

I have always had a very crazy schedule, and many of my friends know that organizing any kind of gathering with me is a total nightmare. I think some of them have just given up on me altogether. On the bright side, my schedule typically doesn't interfere with my precious sushi adventures, except in the case of Takumi Japanese Restaurant. It was almost as if they set their hours to prevent me from visiting. I first tried to visit them on a Monday and found out that they were not open on Mondays. Then, I tried to go for lunch on a Tuesday (it says on their website that they are open on Tuesdays for lunch), and instead of any sushi, all I got was a sign that said lunch is now only offered from Wednesday to Friday. Seriously?? However, despite all the steam swirling out of my ears, I decided to try one more time...

...on a Friday morning, and this time, the door finally gave way to my majestic presence. Inside the restaurant was a semi-fancy atmosphere coupled with some elegant jazz music in the background. One quick sift of the menu was all it took for me to notice that the sashimi and nigiri were very pricey. I'm sure we are all familiar with the love-hate relationship between me and my wallet, but this time, I decided to go easy by ordering combos rather than separate pieces of nigiri.

First up was the four-course Tempura & Chicken Teriyaki Don Lunch Set. 

Chicken and Tempura Don - B+

The Chicken and Tempura Don came with tender, juicy chicken as well as two plump tempura prawns with a good snap. The batter had a distinct sweet flavour, but unfortunately, it lacked crispiness and was rather soggy. The rice would also benefit from a bit more sauce, though this issue was somewhat relieved by the savoury tempura sliced onions.

Eggplant Enjoying a Tranquil Bath - A-

They did not give me a name for this dish, so I decided to call it Eggplant Enjoying a Tranquil Bath. This dish consisted of two pieces of juicy, mostly soft eggplant bathing in a light soy and mirin mix akin to agedashi tofu sauce. It was served cool and garnished with grated daikon and green onion. 

Mashed Potato Appetizer - B+

The Mashed Potato Appetizer was served chilled and generally had a soft, melty texture. Some of the vegetables mixed inside were a little chewier than expected.

Udon - B

The Udon was a soothing finish to the lunch set, though there was hardly anything special about it. The lightly fried bean curd ended up being rather chewy, and the noodles were a bit too soft for my liking. However, the broth had sufficient depth of flavour. 

After the lunch set, I got the Assorted Sushi à la Carte (don't ask me why the sushi combos were labelled "à la carte"—I have no clue). At $25, this was more than twice the price of the lunch set. Those nigiri better have a beautifying effect on my face!

Tamago - A

Ebi Nigiri - A-

Sockeye Salmon Nigiri - A-

Albacore Tuna Nigiri - A+

The Assorted Sushi à la Carte got off to a solid start. The Tamago was sweet and cake-like with a soft, fluffy texture. The Ebi Nigiri had a nice snap and a pleasant sweet flavour, though it was a touch dry. Next, the Sockeye Salmon Nigiri was fresh and came in a thick cut, but still remained soft. The Albacore Tuna Nigiri melted perfectly in my mouth with a savoury, rich flavour, and I could totally feel my face becoming more and more beautiful as I ate it. Okay, fine, maybe not... The sushi rice here was very good, though it was not quite at the level of Miku and Octopus' Garden.

Hamachi Nigiri - A

Madai Nigiri - A

Ikura Nigiri - A

Tuna Roll - A-

Both the Hamachi Nigiri and the Madai Nigiri came with a delectable smooth texture and a delicate flavour. The Ikura Nigiri was juicy and rich and came with lots of fish oil. I also liked how it was bite-sized. The Tuna Roll came in large pieces and contained the same heavenly, melty tuna as the Albacore Tuna Nigiri, but the roll ended up being quite rice-heavy (this is evident from the photo). 

The service was friendly and professional, as expected from a restaurant that claims to be in the "Fine Dining" category. I also very much enjoyed the food here, which was carefully prepared and consistently well-executed. However, there is also a slight premium for the semi-fancy atmosphere and the location. If you are not really looking for ambiance, you can also try Kaide Sushi Bar, which offers nigiri at a similar quality level for a lower price.